Old age not a cause of hair loss

Stem cell; cell based hair therapy
1

Previously it was thought there might be a difference between androgenic alopecia (male pattern baldness) and scenescent baldness (age related hair loss). But the study below suggests that there is no difference. Scenescent baldness, which is diffuse thinning and thinner hair shaft diameters due to ageing is indeed caused by androgens. Old age by itself is not a cause of hair loss.

Androgens are once again the culprit. What we need are androgen insensitive hairs cloned from the back of our heads and transplanted all over our scalp. That is a lifetime cure against hair loss due to androgens and ageing.

How real is senescent alopecia? A histopathologic approach.
Whiting DA.

The Hair and Skin Research and Treatment Center, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75246, USA. whiting@hairskinrtc.com

Abstract
Senescent alopecia was originally thought to affect people aged 50 years or older with no family history or evidence of pattern balding. It was described as a diffuse thinning involving the whole scalp due to a steady decrease in thick terminal hairs, but without evidence of increased miniaturization. Senescent alopecia is not a primary diagnosis in this clinic. Most possible examples of it are assumed to be androgenetic or diffuse alopecia. In the study reported here, horizontal sections of 2149 scalp specimens from individuals with male and female pattern and diffuse alopecia, as well as from normal controls, were examined, and their follicular counts were recorded and sorted into decades. The decade of 20 to 29 years contained a significant number of patients and was used for baseline follicular counts for comparison with all succeeding decades up to age 99 years. A reduction of 15% below baseline was considered significant. In 10.6% of patients with male pattern alopecia, the age of onset of a significant reduction in follicular counts was 50 years; in 5.7% of patients with female pattern alopecia it was 70 years, and in 2.0% of patients with diffuse alopecia it was 80 years. These data suggest that most cases of significant hair loss in the elderly are androgen driven. The few patients with deteriorating diffuse alopecia may be the exception. The study concluded that old age is not a significant cause of hair loss.

2

» Previously it was thought there might be a difference between androgenic
» alopecia (male pattern baldness) and scenescent baldness (age related hair
» loss). But the study shows that there is no difference. Scenescent
» baldness, which is diffuse thinning and thinner hair shaft diameters is
» indeed caused by androgens. Old age by itself is not a cause of hair loss.
»
»
» Androgens are once again the culprit.
»
» --------------
»
» How real is senescent alopecia? A histopathologic approach.
» Whiting DA.
»
» The Hair and Skin Research and Treatment Center, Baylor University Medical
» Center, Dallas, TX 75246, USA. whiting@hairskinrtc.com
»
» Abstract
» Senescent alopecia was originally thought to affect people aged 50 years or
» older with no family history or evidence of pattern balding. It was
» described as a diffuse thinning involving the whole scalp due to a steady
» decrease in thick terminal hairs, but without evidence of increased
» miniaturization. Senescent alopecia is not a primary diagnosis in this
» clinic. Most possible examples of it are assumed to be androgenetic or
» diffuse alopecia. In the study reported here, horizontal sections of 2149
» scalp specimens from individuals with male and female pattern and diffuse
» alopecia, as well as from normal controls, were examined, and their
» follicular counts were recorded and sorted into decades. The decade of 20
» to 29 years contained a significant number of patients and was used for
» baseline follicular counts for comparison with all succeeding decades up to
» age 99 years. A reduction of 15% below baseline was considered significant.
» In 10.6% of patients with male pattern alopecia, the age of onset of a
» significant reduction in follicular counts was 50 years; in 5.7% of
» patients with female pattern alopecia it was 70 years, and in 2.0% of
» patients with diffuse alopecia it was 80 years. These data suggest that
» most cases of significant hair loss in the elderly are androgen driven.
» The few patients with deteriorating diffuse alopecia may be the exception.
» The study concluded that old age is not a significant cause of hair
» loss.

Could be.

And it could explain something that puzzled me: since I started taking DHT blockers (e.g., propecia, Finasteride, Avodart) the hair on the back and sides of my head, which began noticeably thinning in my late 40s, thickened up again.

3

Personally i’m convinced that any 18 year old with a disposition for mild/moderate androgenic alopecia who gets on Avodart consistently everyday will not suffer baldness for a good portion of his life - certainly the best years of his life (20s, 30s). I wish someone had given me the gift of Avodart on my 18th birthday.

The only question however is does testosterone also play a role in MPB. I believe it does but since it has 3X less affinity for androgen receptors than DHT, perhaps we can conclude that the person above has 3X more time to hang onto his hair.

So if he might have gone bald in 10 years, he now has 30 years. Certainly the cure would be available by then… or maybe not given the glacial pace of progress in this field.

4

» Personally i’m convinced that any 18 year old with a disposition for
» mild/moderate androgenic alopecia who gets on Avodart consistently everyday
» will not suffer baldness for a good portion of his life - certainly the
» best years of his life (20s, 30s). I wish someone had given me the gift of
» Avodart on my 18th birthday.

Oh, and please tell me something about what happened to you, IF somebody had given you the gift “Avodart” on your 18th birthday:

5

<<Personally i’m convinced that any 18 year old with a disposition for
mild/moderate androgenic alopecia who gets on Avodart consistently everyday
will not suffer baldness for a good portion of his life - certainly the
best years of his life (20s, 30s).>>

But finasteride/dutasteride work primarily on the vertex (crown); much less so on the midscalp, and not much at all on the front of the head.

Some have suggested that perhaps this is so because the factors that cause hair loss in the midscalp and frontal scalp may be different than in the vertex. (That is, maybe it’s something other than DHT, or in addition to DHT, that causes hair loss in the former two areas.)

6

It would answer some ongoing questions about MPB if different areas in the scalp had different sensitivities to the various androgens.

Of course this would be a mild or moderate difference in the sensitivities and it would probably vary from man to man. There’s virtually no fact about MPB that doesn’t have a bunch of exceptions.

7

» <<Personally i’m convinced that any 18 year old with a disposition for
» mild/moderate androgenic alopecia who gets on Avodart consistently
» everyday
» will not suffer baldness for a good portion of his life - certainly the
» best years of his life (20s, 30s).>>
»
» But finasteride/dutasteride work primarily on the vertex (crown); much less
» so on the midscalp, and not much at all on the front of the head.
»
» Some have suggested that perhaps this is so because the factors that cause
» hair loss in the midscalp and frontal scalp may be different than in the
» vertex. (That is, maybe it’s something other than DHT, or in addition to
» DHT, that causes hair loss in the former two areas.)

Don’t know if you’ve seen this website of identical (same DNA) twins. One which took propecia and one which didn’t. Given they have the same DNA, you’d expect them to be genetically predispositioned to have the same kind of hair loss. So its an ideal case study that propecia can work in the front hair line. I notice though that the twin who took propecia is also losing some ground on his top but its a lot less severe than the twin who took nothing.

www.twinshairloss.com

8

Females’ hair grows thinner with advance age, too. But certainly they are not suffering from a surplus of androgens.

Women have 1/10 the androgens men have, and slightly different androgens that are made in the adrenal glands, instead of the testicles (males also have adrenal androgens).

When both males and females age, adrenal androgens are secreted less… just like estrogens are secreted less in women, and testosterone is secreted less in men, as they age.

9

» Previously it was thought there might be a difference between androgenic
» alopecia (male pattern baldness) and scenescent baldness (age related hair
» loss). But the study below suggests that there is no difference.
» Scenescent baldness, which is diffuse thinning and thinner hair shaft
» diameters due to ageing is indeed caused by androgens. Old age by itself
» is not a cause of hair loss.
»
» Androgens are once again the culprit. What we need are androgen
» insensitive hairs cloned from the back of our heads and transplanted all
» over our scalp. That is a lifetime cure against hair loss due to androgens
» and ageing.
»
» --------------
»
» How real is senescent alopecia? A histopathologic approach.
» Whiting DA.
»
» The Hair and Skin Research and Treatment Center, Baylor University Medical
» Center, Dallas, TX 75246, USA. whiting@hairskinrtc.com
»
» Abstract
» Senescent alopecia was originally thought to affect people aged 50 years or
» older with no family history or evidence of pattern balding. It was
» described as a diffuse thinning involving the whole scalp due to a steady
» decrease in thick terminal hairs, but without evidence of increased
» miniaturization. Senescent alopecia is not a primary diagnosis in this
» clinic. Most possible examples of it are assumed to be androgenetic or
» diffuse alopecia. In the study reported here, horizontal sections of 2149
» scalp specimens from individuals with male and female pattern and diffuse
» alopecia, as well as from normal controls, were examined, and their
» follicular counts were recorded and sorted into decades. The decade of 20
» to 29 years contained a significant number of patients and was used for
» baseline follicular counts for comparison with all succeeding decades up to
» age 99 years. A reduction of 15% below baseline was considered significant.
» In 10.6% of patients with male pattern alopecia, the age of onset of a
» significant reduction in follicular counts was 50 years; in 5.7% of
» patients with female pattern alopecia it was 70 years, and in 2.0% of
» patients with diffuse alopecia it was 80 years. These data suggest that
» most cases of significant hair loss in the elderly are androgen driven.
» The few patients with deteriorating diffuse alopecia may be the exception.
» The study concluded that old age is not a significant cause of hair
» loss.

Did I understand this correctly? In 10.6% of the patients, male pattern baldness didn’t start until they were 50 years old? That totally sucks for those who had hair transplants in the late 30s or early 40s thinking that their hair loss had stabilized already before getting a hair tranpslant.

10

» Did I understand this correctly? In 10.6% of the patients, male pattern
» baldness didn’t start until they were 50 years old? That totally sucks for
» those who had hair transplants in the late 30s or early 40s thinking that
» their hair loss had stabilized already before getting a hair tranpslant.

there is no stabilization of anything.

i’ve seen old guys where even their horse shoe was thinning out to the point where just a few whispy strands remained. you’d literally have to create a new norwood level for them. like norwood 10!

this disease is a destroyer to the very end. till the day they put you in your grave and beyond.