‘Hair loss not as hereditary as believed’

Heredity has been blamed as one of the main causes of hair loss but a recent study found that, for about half of those going bald, genes have nothing to do with it.

The Korean Hair Research Society traced the family records of 1,220 people suffering from hair loss and found that only 41.8 percent of their fathers had the same problem. About 47.1 percent seemed to have been affected by their father’s genes and about 10 percent are assumed to have been affected by both of their parents, but neither appeared relevant in 41.8 percent of cases. The team tracked the hair loss status of the subjects’ parents and grandparents.

The most frequently detected manifestation of hair loss among men took the shape of an ‘M’ on the forehead, which is highly hereditary. In case of females, who were less affected by genes in hair loss, exceptionally wide foreheads were detected.

“Women’s hair loss is less hereditary because they are less affected by the androgen hormone. Some female hair loss is triggered by amnesia, thyroid disorders or intake of drugs such as oral contraceptives or blood pressure controllers,” Kang Ji-su, head of the academia, said.

He also warned that hair loss is being seen among young women these days, possibly because of excessive dieting.

“Their stress is enormous and can affect the scalp condition,” he said.

(baejisook@heraldcorp.com)