Why Does Hair Thin?

Your hair is full of a protein called keratin, this is made in hair follicles in the outer layer of skin. As follicles regenerate hair cells, old and existing cells are being pushed out through the surface of the skin; this is usually at a rate of roughly six inches per year. The hair you can see coming out of your hair is, in fact, a string of dead keratin cells. The typical adult head has about 100,000 to 150,000 hairs and leaves behind up to 100 of them in a day. Loosing a few on your pillow or in your brush is not cause for concern. It is also important to understand that each hair follicle is independent to each other and goes through its growth cycle at different times; such as an active growth cycle and a resting cycle.

The Facts

About 85% of men will have major hair thinning by the time they’re 50. Some guys start to lose theirs before they turn 21. But what makes us lose our hair at a faster rate?
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• There’s a clear link between lighting up a cigarette and how fast male-pattern baldness gets worse. So, if you’re looking for one more good reason to quit, add early hair loss to the list.
• Almost all hair loss in guys results from male-pattern baldness, a genetic trait that comes from your parents.
• With male-pattern baldness, a hormone called DHT causes hair follicles to shrink. Eventually, they get so small that no hair can grow in them.
• Too much vitamin A or not enough protein in your diet.
• Illness or stress can lead to sudden, heavy shedding called telogen effluvium.

This information is from MR Jamie Stevens