The Role Genetics Play in Hair Loss

When it comes to understanding hair loss and the many factors that play into it, research is ongoing. Hair loss treatments have made huge strides in recent decades to restore thinning hair and even slow down hair loss, but discovering the underlying cause of hereditary hair loss and developing a cure for it has proven to be difficult.

Androgenetic alopecia, commonly known as male or female pattern baldness, is the most common type of hair loss, affecting millions of middle-aged men and women. If you are faced with hereditary hair loss, Dr. Arocha and his expert staff at Arocha Hair Restoration and Transplant Center offer the latest in modern hair transplantation surgery and advanced treatment options.

Genetics and Hair Loss

Most studies investigating the role of genetics in hair loss point to the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT), an androgen whose presence increases during aging, as the likely culprit in causing hair loss. DHT disrupts the natural life cycle of hair follicles and causes hair growth to slow until it eventually ceases altogether.

While research is incomplete on the topic of hair loss and more unknown factors almost certainly play a role, the AR gene has been confirmed in clinical studies to affect future hair loss in patients. The AR gene is responsible for creating a protein called an androgen receptor that is in charge of handling DHT in the body. This gene is passed down by both mothers and fathers, disputing the commonly-held belief that hereditary hair loss can only be transmitted by one parent or the other.

Whatever the true cause of genetic hair loss may be, having a family history of balding seems to be the only reliable and consistent method for predicting future hair loss. If your close relatives on either or both sides of your family experience hair loss later in life, then you can expect to experience it as well.

Hair Loss Treatment

If hereditary hair loss has taken a toll on your hair and your self-confidence, modern treatment options exist to combat thinning hair and even hold it at bay. Rogaine and Propecia are two medicated products that are FDA-approved to successfully treat hair loss. When used together, they can slow down thinning hair and even reactivate aging follicles that have stopped producing hair.

In addition to medicated products, if your hair loss has progressed beyond the help of common treatment options, hair transplantation surgery can restore lost hair by harvesting and transplanting healthy follicles to non-active sections of the scalp.

At Arocha Hair Restoration and Transplant Center, Dr. Arocha utilizes the latest in hair loss technology to perform successful hair transplantation procedures for his patients. If hair loss treatments or hair transplants interest you, contact us today at 713-526-HAIR (4247) to schedule a consultation with Dr. Arocha and discuss your options.