The Growth of a Hair
Each hair follicle is genetically
programmed before birth to either become sensitive
to the male hormones that begin to appear during
puberty -- causing the follicle to eventually
shrink and die -- or to not become sensitive
and continue growing throughout life.
Every single hair on your scalp grows for two
to six years, remains for a time, and then falls
out. In fact, every day you lose about 50 to
150 hairs. When one does fall out, a new hair
begins growing in its place. Sometimes testosterone
affects this normal growth cycle. Your hair follicles,
the tiny cup-shaped structures from which hairs
grow, start to shrink. In men, this only happens
on the front and top of the scalp since the
back and sides are programmed to
grow for life.
As the follicles shrink, the resulting hair
is thin and sparse. Eventually the follicles
shrink to the extent that new hair cannot grow.
The result is male pattern baldness. Some women
also experience a similar "pattern" baldness
amenable to hair restoration procedures.
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