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Why do men go bald on top of their heads but not the facial hair? (self.asklemmy)

submitted 3 days ago by Etterra to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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I guess that goes for eyebrows and other body hair in general, but it seems like hair loss with age is very specifically only on top of the head and nowhere else.

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[–] akalanka@masto.es 1 points 2 days ago

@Etterra it is not 100% clear yet, but the process is as follows:

All males convert testosterone into DHT, a more potent version of itself, using 5-alpha-reductase. This DHT causes, in follicles which are susceptible to it, the hair strand to become thinner and thinner, untill it eventually disappears.

Usually, these sensitive follicles are only at the top, which is why a transplant works: it moves unsensitive follicles to the top, and they will keep on producing hair despite DHT

IIRC, there is also a version of 5-alpha-reductase that is precisely more active on the top, which might help bald even more. It gets blocked with dutasteride / propecia