While a predisposition for thinning hair is genetic, your genes alone cannot cause you to lose your hair. The process is a combination of hormonal and genetic influences, according to the website Hair Loss Talk. Hormone imbalances can make your hair fall out even if you are not genetically predisposed to thin hair, but your genetic makeup cannot make your hair fall out unless you also have a hormone imbalance.
Influence of Genes
Contrary to myth, thin hair and baldness are not necessarily inherited from your mother. The complicit gene can come from your father's side of the family as well. Hair Loss Talk reports that although every gene in human DNA was identified in 2003, science is not sure which one---or ones---are responsible for inherited hair loss and thinning. All that is known is that they are autosomal, meaning that they are not carried on either X or Y chromosomes and therefore can be inherited from either or both parents. They are dominant and of variable penetrance, so they might affect one sibling but not the other.
Influence of Hormones
If you carry the gene or genes for thin hair, then your follicles are vulnerable to attack by a hormone called dihydrotestisterone or DHT, according to the Hair Loss Learning Center. DHT converts from testosterone with the help of an enzyme called 5-alpha-reductase which is present in your hair follicles and the sebaceous glands below the surface of your skin, including your scalp. DHT wraps itself around your follicles and weakens them. When this happens, even perfectly healthy follicles will die and your hair will fall out eventually. If you have inherited follicles that are already weak or that are sensitive to DHT, more of your hair is likely to fall out and at a faster rate. At a minimum, excessive DHT can cause sensitive hair to shut down growth and enter a latent or resting phase, which will eventually cause it to shed. The higher your testosterone levels, the more vulnerable you are to hormonal hair thinning, and both men and women produce testosterone.
Other Possible Causes
Women to Women's website notes that postmenopausal women are particularly prone to thinning hair as their estrogen levels fall, making room for the conversion of more testosterone and DHT. There is also the possibility that your thinning hair is not inherited or hormone-related at all. According to the Hair Loss Learning Center, stress and nutritional factors can make you lose hairs, as well.
Recommendations
If you are a woman and are using a hormonal birth-control method, check with your physician to see if this could be contributing to your thinning hair. Your diet can also affect the health of your hair follicles, making them less susceptible to the effects of DHT. Vitamins B, C, D and E are all good for your hair, according to Women to Women. Calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium and copper contribute to healthy follicles, as well. Topical treatments such as Rogaine can thicken your remaining hair to give it the appearance of being fuller.
Treatments
The drug Propecia can slow your body's conversion of testosterone into DHT and can be successful in slowing and even stopping hair loss and thinning if used soon enough, according to the Hair Loss Learning Center. A testosterone-blocking drug called flutamide shows some effectiveness, but more for men than for women and it is not safe for women of child-bearing age. Hair transplant procedures have shown promising results, notes the Women for Women website.
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