• Question: Why do older people loose hair?

    Asked by bethj to Carolyn, Peter, Richard, Sara, Siana on 16 Nov 2015. This question was also asked by Aimee.
    • Photo: Richard Unwin

      Richard Unwin answered on 16 Nov 2015:

      Hi bethj,

      A-ah – this one is really interesting cos it’s not just ‘general ageing’. Men lose their hair much more (and much earlier) than women do. Its probably due to hormones. the male hormone testosterone seems to promote baldness as you get older – in the Middle Ages some men had their testicles cut off (for various gruesome reasons) but they didn’t have testosterone so didn’t go bald. Women also have much lower levels of testosterone, so don’t lose their hair, although their hair can start to thin as they get past the menopause, when they stop making oestrogen.

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