• Question: What makes people go bald?

    Asked by ells8 to Kate, Mark U, Tess, Yue, David, Mus on 3 May 2012. This question was also asked by niamhw53, samuel1299.
    • Photo: Tess Newman

      Tess Newman answered on 3 May 2012:

      The most common form is baldness is known as ‘male pattern baldness’ – this is the type that makes male lose hair as they age. The hair is normally lost from the forehead and/or the crown (the back of your head). This is caused by high levels of a hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which causes the hair follicles to die.

      We are not sure why we have evolved baldness – it may just be a way of showing which men are older, so that women pick the best potential mate to increase their chances of producing children. Chimpanzees also get thinner hair as they age

      Other causes of balding include fungal infections, poor diet, or problems with hormone levels

    • Photo: Mark Uphill

      Mark Uphill answered on 4 May 2012:

      Thanks for that Tess :p The amount of hair that I’ve lost is associated with the length of time I’ve been with my wife. However as she tells me, she hasn’t CAUSED me to go bald!

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