The Lack of Significant Changes in Scalp Hair Follicle Density With Advancing Age

April 2005 in “ British Journal of Dermatology ”

Rodney Sinclair, Anna Chapman, Jill Magee

scalp hair follicle density hair follicle density total hair count hair loss androgenetic alopecia intrinsic aging hair count androgenic alopecia aging

TLDR Aging alone barely affects the number of hair follicles, meaning hair loss is minimal without other conditions like androgenetic alopecia.

The study analyzed 1666 scalp biopsies from 928 women aged 13 to 84 years to assess the impact of age on hair follicle density and total hair count in the context of hair loss. It found a very weak negative correlation between age and total hair follicle number, with age being a poor predictor of total hair count (R2 < 2%). The expected decrease in hair follicle count over a span of 53 years was minimal and comparable to the initial stages of androgenetic alopecia. The conclusion was that intrinsic aging is not a significant factor in reducing total hair follicle count, implying that visible hair loss due to aging alone is minimal unless accompanied by androgenetic alopecia.

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