So that's the reason as guys age we end up hairer on our bodies and end up walking around like bald gorillas.
this post was submitted on 26 Jan 2025
68 points (94.7% liked)
Asklemmy
44590 readers
930 users here now
A loosely moderated place to ask open-ended questions
Search asklemmy π
If your post meets the following criteria, it's welcome here!
- Open-ended question
- Not offensive: at this point, we do not have the bandwidth to moderate overtly political discussions. Assume best intent and be excellent to each other.
- Not regarding using or support for Lemmy: context, see the list of support communities and tools for finding communities below
- Not ad nauseam inducing: please make sure it is a question that would be new to most members
- An actual topic of discussion
Looking for support?
Looking for a community?
- Lemmyverse: community search
- sub.rehab: maps old subreddits to fediverse options, marks official as such
- !lemmy411@lemmy.ca: a community for finding communities
~Icon~ ~by~ ~@Double_A@discuss.tchncs.de~
founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
A bald guy wrote that
There's also studies showing everyone (at least in the study areas) thinks it's goofy unless you shave the sides to match, so that's interesting. Either one of those two facts are wrong, or cavemen were dexterous enough to get the job done with a piece of flint.
Grog use triple flint blade. 6 months subscription new rock comes.
Obsidian razors are one atom thick.
Yeah, fractured ceramics can be more than sharp enough - really metal is a downgrade at the microscopic level. The trick is that it's pretty hard to get a totally straight edge. The Aztecs did it, but it sounds like it required a mass-produced supply chain of some unknown kind (and I'm not even sure if grinding has been ruled out).
I miss a strip on on my non-dominant side every once in a while using power clippers, and we're talking about a wiggly little stone scraper. Primitive people spend all that time we spend on books working with their hands and body instead, and would have a ton of family around, so they'd probably never have to do themselves, but it's still kind of impressive.
Let Me Wikipedia That For You https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pattern_hair_loss#Causes
Yeah, but what if OP wants a conversation?
Donβt make me tap the sign π
No you didnβt.
OoooOOooo, so it's dangerous to have a conversation with you?
What is there to converse about? Some people seem to confuse asklemmy with Google.
Well, keep reading. Conversation did ensue. You basically write a summery of the important bits of what would be in the search (reminder Google alternatives exist), and then it's OP's turn to ask follow up questions, make a joke, counter with their own information, share an idea if one occurs to them, or just say thank you.
Androgens, evolution, the state of medicine and the the difference between head and body follicles have all been in immediate replies, and then there were spin-off conversations (honestly including this one, although an attempt was made to prevent it).
I just got too tall too fast. Grew right up through my hair!
riding around in convertibles.
My understanding is it is hormonal and governed by androgens, testosterone, and DHT. Depending on a man's levels and how sensitive their follicles are, it will affect how their scalp or beard grows. It can also be genetic/inherited and they are more likely to bald as they get older. Medication is usually aimed at hormonal causes and combined with something like minoxidil, which is a vasodilator.
Women also go through something similar, except the beard part for most women.
It takes too long for the stress to work its way down.
The hair gremlins wake us up if they try to pluck our facial hair
As a very bald man, let me assure you, hair does not merely keep growing other places. The exact same hormones that cause the baldness make it start coming out of unexpected places like weeds in a sidewalk. So cool. /s
As to why hair follicles work backwards specifically on the very top tip of genetically predisposed individuals, I can't say. There's a lot of information on the Wikipedia, but probably more we're yet to discover. I know it's still an active area of medical research. Especially active, even, because it's an old white/asian guy problem (usually).
I'm genuinely curious. By what age did you become bald?
Not the guy you asked but that is a decent question.
My hair thinned massively between ages 21-23, and when I was 24 Iβd had enough and finished the rest off with a razor.
21-22 I could get away with it, but by 24 it was ridiculous and nothing could hide it short of always wearing a hat.
Big Hat
Something about it being different kinds of hair. Facial hair trend to be more "pubic", with it's coarseness and waviness. If anything, as men get older, that kind of hair grows more vigorously.
@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