From an evolutionary standpoint, why does the clearly defined "horseshoe" remain?

Rudolphus

Established Member
My Regimen
Reaction score
73
What are some potential theories for why the NW7 "horseshoe" remains? I'm unable to think of any evolutionary explanation for it. What is strange is that the horseshoe is, invariably, very clearly defined in terms of its outline, its shape, and also its exact location. What are some theories for why the hair in this area of the scalp is never lost?
 

hmm

Established Member
Reaction score
10
Who knows. Why do we have an appendix? Still have a lot to learn about the human body and evolution in general.
 

SayifDoit

Experienced Member
Reaction score
111
I think because of it's position being so low down the face it is comparable to facial hair and so for whatever reason not effected by DHT unlike the hair on the top. male pattern baldness is a horrible trait will never die out due to how unpredictable and dorment it can be and think when we living in caves and never bothered to cut our hair, the baldies probably looked no different. + Rape
 

GoldenMane

Senior Member
My Regimen
Reaction score
594
Like blue eyes, just consider it a random mutation. It has no evolutionary benefit, there is no rhyme or reason. A random group of genes mutated, and the result was the horseshoe. There must have been a population bottleneck at some point for it to be so prevalent... Actually the baldness gene is present in apes too, so the bottle neck must have happened to them rather than us, to be so common in human populations and ape populations. Most apes and humans bread at younger ages, before male pattern baldness kicked in, so the ugliness thing never got to be a factor until now. Also most breeding was done by rape or by instinct, not dating, romance, physical attraction or mutually consenting sex.

To understand why it is the shape that it is, if there is any reason, you'd best look at apes, not humans. Didn't start with us.

Like all of natures **** ups, it's just random, and like all persistent **** ups, it stick around because it doesn't kick in until later in life. A disease that doesn't kick in until several years after sexual maturity is essentially shielded from natural selection in evolutionary history
 

xRedStaRx

Established Member
Reaction score
46
Because 5-AR II enzymes are concentrated on the vertex and mid-frontal area of the scalp in all humans.
 

GoldenMane

Senior Member
My Regimen
Reaction score
594
I would have thought that it has less to do with the enzyme and DHT and more due to follicular susceptibility. Many people have high DHT levels but no hair loss. DHT is half of the equation. Fighting DHT creation is one approach. the other approach I suppose would be introducing something that competes with DHT for the binding sites in the hair follicle. I don't think male pattern baldness prone individuals simply have more DHT in their balding zone than normal folks, I think they just have more susceptible follicles, and that DHT inhibition is just one way to counter it.

I'm surprised no treatment is on the market that acts as a DHT competitor. Or maybe it is, I suppose that's what spironolacetone does, right?
 

Rudolphus

Established Member
My Regimen
Reaction score
73
I'd agree with you GoldenMane. If it was to do with location of DHT on the scalp, then hair transplants would be useless. I believe that the hair follicles in the horseshoe zone, for an unknown reason, are resistant to DHT.
 

Armando Jose

Senior Member
My Regimen
Reaction score
977
Do you noticed that the no balding areas in elevated Norwood exhibit always the same pattern? Curiously are the same zones that have no problems to eliminate the sebum produced by the hair (pilosebaceos unit), there is not acumulation and degeneration of hair fat.
It could be a posible explanation. Also the acumulation of sebum is correlated with the DHT levels.
I dont think in a simpe genetic of common baldness gene,
 

Fena2000

Established Member
Reaction score
22
Do you noticed that the no balding areas in elevated Norwood exhibit always the same pattern? Curiously are the same zones that have no problems to eliminate the sebum produced by the hair (pilosebaceos unit), there is not acumulation and degeneration of hair fat.
It could be a posible explanation. Also the acumulation of sebum is correlated with the DHT levels.
I dont think in a simpe genetic of common baldness gene,

Androgenetic Alopecia is a sebaceous gland disorder just like acne and other skin disorders, that's true . What I dont understand is if it's caused by overactive sebumproduction like you said , why is it that women and Some guys have diffuse thinning and others have only balding on the top?
 

xRedStaRx

Established Member
Reaction score
46
I'd agree with you GoldenMane. If it was to do with location of DHT on the scalp, then hair transplants would be useless. I believe that the hair follicles in the horseshoe zone, for an unknown reason, are resistant to DHT.

They are not resistant to DHT, they just have lower levels of it.
 

Ventures

Established Member
Reaction score
17
[B said:
Rudolphus[/B];1245119]I'd agree with you GoldenMane. If it was to do with location of DHT on the scalp, then hair transplants would be useless. I believe that the hair follicles in the horseshoe zone, for an unknown reason, are resistant to DHT.

They are not resistant to DHT, they just have lower levels of it.

maybe, it is level of intrafollicular DHT in donor hair follicles which remain same after transplantations to balding regions. So, it is the intrafollicular DHT wich remain same and lower in donor hair follicles after hair transplant.

Anyway, presence of hors-shoe pattern is due to several raesons:
- less androgen sensitivity
- less 5ard activity in occipital area
- and maybe increased blood supply



Are there any studies which show this, follicular DHT levels of transplanted donor hair follicles before/after in hair transplant ?
 

anxious1

Established Member
Reaction score
26
androgens receptors not susceptible to DHT?, muscles more active (from eating-jaw moving), gravity?
 

Armando Jose

Senior Member
My Regimen
Reaction score
977
Androgenetic Alopecia is a sebaceous gland disorder just like acne and other skin disorders, that's true . What I dont understand is if it's caused by overactive sebumproduction like you said , why is it that women and Some guys have diffuse thinning and others have only balding on the top?

It is not an overcative sebum production but a flow problem with this hair fat. The time between production and elimination is very important due oxidation and degeneration of this biological product. In a few words, it is necesary produce and eliminate it at the same rate. The differences between women and men lies in this point. The elimination need a physic contact with the outside or with the same neighbourg hair shaft fiber, then the density, spatial pattern and lenght of the hair is important. People with dense, curly and thick hair are less prone to this malatie. The lengh of hair can aid to eliminate the sebum because there is tangential movement of it along the hair shaft. Men, generally, wore a short scalp hair lenght. An interesting zone is the whorl of the hair, where the direction of the hair shaft change abruptly with the angle.
This is my idea, but I can be wrong.
 

xRedStaRx

Established Member
Reaction score
46
maybe, it is level of intrafollicular DHT in donor hair follicles which remain same after transplantations to balding regions. So, it is the intrafollicular DHT wich remain same and lower in donor hair follicles after hair transplant.

Anyway, presence of hors-shoe pattern is due to several raesons:
- less androgen sensitivity
- less 5ard activity in occipital area
- and maybe increased blood supply



Are there any studies which show this, follicular DHT levels of transplanted donor hair follicles before/after in hair transplant ?

Transplanted hair from affected follicles will miniaturize when planted on your arms. The hair produces it's own DHT, every body tissue that can, does so.
 

shookwun

Senior Member
Reaction score
6,092
From an evolutionary standpoint it's god's way of saying - 'let's see you get laid now'.

The ultimate test
 

abcdefg

Senior Member
Reaction score
782
I always thought of hair in the male pattern baldness areas as having much higher expression of androgen receptors compared to say the horshoe shape where the hair is more resistant just simply doesnt have the receptor counts and then is less affected by circulating local DHT. Men with male pattern baldness in general have much higher androgen receptor expression than men without.
 

xRedStaRx

Established Member
Reaction score
46
I always thought of hair in the male pattern baldness areas as having much higher expression of androgen receptors compared to say the horshoe shape where the hair is more resistant just simply doesnt have the receptor counts and then is less affected by circulating local DHT. Men with male pattern baldness in general have much higher androgen receptor expression than men without.

Not really, no. DHT has little endocrine activity. Not all men with high androgen receptor densities have male pattern baldness. It's a little more complicated than that. Generally, the intrafollicular levels of DHT is higher in miniaturizing hair, irregardless of the person housing it.
 

Armando Jose

Senior Member
My Regimen
Reaction score
977
I always thought of hair in the male pattern baldness areas as having much higher expression of androgen receptors compared to say the horshoe shape where the hair is more resistant just simply doesnt have the receptor counts and then is less affected by circulating local DHT. Men with male pattern baldness in general have much higher androgen receptor expression than men without.

And, what about men without male pattern baldness? identical expression of AR in all areas, verdad?
 
Top