Why are you bald?

For centuries, owning a glossy head often gave off a sense of intelligence, though, many bald people expect their hair to grow back.

Scientists have studied for a long time on this problem, so what is the cause of baldness and how to grow hair back?

Learn the mechanism of hair growth

A good hair has about 100,000 to 150,000 hairs on its head. There are two things that make up a haircut:

  • First, the hair is made up of keratin - a protein left over from dead cells, pushed up as new cells form below.
  • Second, the structure that helps hair grow is called a hair follicle, a complex network of organs, formed before our birth and helps hair grow in a continuous cycle.

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Hair growth cycle consists of 3 stages:

  • The first is the growing period, up to 90% of your hair follicles are in this period, they make your hair grow at a rate of 1cm per month. The growth period can last from 2 to 7 years, depending on your genes.

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  • After the growth period, the signal under the skin tells some follicles to turn to a new period called the period of recession, causing the hair follicles to shrink by a fraction of the original length. The period of recession usually lasts 2 to 3 weeks and cuts the blood supply to the follicles, isolating the hair shaft.

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  • Finally, the resting period, lasting 10 to 12 weeks, affects approximately 5-15% of the scalp on your scalp. During the break, there can be up to 200 hairs per day, which is normal. After that, the growth cycle begins again.

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Causes of hair loss and baldness

Hair loss is not sudden but gradual, a system called the Norwood measure helps identify the severity of hair loss. First, the hair falls on the sides of the temple, then the hair on the top of the head is thinned in a circular motion. At the highest point of this scale, bald areas meet and expand rapidly, eventually leaving only a thin hair circle around the temples and the back of the head.

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In fact, some people have increasingly thinning hair. Baldness can be inherited, with people in this case hair follicles becoming extremely sensitive due to the effects of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) . DHT causes hair follicles to shrink, causing hair to thin and fall out.

The cause of hair loss is not entirely genetic. Prolonged stress can produce signals that damage hair follicles and cause them to fall into an early break. Some women experience this after birth. Hair follicles can also lose their ability during growth. People who undergo chemotherapy experience this temporarily.

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It seems that once you get bald, it will follow you forever but no, scientific studies have shown that beneath the surface of the skin, the hairline is still alive. With this knowledge, scientists have developed drugs that shorten the resting period and promote hair follicles in the growing period. In addition, some medications treat baldness by blocking the conversion of testosterone into DHT so that it does not affect sensitive hair follicles. Stem cells are also involved in regulating hair growth, and scientists are investigating whether they can control the activity of these cells to promote follicles to create new hair.

At the present time, while scientists are still working on ways to improve and regenerate hair, bald people don't think too much or be shy, remember, you're not alone!

Update 20 May 2020
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