Gravity Causes Male Pattern Baldness
Gravity Causes Male Pattern Baldness?
Just when we thought we have seen it all and heard it all when it comes to reasons we are losing our hair, here's another one that is totally off the wall and outright weird by any standards.
Gravity causes hair loss in men? Of course, the discussion broke out in HairSite forum community like wildfire. The theory may sound absurb to many but the idea was carefully conceptualized by Dr. Emin Tuncay Ustuner from Ankara, Turkey, a plastic surgeon who thoroughly thought this out and put together a peer reviewed medical journal to back up his claims.
What Causes Male Pattern Baldness Hair Loss?
The generally accepted theory is that DHT (dihydrotestosterone) causes male pattern baldness. DHT is a derivate of the male hormone testosterone and there are indeed studies which show increased levels of DHT in balding scalp compared with non balding scalp. This theory looks good on paper but also proves to be seriously inadequate in substance.
Why DHT May Not Cause Male Pattern Baldness
DHT may provide a logical explanation for male pattern baldness or androgenetic alopecia. However, many questions remain answered.
For example, in order for the DHT theory to work, scientists have to arbitrarily divide the scalp into 2 sites: androgen sentivive vs androgen insensitive sites so that they can justify why the hairs in the sides and lower back of the head remain permanent for most people and immune to the damaging effects of DHT.
Another question is why does scalp hair hairs react differently to androgens in comparison to body/armpit hairs? DHT causes our sclap hair to fall and yet the very same hormone is repsonsible for the thickening of our body hair including armpit and genital hairs. The DHT theroy is clearly not a conclusive reason for male pattern baldness.
Dr. Emin Tuncay Ustuner wrote in our forum: "Today, many people think that AGA (androgenetic alopecia) is a polygenically inherited condition. This theory has not been proven yet ... it is solely based on some observations and some findings ... Any specific gene causing AGA has not been shown yet. One should also think about the odds of a polygenically inherited condition affecting the majority of the population."
Gravity Causes Hair Loss in Men
Here comes Dr. Emin Tuncay Ustuner (Ankara, Turkey) who provided an outrageous hypothesis that was met with a lot of skepticism and even ridicule. Dr. Ustuner believes that the present theory does not adequately address the medical condition of male pattern baldness or androgenetic alopecia. According to Dr. Emin Tuncay Ustuner, GRAVITY causes hair loss in men.
Gravity Causes Male Pattern Baldness: the Mechanism
Specifically, Dr. Emin Tuncay Ustuner believes that the force or downward pull caused by gravity on the scalp is responsible for hair loss in male pattern baldness. If there were no gravity there will be no such thing as male pattern baldness. Individual hair loss patterns are affected by differences in the shape of the head, reflecting variations in scalp pressure.
When we are young, our scalp has sufficient fat tissue under the skin to buffer and counteract the downward pressure exerted by gravity on hair follicles. Relying on studies that show the effects of androgens on subcutaneous fat tissues, Dr. Ustuner hypothesizes that testosterone contributes to the thinning of the subcutaneous layer and cause the fat tissues to become eroded.
They key is to have enough subcutaneous fat tissue under the scalp that buffers the pressure caused by gravity. Testosterone surge at puberty is the main reason for the early start of hair loss in the male. When the subcutaneous fat cushion reduces to an insufficient amount, hair loss begins.
Gravity Causes Hair Loss - Forum Discussion
Below is an excerpt from our forum community which best sums up Dr. Ustuner's theory on gravity and hair loss in men. You can read all the comments or participate in the discussion by going to Gravity Causes Male Pattern Baldness in our community forum.
In general, hair shafts have to fight against the force of gravity to emerge from the scalp during normal hair growth. The growth of the hair shafts on the top of the head is from inferior to superior (in a generally upward direction, albeit with some angling), which means that, to grow normally, they are fighting directly against the force of gravity, which pulls in a downward direction.
My interpretation of your view is that the scalp follicles which are most “disadvantaged” here are precisely the ones on the top of the head, and perhaps those at the vertex and hairline, because they are the ones which have to fight against the vector force of gravity most directly. In other words, the hairs on the crown and vertex are trying to grow directly upwards (albeit with some angling), while the force of gravity is acting directly downwards.
As I interpret your view, follicles on the sides and back of the head don’t have this same problem, because the direction of their hair growth is not exactly in the opposite direction to the force of gravity.
Therefore (in my reading of your theory), when the subcutaneous fat cushioning is removed generally from the scalp in a balding person, the basic physical disadvantage of the crown and vertex follicles is exacerbated and completly exposed to the deleterious downward force of gravity. The follicles on the sides and back of the scalp are not similarly disadvantaged, because of their fortunate positioning, and if subcutaneous fat is removed from those areas, it doesn’t have the same damaging effect.
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