Over the years balding myths have intensified as baldness has increasingly been described with more negativity. To demystify this biological process, people have come up with information about balding that has no scientific basis. Here are some of the most popular balding myths out there:
Balding Myths Dispelled, #1: You only go bald when you’re old.
Scientifically, all kinds of people can be affected by hair loss. Most of the time, people assume that you can only grow bald if you are in your sixties and beyond. However, balding can affect much younger people as well. In fact, there are many cases of hair loss amongst teenagers and men in their early twenties.
2. If males on your mother’s side are bald, you will also go bald.
This myth does hold a grain of truth, but that doesn’t mean you can blame mom. Baldness is caused by the X chromosome. In males, the sole X-chromosome you have comes from your mother. It is, therefore, understandable why so many people think they inherit baldness from their mother’s side. When researchers looked into the issue more intently, however, they realized that a few more factors contributed to baldness. What’s more, scientists have suggested you are more likely to become bald if you have a bald father than if your father has a full head of hair.
3. Traumatic experiences or stress can cause hair loss.
This statement is half right. However, medical research explains that physical or emotional stress will not induce hair loss that was not supposed to occur in the first place. So if you aren’t destined to be bald and you lose hair because of trauma or stress, that hair will come back. However, if you were already destined to go bald, then your stress will only accelerate the process. Additionally, other sudden physical changes such as losing or gaining weight rapidly can also quicken balding.
4. Wearing a hat often strains hair follicles and leads to hair loss.
Some good news for men who like hats – no, hats do not cause baldness. However, dirty hats could result in scalp infections. If the cap continues to be worn over time, the infection could reach your follicles and lead to hair loss. So keep that hat clean!
5. Gel and hairspray cause baldness.
Fortunately, you do not have to throw away these hair care products; they do not cause baldness. Frequently hair washing and issues like dandruff won’t either. Styling or using heated styling tools can, however, weaken hair, which can accelerate the balding process if done consistently
6. More sexually active men go bald faster.
This is one of the most popular myths out there and it has no scientific basis to it. Research suggests that people experiencing baldness have more or less the same amount of testosterone than their counterparts with hair.
Always look for scientific evidence when you are in doubt concerning information you have read on hair loss. In case you have any questions, ask your medical practitioner.
