Classification of the Types of Androgenetic Alopecia (Common Baldness) Occurring in the Female Sex
September 1977
in “
British Journal of Dermatology
”
TLDR Common baldness, also known as Androgenetic Alopecia, is caused by a combination of genetic factors and hormones called androgens.
In 1977, a discussion was held regarding the term "Androgenetic Alopecia". Dr. E. Ludwig, who claimed to have originated the term in a 1963 paper, argued that it was a more accurate descriptor for common baldness or male pattern alopecia, as it pointed to the two pathogenetic factors: androgens and genetic predisposition. However, Dr. Norman Orentreich was credited with using the term in the late 1950s and first publishing it in 1960, following his studies on full-thickness skin grafts from the hairy occipital scalp to the bald frontal scalp. These studies led him to conclude that each individual follicle is genetically predisposed to respond or not to androgenic influences that inhibit its growth.