Andropause (Male Menopause) and Hair Loss.
Andropause (Male Menopause) and Hair Loss.
Article by Robert Preston
Hair loss often begins with the onset of male menopause. It can be quite disconcerting to start losing your hair at this, much later, stage in life. Imagine clumps of hair falling off your head and seeing your once healthy hair collecting in the shower drain. Perhaps you can feel the thinness of your hair as you wash it or comb it.
Losing your hair can result because of an imbalance of male testosterone in the system. The culprit is a simpler form of testosterone called dihydrotestosterone. Dihydrotestosterone is formed when enzymes break down testosterone, and this hormone is infused in the hair follicle. An excess of the hormone dihydrotestosterone has the effect of decreasing the size of hair follicles which eventually break down and the hair falls out.
Thinning hair in Andropause (male menopause) is also often associated with hyperthyroidism. Hyperthyroidism is a by-product of decreasing levels of Human Growth Hormone, which is responsible for regulating our aging process.
Andropause sufferers’ hormones have a profound effect on the rate and consistency of hair degeneration. Dihydrotestosterone (considered in some medical circles the strongest, most potent form of testosterone) is responsible for building and growing body hair in men. At abnormal, excessive levels Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) causes hair degeneration.
All body hair can be affected, including pubic hair, head hair, facial hair, armpit hair. DHT is directly produced in the skin, made to work by supporting enzymes that break it down for distribution throughout the body. DHT levels are present more in certain areas of the body than in others – explaining why we may have a full crop of hair on our heads and little bushes of hair on our chests and backs or more commonly we see balding men with strong beards and lots of body hair.
Women also have DHT in their bodies but produce less of it. This explains why women generally don’t have much body hair.
Hair grows at a rate of a about a quarter inch every 2 weeks. Andropause sufferers have their hair growth cycles disrupted and there can be erratic growth of some hair strands, because Andropause is a period of hormonal imbalance, and the lack of hormonal stability causes hair growth to go out of whack.
Regular exercise stimulates the production of Testosterone and this slows the aging process and may reverse this hair-loss symptom. There are also hair loss products that can help you slow down or stop the hair loss process.
A secondary cause of hair loss in men suffering Andropause is stress. More specifically, stress raises the levels of cortisol and cortisone (known as stress hormones) in the body. Other contributors to hair loss are diet, drinking caffeinated drinks, fast foods, and cigarette smoking. Pretty much any activity that speeds up the aging process will speed up your hair loss.
Appropriate exercise and regular recreational activities will assist to reduce stress which will benefit health generally and slow the hair loss cycle.
About the Author
Robert has been publishing articles for over 3 years. He particularly enjoys researching and writing about finances, fitness and health, and he also hosts some websites that you might find interesting. Visit his latest website at http://www.GolfSwingLesson.net where he reviews the best guides available on the internet for improving your golf swing. and regularly scoring in the 80’s.
