• Question: Why do people go bald??

    Asked by fishernwh to David, Helen, Ian, rhysphillips, Sarah on 23 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Rhys Phillips

      Rhys Phillips answered on 14 Jun 2011:

      Normally it’s in the genes – it’s a pattern you inherit from your parents. So if you go bald, blame your Dad!

    • Photo: Ian van der Linde

      Ian van der Linde answered on 15 Jun 2011:

      To save money on shampoo. No! It’s genetic and hormone related (these things are linked, since our genes control, to a certain degree, what quantities of hormones we have). Men tend to go bald much more often than women because of differences in the hormones we have.

    • Photo: David Corne

      David Corne answered on 15 Jun 2011:

      It’s quite unfair to do as Rhys says and blame your Dad – strangely it’s Mum who carries the offending gene. If a male inherits this from his Mum, then he’s done for. I don’t know the details (I could google it if you want, but so could you), but a gene (or group of genes) on the X chromosome (carried by women) somehow cuts hair production when your older.

    • Photo: Helen Fletcher

      Helen Fletcher answered on 23 Jun 2011:

      It’s true that it is mostly genetic, and related to a male hormone which means it only usually happens in men. But there are other reasons for losing your hair too- it can be due to a condition called alopecia, the result of chemotherapy, or even iron deficiency. And some other animals go bald too- like chimps!

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