Most People Over 50 Will Have Lost Half The Hair They Had As Children; NASA Testing The Use of Hair to Soak Up Oil Spills.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 8, 1998--Everyone loses hair over time and by age 50 most people will have lost approximately half the hair they had as children, states a Baylor College of Medicine dermatologist.

John Wolf, M.D., adds in the current (October) issue of New Choices, Living Even Better After 50, that each hair becomes somewhat thinner, resulting in a finer texture. "You may not see bald spots, but your hair will be sparser and your scalp will be more visible," he says.

The more dramatic cause of hair loss is male-pattern baldness, which tends to run in families. It is passed down through the genes of both parents, not just the mother's side of the family, as was once believed. Men and women who are prone to male-pattern baldness inherit a genetic sensitivity to male hormones, which are produced by both sexes. In the bloodstream and at the hair follicle, the male hormone testosterone is converted to the hormone DHT, which tells genetically susceptible follicles to slow down or stop producing hair, says Wolf. Result: the hair falls out.