The Aging of Hair Follicles

 

Did you know that your hair follicles can also age? And it is not related to androgenic alopecia. From the house of best hair transplant clinic in Kolkata there are few things about aging of hair follicles that you should know.

 

Like any other tissues in our body, our hair follicles also starts to thin after a certain age. This phenomena is called senescent alopecia. Androgenic alopecia start in between the age of 8 – 50. But hair thinning that starts after 60 with no prior signs of hair thinning has a likelihood of representing senescent alopecia. Though different types of hair loss occur after 60.

 

In the year 2013, a study was conducted which confirmed that androgenic alopecia and senescent alopecia are truly unique. The study compared 1200 genes in androgenic alopecia and 1360 in senescent alopecia and compared these to controls. Of these, 442 genes were unique to androgenic alopecia, 602 genes were unique to senescent alopecia and 758 genes were common to both androgenic alopecia and senescent alopecia. The genes that were unique to androgenic alopecia included those that contribute to hair follicle development, morphology and cycling.

 

Unlike androgenic alopecia, many of the genes expressed in senescent alopecia have a role in the development of skin, epidermal tissues, keratinocyte and cell cycle regulation.

 

Conclusion

Senescent alopecia is still a topic of debate amongst many experts. This study created a unique position for this two conditions. As one ages into the 70's, 80's and 90's - hair loss in the form of true senescent alopecia becomes more likely.