Common Myths About Men’s Hair Loss
06 / 28 / 17

Common Myths About Men’s Hair Loss

When it comes to addressing men’s hair loss, knowledge really is power. Before your hair loss can be effectively diagnosed and treated, it’s helpful to understand some basic points about why male hair loss happens in the first place. In some cases, this might mean dispelling some well-worn myths and misconceptions. Then, when you have a clearer understanding of how men’s hair loss truly works, you’re in a better position to seek the right treatment.

In this post, we’ll outline just a few of the more persistent myths about men’s hair loss—and point you toward the facts behind them.

MYTH: Baldness is inherited from your mother’s side of the family.

You’ve probably heard some variation on this old theory, that baldness is something you inherit from your mother, or perhaps from your maternal grandfather. It’s misleading, if not entirely untrue. While your mother’s genes do help determine hair loss, so do the genes you inherit from your father. Both sets of genes play a role, so simply looking to one side of the family tree isn’t necessarily helpful in predicting whether or not you’ll lose your hair.

MYTH: Seeing hair on your pillow in the morning is a sign of male pattern baldness.

A variation on this one is that, if you count more than 20 hairs on your comb after using it, that’s a sign of male pattern baldness. Both of these theories are wrong: Shedding some hair is actually normal and healthy, as your follicles need to eliminate old hairs in order for new ones to grow. So, merely losing some hair isn’t really the issue. Male pattern baldness has more to do with an inability to replace that hair with new growth—and that’s not something you can easily determine just by looking at your pillow or your comb.

MYTH: Pull out a grey hair and three new hairs will grow in its place.

Not only is this wrong, it can actually be dangerous. When you continually pull your hair, it can cause damage to the follicles—a condition known as traction alopecia. This, in turn, can actually cause those follicles to stop working properly—leading to hair loss.

MYTH: Stress causes men to lose their hair.

While stress is the culprit behind many common health problems, and while extreme cases of stress can prompt thinning hair, this is extremely unlikely. Stress certainly has little to do with male pattern baldness, which most scientists believe to be a genetic condition. Don’t just assume your hair loss is because of stress; it probably isn’t. Get an accurate diagnosis from LH Hair.

MYTH: Wearing a baseball hat will cause you to lose your hair.

Thankfully, this one simply isn’t true; it’s just not possible to wear a hat so tight that it causes traction alopecia. Keep wearing your hat as often as you like!

MYTH: Hair loss is primarily something that impacts old men.

Actually, the majority of men who suffer from male pattern hair loss experience the worst of it between ages 25 and 35. Thinning hair is a sign of aging but not a result of aging. As we age, bad nutrition, environmental issues, poor scalp maintenance, medication, and genetics all play a toll on our hair growth cycle.

MYTH: Hair loss cannot be effectively treated.

We’ll end on a positive note: It’s simply incorrect to say that hair loss has to be permanent, as there are a number of potential treatments and hair replacement solutions. Topical solutions and laser treatment can sometimes mitigate the effects of male pattern hair loss, especially if you treat sooner rather than later. And even if you lose a lot of your hair, hair systems can help you to look and feel like yourself again.

Discover More About Male Pattern Hair Loss

As you learn more about male pattern hair loss, you start to discover just how treatable it really is. The process starts with an evaluation; we encourage you to come to LH Hair to have one done, and then talk with us about possible solutions. Come see a stylist at LH Hair at your next earliest convenience!