Question: Is Hair Loss Inherited?
Answer: It is commonly believed that a man is more likely to have hair loss if his mother's father also had hair loss.
It appears that hair loss is inherited, but we don't really know how. The following are possible ways it could be inherited:
- A problem with a single gene that may or may not affect all men the same
- A problem with a pair of genes that are related to sex chromosomes
- A problem with multiple genes
A person who experiences hair loss can have a family history of hair loss on either side of the family. On the other hand, there may be no family history of hair loss. The good news is - if you have someone in your family who has hair loss, it doesn't mean you will have hair loss, also.
Sources: Stough, Dow, et al. "Psychological Effect, Pathophysiology, and Managment of Androgenic Alopecia in Men." Mayo Clinic Proceedings 80(2005): 1316-22.
