Stephen I dont know if you seen the SMAD-7 thread we were on here for a bit, but its interesting. It seems that a downstream effect of TGF-beta is an overexpression of smad7, which somehow induces some vellus hairs to transform into sebaceous glands during a the off phases, leading to excessive sebaceous glands in the scalp. Extremely bald men sure have oily skin up there.
I work with a guy, so help me, who is so SHINY bald, that you can just about comb your hair in the gleaming reflection off his scalp. Its as polished-looking as a crystal ball. Amazing. Its not rumpled or anything though........................smooth as buffed brass.
This article, http://joe.endocrinology-journals.org/c ... /180/1/107 in the Endocrinology Journal pretty much sums up baldness to me. Women who took testosterone went bald in the Male Pattern Fashion to NW2 to NW5 almost 40% of the time. 50% were experiencing some degree of male baldness after 13 years.
That pretty much sums it up to me, and eliminates peripheral arterial decline "in some" or "too much androgens during pubery"----(the women did not suffer androgen spikes during puberty) or shampoo, or stress, even dietary consiserations have to be scaled back to some degree.......
I thought it fascinating. I'll email this to you in case you dont recheck this thread.
