Is hair loss more common in some people because of their height?

Hair loss is one of the most common health issues affecting the scalp. Men and women often try different methods including the use of expensive shampoos and advanced cosmetic therapies to grow thicker and healthier hair.

Having thick and dark hair is considered a sign of good general health. It can also help improve the personality of men and women and allow them to make the first good impression.

However, unfortunately, the opposite is true for hair loss.

Baldness or thinning of hair can make people feel inferior. It can reduce their self-confidence and make them more conscious about their appearance when meeting people at the workplace or while socializing. This is why it is important to understand why hair loss occurs.

Hair loss may occur due to different causes like poor scalp hygiene, dandruff, hereditary, and hormonal imbalances. Male pattern baldness, which is a form of hair loss occurring in men primarily due to hormonal imbalances, tends to run in families.

And this is where comes the role of genetics and hence, the height.

Not many people, know that height can influence their chances of developing hair loss. Research studies have also shown that height could be one of the factors that can be used to predict a man’s chances of developing hair loss and baldness in the future, especially when it is linked to the family history.

Let us check what researchers have to say about the role of height in determining your risk of hair loss.

What does the research say?

Research studies have shown that baldness is more common in men of comparatively shorter height than those who are taller. The researchers came to this conclusion after a long drawn clinical research.

During this study, the researchers compared the genetic make-up of more than 11000 people who were bald with that of 12000 people, who were not having any issues related to hair health.

It was found that hair loss and balding can occur in men at a younger age due to sixty-three genetic abnormalities. This means a man is more likely to have hair loss if one or more of these specific genetical abnormalities is present in his genetic make-up.

Some of these genetic variations are connected to the physical characteristics of men and even the risk of diseases like prostate cancer and heart disease. The genes that influence your hair health are the same that determine your physical characteristics like your height, as well as skin color, and bone density. [32]

This suggests that there exists a genetic link between being shorter or taller and the risk of baldness. The team of researchers also agree that a DNA test could help to reveal the exact genetic variations responsible for baldness.

The risk of androgenetic alopecia

It is not uncommon for men to wake up one morning and look in the mirror, only to notice they are losing hair. More than 50% of men experience a form of hair loss called androgenetic alopecia or male pattern baldness by the age of 50.

Now, scientific evidence suggests that men with a shorter height are more likely to go bald at an earlier age than their peers, especially if they have a pale or light complexion. [33]

This research has confirmed the theory proposed by the earlier research indicating the genetic link between hair loss and physical characteristics like height and skin color. It shows that hair loss is more common in men with a shorter height and lighter complexion. [34]

In particular, researchers have found 4 locations on the DNA that link a shorter body height in men to an increased risk of baldness. [35]

This theory is based on the conception that men with a shorter height have had an accelerated progression or growth during puberty when their bones were growing. The accelerated growth may cause an early fusion of the growth plates in the bones due to which the further increase in their height was inhibited.

This explains why they have a shorter height.

The same genes responsible for causing accelerated progression of puberty and the fusion of the growth plates are also responsible for triggering baldness. This is one of the theories that explain the link between being shorter and the higher risk of hair loss.

The role of the immune system

Some studies have offered evidence linking shorter height to baldness with respect to the functions of the immune system.

These studies have provided new insights into the possible biological causes of hair fall by identifying the specific genes that trigger it.

It has been found that the immune cells, the cells of the hair follicle, and fatty deposits in the scalp of shorter people are involved in hair loss. This indicates that the similarities in the functioning of the immune system in shorter men could be responsible for triggering hair loss in them. [36]

How does testosterone affect height and hair fall?

Male pattern baldness in men can be linked to the higher or lower secretion of the male reproductive hormone called testosterone.

Higher levels of testosterone in men may lead to the increased production of a hormone called DHT (Dihydrotestosterone). DHT, in turn, can bind to certain proteins in their body, due to which the size of the hair follicles is reduced.

This might cause thinning of the hair and delay the growth of the hair strands. Both high and low levels of testosterone can trigger these changes and cause hair loss in men.

It has been proven that men with male pattern baldness often have lower testosterone and average DHT levels in the blood.

Some men may have normal amounts of DHT. But, their hair follicles might be genetically programmed such that they become more sensitive to the effect of DHT. This would make their hair follicles susceptible to the reduction in size.

This is what connects hair loss with testosterone and hormonal imbalances. Now, let us see how testosterone affects your height.

It should be noted that the secretion of testosterone in the body at the time of puberty and growth spurts is one of the factors that determine the final height of the man upon attending adulthood. [37]

This suggests that testosterone might be the link that connects hair loss in men with their height.

There is enough evidence indicating that the risk of male pattern baldness could be higher in men with shorter stature than in taller men.

However, there are no studies specifically showing the effect of height on hair loss in women. There appears to be no influence of height in determining the chances of developing hair fall in women.

Also, even in men, following a healthy hair care routine has been found to reduce the impact of genetic variations on their chances of developing hair loss. Shorter men who eat a nutritious diet, take good care of their hair and maintain scalp hygiene are less likely to develop hair fall and baldness in spite of having a family history of androgenetic alopecia.

Is hair loss more common in some people because of their height?

What does the research say?

The risk of androgenetic alopecia

The role of the immune system

How does testosterone affect height and hair fall?

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