Androgenic Alopecia in females is weird.

[AnxiousAndy]

As we understand it Androgenic Alopecia has the same underlying causes for both men and women. However, women typically do not experience the pattern but rather diffusion and thinning of the middle part.. That is until you add testosterone into the mix, then suddenly the woman or transgender man begins to experience the infamous M shaped recession and crown thinning. Why would that be? I've always found that very odd, given the mechanism regardless of testosterone exposure is the same. Any ideas?

 

[Ĺawton]

As we understand it Androgenic Alopecia has the same underlying causes for both men and women. However, women typically do not experience the pattern but rather diffusion and thinning of the middle part.. That is until you add testosterone into the mix, then suddenly the woman or transgender man begins to experience the infamous M shaped recession and crown thinning. Why would that be? I've always found that very odd, given the mechanism regardless of testosterone exposure is the same. Any ideas?

Yep that is kind of strange. I think women do tend to have more rounded shapes where the forehead meets the scalp than many men do but even if they get pattern baldness later in life they dont get the M shape deal like you say. Mechanical forces definitely point to the standard male pattern baldness pattern but that doesnt seem to apply to the pattern in females. That is a good question as is the question on why do some guys have diffuse thinning. Why would DHT park itself big time at some follicles but not mess with follicles nearly as much right beside those ones. The environments of the follicles should be about the same. I had real minor diffuse thinning in the front that corrected itself when I cleaned all the crap out of the balding vertex area. I was convinced that vertex area being in that condition was fouling the growth signaling up or something in the frontal area but its still strange it could do it in a diffuse pattern.