Hair Loss Runs in My Family, Am I a Candidate?
When it comes to hair loss, you can often see your future by looking at the past. That’s because the odds are pretty high that the hair loss issues you are dealing with are part of your family history. Androgenetic alopecia, more commonly known as pattern baldness, is a hereditary hair loss condition that is the culprit behind 95% of hair loss cases. But when you get together with your family and see a balding parent, grandparent, uncle, or aunt, does that necessarily mean you will be following in their hair loss footsteps?
The truth is that if you’re a man, look at your maternal grandfather and your own dad to get a sense of where your scalp is headed. Many of the genes that play a role in hair loss tend to come from your maternal grandfather, even though genes from all of your parents and grandparents also can be a factor. If your maternal grandfather is bald or has hair loss issues, you are likely a candidate for thinning hair yourself.
If you’re a man, your mom’s dad’s genes play an outsized role in your hair loss future because you only have one set of X chromosome genes, as opposed to two sets of autosomal genes. For the latter, you can have one set that causes baldness and one that doesn’t, giving you a moderate chance of losing your hair. However, since you only have that single set of x chromosome genes, which you share with your maternal grandfather, a baldness-related gene will be the only game in town, and that means you have a much higher risk of developing androgenetic alopecia.
Call the Miami Hair & Skin Institute Today For Your Androgenetic Alopecia Evaluation
While looking at your genetic heritage will give you some clues as to what to expect to see in your mirror over the coming years, it is not definitive or a foregone conclusion. Researchers are still studying the interaction of various genetic and other factors that contribute to hair loss. But one thing we do know for sure: we now have plentiful options for addressing hair loss caused by androgenetic alopecia. Advancements in medicine, technology, and techniques have made hair restoration more available, more effective, and more convenient than ever before.
At the Miami Hair & Skin Institute, we pride ourselves on offering the most innovative approaches to hair restoration, and our surgeons are world-renowned experts in hair transplant surgery and other treatments.
Schedule an appointment with the Miami Hair & Skin Institute today by calling 305.925.0222.
When you look in the mirror, does your forehead appear large than it used to? Have you spent months or years watching your hairline recede like the ocean at low tide? For many people who are in the early stages of hair loss, a diminishing hairline is a first and most noticeable sign that there is a problem. After all, you have to make an effort to see a growing bald spot on top of your head, but your receding hairline is right there in front of you every time you see your reflection. It’s also right there in front of everyone who sees you.
Finasteride, commonly known as Propecia® and Proscar®, is a widely used medication for the treatment of hair loss in men. It does a great job at maintaining existing hair and re-growing hair in a large percentage of guys dealing with androgenetic alopecia and is one of many non-surgical hair restoration treatments we offer at the Hair Transplant Institute of Miami.
Numerous hair restoration doctors have advocated the use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) as a means to improve hair growth and limit hair loss. The use of PRP for wound healing has been well documented. It has been used for problems ranging from orthopedic injuries to dentistry. 
For many women experiencing hair loss, the blame can be placed squarely on their genes. But heredity isn’t the only culprit for female hair loss. Often, it is the result of the way women style and treats their hair and the products they use to get the look they want. For example, traction alopecia is a specific type of hair loss that results when tension is applied to hair for a prolonged period, as with tight braids, ponytails, or cornrows. 
The end result of hair loss is the same for everybody: hair that winds up on the shower floor, stuck in a brush, on your pillow, or pretty much anywhere other than your scalp. But how that hair falls out, where it falls out, and why it falls out can vary from person to person. People lose and shed their hair for different reasons, and those reasons will play a role in how baldness or thinning hair will manifest itself.
Most people who experience hair loss are at the mercy of their genes. Male pattern baldness and androgenetic alopecia are hereditary conditions and the most common reasons for hair loss. While we can effectively address these conditions through hair transplant surgery, medication, and other treatments, we can’t (yet) change the genes that cause hair loss in the first place. But some problems with shedding and loss are based on our behavior rather than our genes. Traumatic and traction alopecia are hair loss conditions that can arise because of the way we treat our hair. That also means we can minimize hair loss from such conditions by changing our behavior.