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. 2013 Nov 7;1(7):e64.
doi: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000000005. eCollection 2013 Oct.

Cause of androgenic alopecia: crux of the matter

Emin Tuncay Ustuner  1
Affiliations

Cause of androgenic alopecia: crux of the matter

Emin Tuncay Ustuner. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. .

Abstract

What is wrong with the current understanding of etiopatho genesis of androgenic alopecia (AGA)? What is the most important question to ask to understand AGA? Why is that question skimped? Which findings are interpreted incorrectly? Is there anything that has not been discerned about AGA until today? What are the deceptive factors for investigators? Is it possible to snap the whole view uninterruptedly in one clear picture? Answers and an overview with fresh perspectives are provided.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: The author holds a patent on prevention and treatment of male pattern baldness (U.S. Patent No.7914548). The Article Processing Charge was paid for by the author.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
The vicious circle in AGA.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
The relation between the shape of the cranium and the hair loss area in AGA is a proof for the validity of the new theory. Hair loss extends to where a vertical line makes contact with the back of the upright head. Depending on the shape of the back of the head, this point may be at a higher (A, B) or lower (C, D) location.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Fat tissue and fibrous bands between the skin and galea of the scalp in a hypothetical case wherein the back of the calvarium is vertical and straight are depicted. (A), If there were no gravity, there would not be a downward pull, whereas (B) in the presence of gravity, downward pull on the skin at the back of the head is directed inward because of the inelastic fibrous bands connecting the skin to the inelastic galea and resisting the gravity.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 4.
Anatomy is a determining factor on the magnitude of the downward pull at different parts of the scalp. Middle top of the scalp is supported by the ears in contrast with the frontal and vertex regions. Soft-tissue loads on the frontal and vertex areas of the scalp are more than the soft-tissue load on the middle top.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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