Male pattern baldness, characterized by a receding hairline, is caused by the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) binding to hair follicles and inhibiting hair growth. Genetics play a major role, but environmental factors such as stress and smoking can accelerate balding. Medications and herbal remedies can help, but may have negative side effects.
A receding hairline refers to the progressive hair loss experienced by men as part of male pattern baldness. It often starts as a thinning of the hair, first on both sides of the forehead. This progresses to a bald patch on the top of the head. The likelihood of a man experiencing a receding hairline is determined by several factors, with genetics playing the biggest role. Most men with receding hairlines are over the age of 25, but some start noticing the thinning in their teens.
The main direct cause of receding hair is the hormone known as dihydrotestosterone or DHT. This hormone normally acts as a sex hormone in males, stimulating the development of secondary sexual characteristics during puberty. Eventually, DHT outlives its usefulness and can cause unwanted side effects. Chief among these is the inhibition of hair growth.
Not all men experience a receding hairline or other adverse effects of DHT activity. In some men, DHT production naturally slows down, instead of continuing at a high rate. In others, DHT continues to be produced in excess. In these cases, DHT builds up in certain places in the body, including the hair follicles. When enough of the hormone binds to a hair follicle, blood flow to it is choked off, starving the hair of nutrients and eventually causing it to fall out.
If left to its own devices, in most cases a receding hairline will cause permanent baldness all over the scalp. Due to the psychological and social implications this would have for most men, many medications and other treatments have become available that aim to stop or reverse the receding hairline. Some of these drugs, however, have the potential for negative side effects and interactions with other drugs. Herbal remedies carry less risk for these things, but have not been tested and developed as extensively.
The presence of high levels of DHT is not the only deciding factor for baldness or receding hair. While this condition is genetic and its expression at some point is more or less inevitable if the gene is present, certain environmental factors can accelerate balding in those with this inherited trait. An example that is seen quite often is the effect of emotional stress, especially over long periods of time. Stress can significantly improve hairline progression, once it begins. Some studies have even found a positive correlation between smoking and hair loss.
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