Big Head? Bald Head! Skull Expansion: Alternative Model for the Primary Mechanism of Androgenetic Alopecia

    September 2008 in “ Medical Hypotheses ”
    Paul J. Taylor
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    TLDR The paper suggests that hair loss might be caused by skull growth, not just DHT's effect on hair follicles, and calls for more research.
    In 2009, Paul J. Taylor proposed the skull expansion hypothesis as an alternative cause of androgenetic alopecia (AGA), suggesting that hair loss may be due to skull bone growth stretching scalp tissue and constricting blood vessels, rather than the direct effects of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) on hair follicles. This hypothesis challenges the prevailing belief that DHT accumulation in scalp follicles leads to hair loss, and instead focuses on the potential role of DHT in stimulating skull growth. The paper argues that genetic research should shift towards investigating genes related to skull development to better understand AGA. However, the hypothesis is questioned by the effectiveness of treatments like finasteride, which target DHT's interaction with hair follicles. The document calls for further research to explore this alternative mechanism and its implications for new treatments.
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