Is genetics the only cause for thinning hair?

[Davegod75]

My hair is starting to thin out and it sucks! I use hair gel and have for awhile. Would that cause my hair to thin? or is it just genetics?

 

[Amused]

http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/sym/hair_loss.htm

 

[Descartes]

It's most likely genetics, but there are a lot of other potential causes as well, including:

1) Severe inflammation of the scalp. This could be from folliculitis, etc.
2) Chemo
3) Thyroid disease
4) Malnutrition

and others that I can't remember. I'd say 95% of the time it's because of genetics.

 

[Davegod75]

good night...i'm otherwise healthy...I'm just wondering if hair gel or my shampoo is a cause

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: Davegod75
good night...i'm otherwise healthy...I'm just wondering if hair gel or my shampoo is a cause

Absolutely not.

 

[Tbirdkid]

stop wearing a helmut!

 

[chusteczka]

Originally posted by: Descartes

Originally posted by: Davegod75
good night...i'm otherwise healthy...I'm just wondering if hair gel or my shampoo is a cause

Absolutely not.

Of course hair gel and shampoo can cause hair loss. Today's hair products are mostly petroleum products anyway with labratory-produced chemicals thrown in. Such hair products provide the possibility of drying out the scalp too much, resulting in the skin excessively creating more oil, thereby resulting in clogged hair follicles. It is good to regularly switch between different brands and types of hair products to help prevent the body from overadapting to the chemical ingredients of one specific type.

Other causes of hair loss are:

• not wearing a hat in cold weather - an effect built up over time that will be realized years later
• not completely drying the hair after a shower and then going outside on a cold day - the water will freeze and damage the hair follicles
• excessively hot water in the shower directly on scalp
• dietary consumption (proven)
• health status - including lack of blood flow to the scalp that can be caused by failing heart valves such as by bacterial growth from a previous tooth infection. This is often seen with hair loss in a circular pattern at the top or crown of the head. (proven)
• prolonged thinking causing increased blood flow to the scalp, usually seen in academics with hair loss at the temples and forehead
• prolonged stress (proven)
• testosterone - usually seen with hair loss at the temples and forehead

EDIT: Added a few more reasons.
EDIT2: To be fair, some of these reasons are strong conjecture while other reasons are proven. The unproven reasons are rules I live by and consider them real enough to pass on. I realize I mentioned "Of course hair gel and shampoo can cause hair loss." when this is merely conjecture but it is something I strongly believe.

When I was a mechanic on a fast attack submarine, I soon realized that I could always tell which person on the boat was the supervisor (Chief Petty Officer) for the auxiliary machinery division. This division is in responsible for the auxiliary machinery that is not propulsion related, such as refrigeration, the diesel engine, hydraulics, high pressure air, oxygen generator, CO/CO2 removal, potable water, and sanitation. Since this job is arguably the most stressful position on a fast attack submarine, the person in this supervisory position was always balding on each boat I encountered.

 

[Fenixgoon]

exposure to certain chmicals, maybe?

 

[BigJ]

I forget what disease it is, but I know stress can trigger it which can result in hair loss.

EDIT: The disease is Alopecia.

 

[ScottyB]

Course it's not genetics. Hair loss is a learned behavior. What is wrong with all you anti-Jesus hair losers? Always trying to get the courts to support your subversive behavior. What's next? Trying to marry another person with hair loss? Stop thrusting your perversion on the rest of us. Marriage is a sacred bond between a man with a full head of hair and a woman with long, luscious hair.

 

[miri]

Originally posted by: chusteczka
Of course hair gel and shampoo can cause hair loss. Today's hair products are mostly petroleum products anyway with labratory-produced chemicals thrown in. Such hair products provide the possibility of drying out the scalp too much, resulting in the skin excessively creating more oil, thereby resulting in clogged hair follicles. It is good to regularly switch between different brands and types of hair products to help prevent the body from overadapting to the chemical ingredients of one specific type.

If someone is losing hair from shampoos or gels it would be in random places or all over the head. If you have typical balding patterns, bald spot in the back and receding hairline than that is typical balding.

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: chusteczka

Originally posted by: Descartes

Originally posted by: Davegod75
good night...i'm otherwise healthy...I'm just wondering if hair gel or my shampoo is a cause

Absolutely not.

Of course hair gel and shampoo can cause hair loss. Today's hair products are mostly petroleum products anyway with labratory-produced chemicals thrown in. Such hair products provide the possibility of drying out the scalp too much, resulting in the skin excessively creating more oil, thereby resulting in clogged hair follicles. It is good to regularly switch between different brands and types of hair products to help prevent the body from overadapting to the chemical ingredients of one specific type.

Other causes of hair loss are:

• not wearing a hat in cold weather - an effect built up over time that will be realized years later
• not completely drying the hair after a shower and then going outside on a cold day - the water will freeze and damage the hair follicles
• excessively hot water in the shower directly on scalp
• dietary consumption (proven)
• health status - including lack of blood flow to the scalp that can be caused by failing heart valves such as by bacterial growth from a previous tooth infection. This is often seen with hair loss in a circular pattern at the top or crown of the head. (proven)
• prolonged thinking causing increased blood flow to the scalp, usually seen in academics with hair loss at the temples and forehead
• prolonged stress (proven)
• testosterone - usually seen with hair loss at the temples and forehead

EDIT: Added a few more reasons.
EDIT2: To be fair, some of these reasons are strong conjecture while other reasons are proven. The unproven reasons are rules I live by and consider them real enough to pass on. I realize I mentioned "Of course hair gel and shampoo can cause hair loss." when this is merely conjecture but it is something I strongly believe.

When I was a mechanic on a fast attack submarine, I soon realized that I could always tell which person on the boat was the supervisor (Chief Petty Officer) for the auxiliary machinery division. This division is in responsible for the auxiliary machinery that is not propulsion related, such as refrigeration, the diesel engine, hydraulics, high pressure air, oxygen generator, CO/CO2 removal, potable water, and sanitation. Since this job is arguably the most stressful position on a fast attack submarine, the person in this supervisory position was always balding on each boat I encountered.

Where did you come up with all this nonsense? Prolonged thinking???

Read about hairloss, because everything you said is wrong. Maybe start here.

 

[MidasKnight]

Time for a :

Skullet


🙂

 

[chusteczka]

Originally posted by: Descartes
Where did you come up with all this nonsense? Prolonged thinking???

Read about hairloss, because everything you said is wrong. Maybe start here.

It is well known among women that men with hair loss from the forehead and temple areas are typically smart. Ask around, talk about it, and give it some thought. Maybe the hair loss in that region comes from the stress of studying and the person holding their head up with their hand while reading their textbooks for hours on end. I am not sure.

Hair loss at the temples and forehead provides me with two impressions; either an intellectual person (inclusive) or a person who physically developed earlier than the others through a higher than average amount of testosterone.

I get my information from life and proper consideration rather than blindly accepting what others tell me or post on the internet. I also tend to uphold my beliefs on certain topics until they have been conclusively proven otherwise, which is a much larger and safer subset of life than only holding beliefs that have been proven. Much of old folklore, tales, and other advice on life that is passed down from one generation to the next fits in this category.

EDIT: Your statement makes me realize that I did not properly explain myself the first time. Thank you for pointing out the logical omission in my presentation.

 

[AAjax]

Originally posted by: Davegod75
My hair is starting to thin out and it sucks! I use hair gel and have for awhile. Would that cause my hair to thin? or is it just genetics?

Nope, stress is a big cause, I lost allot of my hair about 4 years ago while I was a retail manager. Bummer indeed, however it has allmost come back 100% since I left that line of work. Of course Im sure that as I age it may drop out again but who cares, I might look good bald... I quess we shall see 🙂

 

[chusteczka]

Originally posted by: Descartes
...
Read about hairloss, because everything you said is wrong. Maybe start here.

This is an interesting website but I believe they are focusing so hard on the limitations of proven scientific principles that they discredit the knowledge humans have acquired over thousands of years. I tend to believe the accumulated knowledge of human beings before I believe the relatively knew, unproven, and limited scope of current scientific knowledge. Current science discredits too much information because it cannot be "proven" according to current methods of proof. I believe that too much useful information falls outside the scope of current scientific methods of proof.

Your first Steps

This web site was created by consumers who were tired of all the confusing ads, bad information, and sometimes flat out lies that exist regarding hair loss. We've successfully kept this site 100% free of snake oils. We present to you only the products and services we feel have legitimate scientific efficacy.

This statement tells me the information within will be extremely limited in scope based on the current limitations of modern American science and business.

Step 1 - Understanding Hair Loss

It is still not fully understood what causes hair loss, ...

Old Wives Tales
The following old wives tales are very commonly believed, but are at times very illogical and almost always wrong. A good rule of thumb - if it didn't make you bald when you were 15, it's probably not making you bald now.

This final statement discredits the affect of time and is therefore worthless.

People who discredit "Old Wives Tales" are often insecure in their own knowledge and skillset, preferring to put down what they do not understand. There is a lot of wisdom in "Old Wives Tales" that has served many generations of our ancestors very well.

Stress? Probably not, unless you've undergone extreme physical or mental torture for months.

Bad Circulation? No. Male pattern baldness is not caused by a lack of circulation or nutrients to the follicle, whether it be by hats, ponytails, or anything else. There are conditions where trauma to the scalp has caused damage, but it wouldn't happen without you knowing it.

Sweat & Dirt? No. Beware of any treatment that claims it is "cleaning" the follicles of excess sebum, dirt, or sweat. Anyone who has ever had an ingrown hair can vouch for the fact that it takes a heck of a lot more than oil to stop a hair from growing through something. You sweat in high school, and you never lost a hair from it.

Hats? No. The high school baseball team was never known to be the baldest team in school. Hat's do not cause hair loss.

Stress is most definitely a factor towards hair loss. Just because modern scientific methods are unable to measure the effects of stress over several years of time does not invalidate what we see before us each day.

Bad Circulation is most definitely a factor towards hair loss. Ask any heart surgeon. For example, my father had a childhood sickness that resulted in bacteria developing on his heart valves. Throughout his life, he could not understand why he was going bald at the top of his head. One day, four years ago at the age of 56, he had a heart attack that resulted in the discovery and repair of his diseased heart valves. Soon afterwards he started new hair growth at the top of his head. His heart surgeon told him this is a common occurrence. This hair loss and subsequent hair reqrowth was caused by blood circulation.

Sweat & Dirt I am not familiar with but I believe it is possible for current hair products to plug hair follicles, resulting in damage to hair growth.

Hats, in my experience, tend to protect the head from the sun and cold. Therefore, it is my belief that hats protect the hair. I do not think that hats damage hair follicles.

It appears that most of the premise and scope of this website is incorrect.

These are my lessons learned that I am passing on. You are free to accept them if you wish.

 

[Amused]

I'm simply amazed at the blind belief in myths surrounding hair loss in this thread.

Chusteczka, not a single one of your claims is supported by any valid peer reviewed and repeated medical study. Not one. I've never seen such a collection of myths spewed in a single post.

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: chusteczka

Originally posted by: Descartes
Where did you come up with all this nonsense? Prolonged thinking???

Read about hairloss, because everything you said is wrong. Maybe start here.

It is well known among women that men with hair loss from the forehead and temple areas are typically smart. Ask around, talk about it, and give it some thought. Maybe the hair loss in that region comes from the stress of studying and the person holding their head up with their hand while reading their textbooks for hours on end. I am not sure.

Hair loss at the temples and forehead provides me with two impressions; either an intellectual person (inclusive) or a person who physically developed earlier than the others through a higher than average amount of testosterone.

I get my information from life and proper consideration rather than blindly accepting what others tell me or post on the internet. I also tend to uphold my beliefs on certain topics until they have been conclusively proven otherwise, which is a much larger and safer subset of life than only holding beliefs that have been proven. Much of old folklore, tales, and other advice on life that is passed down from one generation to the next fits in this category.

EDIT: Your statement makes me realize that I did not properly explain myself the first time. Thank you for pointing out the logical omission in my presentation.

I'm free to believe that spreading peanut butter on my head helps, and you might never find a scientific body willing to waste their time to prove me otherwise, but that doesn't make it any less ridiculous.

I honestly don't even know how to respond to you. You're correlating hairloss from everything to prolonged thought to resting your hand on your forehead (also note that when people talk about loss they don't refer to the forehead; that alone shows you haven't researched the topic).

Hairloss is no longer a mystery, but you seem to think it is and you support that through these mystical notions of yours. A lot of progress has been made in the past few decades, and there are scientifically proven solutions available to everyone. You can choose to ignore it if you wish.

Do more research and then come back.

 

[chusteczka]

Originally posted by: Amused
I'm simply amazed at the blind belief in myths surrounding hair loss in this thread.

Chusteczka, not a single one of your claims is supported by any valid peer reviewed and repeated medical study. Not one. I've never seen such a collection of myths spewed in a single post.

Amused, I like the link you provided earlier in the thread.

"peer reviewed and repeated medical stud[ies]" are limited in their scope due to the effects of numerous uncontrollable and unknown variables over time. Such variables include the topics I have already discussed: health, medical condition or disease, blood flow due to such health conditions, diet, and daily habits such as washing, the wearing of certain types of clothing in varying types of weather, and physical manipulation of the head (in this case) such as habitual scratching and other abrasions. Time is a big factor in such studies. It is practically impossible to control all variables over a sufficient timespan of 30-50 years. There may possibly be many other factors that are currently unknown.

Furthermore, said "peer reviewed and repeated medical stud[ies]" are also partly behind America's over-dependence on drugs and the discrediting of medical practices successfully practiced throughout the rest of the world, that American health care is only starting to relearn, such asHomeopathy, Osteopathy, and preventive medicine through lifelong habits. American business is also a big factor behind such practices and its negative effects in the scientific realm should not be overlooked.

Such "myths" as I have discussed have helped me in life where the results of many business/scientific studies have failed due to the limited scope observable in said studies from uncontrollable and unknown variables over time. These limitations will not preclude me from observing what happens around me throughout life.

A strong factor in my presentation of these unscientific myths I believe in is that not everyone has the benefit of learning such life practices through their elders. Such information can significantly affect a person's life, hopefully for the better.

EDIT: affect/effect
EDIT2: added Osteopathy

 

[chusteczka]

Originally posted by: Descartes
...
I honestly don't even know how to respond to you. You're correlating hairloss from everything to prolonged thought to resting your hand on your forehead (also note that when people talk about loss they don't refer to the forehead; that alone shows you haven't researched the topic).

Hairloss is no longer a mystery, but you seem to think it is and you support that through these mystical notions of yours. A lot of progress has been made in the past few decades, and there are scientifically proven solutions available to everyone. You can choose to ignore it if you wish.

Do more research and then come back.

Sure my points may sound farfetched but I believe I have provided a sound logical reasoning behind my beliefs. The effects our personal habits have on our lives are not really understood since few people have taken the time to consider the effects of minor, repeated, actions on our health.

No, I have not researched the topic because I do not care about it so much since I am not losing my hair and do not think I ever will. However, I do suffer from migraine sinus headaches that are sometimes caused by going outdoors without drying my hair after a shower, not wearing a hat in freezing weather or extremely hot and sunny weather, and driving the car with the windows open and the wind constantly blowing on my head. These headaches usually occurr 10-12 hours after such exposure and it took a lot of consideration and experimentation to finally figure out what habits of mine were causing them. This realization has led me to consider how habitual actions can affect me in other aspects of my life, such as with the possibility of hair loss.

I suppose, more than the topic of hairloss, I care about the use of personal observation and "old wive's tales" successfully practiced and passed down numerous generations and how this can affect the many decisions I make each day in life for varying situations and ultimately improve the life that I live. Such information has good use in life even though much of it really is baloney. For me, it will all receive proper consideration and if I think it will help then I will adopt it in my lifestyle.

Some components in the causes of hair loss may not be a mystery any longer but even that website you provided mentioned the following:
Step 1 - Understanding Hair Loss

It is still not fully understood what causes hair loss, ...

In combination with my previous post to Amused, I certainly do not ignore scientific study but I try not to limit my life by the inherent limitations of such studies.

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: chusteczka

Originally posted by: Descartes
...
I honestly don't even know how to respond to you. You're correlating hairloss from everything to prolonged thought to resting your hand on your forehead (also note that when people talk about loss they don't refer to the forehead; that alone shows you haven't researched the topic).

Hairloss is no longer a mystery, but you seem to think it is and you support that through these mystical notions of yours. A lot of progress has been made in the past few decades, and there are scientifically proven solutions available to everyone. You can choose to ignore it if you wish.

Do more research and then come back.

Sure my points may sound farfetched but I believe I have provided a sound logical reasoning behind my beliefs. The effects our personal habits have on our lives are not really understood since few people have taken the time to consider the effects of minor, repeated, actions on our health.

No, I have not researched the topic because I do not care about it so much since I am not losing my hair and do not think I ever will. However, I do suffer from migraine sinus headaches that are sometimes caused by going outdoors without drying my hair after a shower, not wearing a hat in freezing weather or extremely hot and sunny weather, and driving the car with the windows open and the wind constantly blowing on my head. These headaches usually occurr 10-12 hours after such exposure and it took a lot of consideration and experimentation to finally figure out what habits of mine were causing them. This realization has led me to consider how habitual actions can affect me in other aspects of my life, such as with the possibility of hair loss.

I suppose, more than the topic of hairloss, I care about the use of personal observation and "old wive's tales" successfully practiced and passed down numerous generations and how this can affect the many decisions I make each day in life for varying situations and ultimately improve the life that I live. Such information has good use in life even though much of it really is baloney. For me, it will all receive proper consideration and if I think it will help then I will adopt it in my lifestyle.

Some components in the causes of hair loss may not be a mystery any longer but even that website you provided mentioned the following:
Step 1 - Understanding Hair Loss

It is still not fully understood what causes hair loss, ...

In combination with my previous post to Amused, I certainly do not ignore scientific study but I try not to limit my life by the inherent limitations of such studies.

That's all anyone needs to know about what you've said.

 

[chusteczka]

Originally posted by: Descartes

Originally posted by: chusteczka

Originally posted by: Descartes
...
I honestly don't even know how to respond to you. You're correlating hairloss from everything to prolonged thought to resting your hand on your forehead (also note that when people talk about loss they don't refer to the forehead; that alone shows you haven't researched the topic).

Hairloss is no longer a mystery, but you seem to think it is and you support that through these mystical notions of yours. A lot of progress has been made in the past few decades, and there are scientifically proven solutions available to everyone. You can choose to ignore it if you wish.

Do more research and then come back.

Sure my points may sound farfetched but I believe I have provided a sound logical reasoning behind my beliefs. The effects our personal habits have on our lives are not really understood since few people have taken the time to consider the effects of minor, repeated, actions on our health.

No, I have not researched the topic because I do not care about it so much since I am not losing my hair and do not think I ever will. However, I do suffer from migraine sinus headaches that are sometimes caused by going outdoors without drying my hair after a shower, not wearing a hat in freezing weather or extremely hot and sunny weather, and driving the car with the windows open and the wind constantly blowing on my head. These headaches usually occurr 10-12 hours after such exposure and it took a lot of consideration and experimentation to finally figure out what habits of mine were causing them. This realization has led me to consider how habitual actions can affect me in other aspects of my life, such as with the possibility of hair loss.

I suppose, more than the topic of hairloss, I care about the use of personal observation and "old wive's tales" successfully practiced and passed down numerous generations and how this can affect the many decisions I make each day in life for varying situations and ultimately improve the life that I live. Such information has good use in life even though much of it really is baloney. For me, it will all receive proper consideration and if I think it will help then I will adopt it in my lifestyle.

Some components in the causes of hair loss may not be a mystery any longer but even that website you provided mentioned the following:
Step 1 - Understanding Hair Loss

It is still not fully understood what causes hair loss, ...

In combination with my previous post to Amused, I certainly do not ignore scientific study but I try not to limit my life by the inherent limitations of such studies.

That's all anyone needs to know about what you've said.

I am not so insecure in my beliefs to neglect the truth, especially since these points you bring up do not invalidate my discussion. This has been a discussion in which I have hopefully introduced thoughts to consider. No one has or even can prove my points incorrect and maybe they will help someone.

EDIT: Removed final statement, which may have been provocative.

 

[shortylickens]

It took a long time before anyody said stress.
But I still think the number one cause is genetics.

My dad started going bald bald in his early 30's.
I started when I was 19. I think it was the Navy's fault.
Cuz when I got out it grew back a little.

 

[Descartes]

nm.

 

[The Batt?sai]

Originally posted by: Davegod75
My hair is starting to thin out and it sucks! I use hair gel and have for awhile. Would that cause my hair to thin? or is it just genetics?

fapping leads to hairloss