If your mother’s father went bald, you will too. That is what men have been told for decades.
But it’s just an old wives’ tale, according to one GP.
Dr Sameer Sanghvi, of Lloyds online pharmacy, is now telling men: ‘It’s time to stop blaming your mum for your baldness.
‘The notion that your mother’s genes are responsible for your baldness is a myth.
GP Dr Sameer Sanghvi says that while family history of baldness is ‘the most decisive risk factor’ in determining your own fate, it can come from either your mother or father’s side (file photo)
- Top health concerns of the nation REVEALED… so can you… Are YOU washing your face wrong? Top dermatologists reveal… Could taking a depression pill prevent lasting agony of… How dried food can supercharge your family budget meals:…
READ MORE: The botched hairline ops that are leaving young women disfigured for life. And, guess what, the craze for surgery is being driven by TikTok
‘But it’s a fallacy that many believe.’
He accepted a family history of baldness is ‘the most decisive risk factor’ in determining your own fate.
But Dr Sanghvi said it’s ‘only fair to blame both of your parents’, adding: ‘It can come from either your mother or father’s side.
‘Your chances of losing your hair are determined by a complex combination of genes that can be passed on from both parents.’
Other examples of human characteristics influenced by multiple genes are skin colour and height.
Although experts insist mother’s genes aren’t to blame, the science on the topic isn’t as clear-cut.
One analysis, in 2017, concluded that the statement was accurate.
Edinburgh University researchers looked at 52,000 males aged between 40 and 69 who were participants of the UK Biobank database.
They found that 80 per cent of male pattern baldness is passed down in our genes.
The study suggested that men can mainly blame their mothers, and not their fathers, as most of the genetic signals come from the X chromosome inherited through the female line.
Male-pattern baldness, the name for androgenetic alopecia in men, is the most common type of hair loss.
It affects 6.5m men in the UK and more than 50m in the US, data suggests.
It typically starts with thinning of the hair at the temples and top of the head, or a receding hairline.
This is followed by more substantial hair loss, exposing the scalp, according to the NHS.
Some affected men begin to lose their hair in their late teens, while for others the process begins much later. Most men will have lost some hair by 60, experts say.
Lloyds says male pattern baldness is ’caused by a very sensitive reaction to DHT, or dihydrotestosterone, which is a type of testosterone’.
This causes hair follicles to shrink, according to its advice page, and ‘as a result they lose the ability to grow new hair’.
Celebrities like Elton John and chef Gordon Ramsay have undergone hair transplants to hang on to their youth after thinning on top
Male-pattern baldness is the most common type of hair loss, affecting 6.5 million men in the UK and more than 50 million in the US
- Top health concerns of the nation REVEALED… so can you… Are YOU washing your face wrong? Top dermatologists reveal… Could taking a depression pill prevent lasting agony of… How dried food can supercharge your family budget meals:…
‘In addition, this also shortens the lifespan of hair follicles so you lose hair more quickly and frequently,’ it adds.
‘Male baldness is a combination of losing hair more quickly, with a slower growth and replacement rate.’
The NHS says you can lose anywhere between 50 and 100 hairs a day.
Male pattern baldness is permanent but can be treated with medicines finasteride and minoxidil, steroid injections or creams, immunotherapy or light therapy.
Other forms of treatment can include wigs, tattooing to give the illusion of hair or hair transplants.
Celebrities like Elton John and chef Gordon Ramsay have undergone hair transplants to hang on to their youth after thinning on top.
Other medical causes of baldness, such as cancer, weight loss or an iron deficiency, can be temporary. Stress is another potential cause.