Long Hair and Baldness

Young man with long hair
Photo: Minerva Studio/Shutterstock
Q: Is it true that when a man grows his hair long it will cause baldness later on in his life or is this just a myth?
 
A: This is a complete myth. There is no correlation between growing the hair long and hair loss later in life.
 
Both the length to which the hair will grow and the development of hair loss in men are governed largely by the individual's genetic predispositions. The length to which the hair will grow depends on the length of the individual's anagen phase (the growth phase in the life cycle of the hair).
 
Hair loss, on the other hand, is usually caused by a number of factors depending on the specific type of hair loss. The most common - male pattern hair loss (also know as androgenic alopecia) - has a large genetic component which sets the predisposition to losing the hair. This is often aggravated by factors such as stress, poor diet, and can be intensified through some medications.
 
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See also:
 
Hair loss
 
Stress and hair loss
 
Balding and receding hair lines