Therapy-G features an article by Esther Belser

As consumers strive towards being healthy and maintaining good looks as they age, they do not only focus on skin care but also on anti-ageing hair care. Ageing of the hair comprises different aspects: thinning of hair, hair loss, dullness, colour fading and greying are all part of this process. While grey hair has gained acceptance, thinning hair will always be perceived as negative and, therefore, hair care products with antihair loss claims are of growing interest to everyone.

Hair loss due to manifold causes Hair loss can occur for a variety of reasons, such as infections, thyroid and hormonal imbalances, nutritional deficiencies, stress, trauma, drugs, or it may occur as the result of autoimmune phenomena.

Many of these hair loss problems are temporary, although there is another type of hair loss that is less dramatic and less visible but can be incredibly distressing. This involves the hair thinning gradually, often over the course of several decades. It can start at any age, it is progressive and it is hereditary. This phenomenon, known as androgenic alopecia, is related to male hormones, but it is not caused by excessive testosterone. It is a genetic predisposition that causes hair follicles to become more sensitive to this hormone. The enzyme 5A reductase converts the male sex hormone testosterone into the active form dihydrotestosterone (DHT). This hormone causes the hair follicles to produce thinner and smaller hair, up to the point that the hairs stop*.

Women, too, suffer from androgenic alopecia Men are considerably more affected by hair loss (statistics suggest up to 70% of men experience hair loss). But it is not only men. Women can also suffer from androgenic alopecia. Approximately 30–40% of women experience hair loss, although androgens are typically present in much smaller amounts. In contrast to men, hair loss in women occurs less in the area of the receding hairline or tonsure, but instead appears on the top side of the head and through the spotty formation of gaps or diffuse hair loss.