TLDR Aging alone rarely causes significant hair loss; hormones are a bigger factor.
The study analyzed 2149 scalp specimens to assess the impact of aging on hair loss, comparing male and female pattern alopecia, diffuse alopecia, and normal controls. It found that significant hair loss due to aging alone is not common, with only 10.6% of men starting to experience a notable reduction in hair count at age 50, 5.7% of women at age 70, and 2.0% of diffuse alopecia patients at age 80. The average hair count decreased by 19.3% between the ages of 20-29 and 80-99. The results indicate that androgens are a more significant factor in hair loss among the elderly than aging itself.
33 citations,
April 2005 in “British Journal of Dermatology” Aging alone barely affects the number of hair follicles, meaning hair loss is minimal without other conditions like androgenetic alopecia.
234 citations,
December 1996 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” Middle-aged women with chronic telogen effluvium experience increased hair shedding but usually don't get significantly thinner hair.
309 citations,
May 1993 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” Horizontal scalp biopsy sections effectively diagnose and predict MPAA, with follicular density and inflammation impacting hair regrowth.
94 citations,
August 1975 in “Journal of Cutaneous Pathology” Male pattern baldness involves smaller hair follicles, larger oil glands, and other tissue changes, but not major blood supply issues.
1 citations,
August 2022 in “JAAD case reports” Tofacitinib and oral minoxidil may help treat Sisaipho alopecia areata.
6 citations,
December 2014 in “Clinical and Experimental Dermatology” Hair density and thickness decrease in all scalp areas for East Asians with AGA.
58 citations,
January 2013 in “Dermatologic Clinics” Male pattern hair loss caused by follicular miniaturization; early diagnosis and treatment can reduce psychological burden.
24 citations,
September 2012 in “Dermatologic Surgery” The conclusion is that normal scalp hair counts for Taiwanese people were established, showing age-related differences but not sex or scalp location differences.
6 citations,
November 2006 in “Journal of Cutaneous Pathology” Two teenage brothers had a rare, treatment-resistant form of female-pattern hair loss with unusual scalp changes.
