A link exists between the lack of oxygen in the cells of the scalp and male pattern baldness, according to a study by plastic surgeon Steven L. Ringler, Butterworth Hospital, Grand Rapids, Mich. "Hair requires oxygen to grow. When circulation is inadequate, the cells will have insufficient oxygen, which may prevent the hair from growing. The apparent hereditary nature of baldness may actually be a genetic predisposition to insufficient circulation."
Approximately two-thirds of the male Caucasian population is affected by male pattern baldness as they get older. Numerous causes have been proposed, from scalp tension to age, genetic predisposition, the presence of androgens, a steroid hormone that increases male characteristics.
During the test, scalp temperatures and transcutaneous [PO.sub.2] (availability of oxygen in the cells) of all subjects were measured over the temples above the ears and on the frontal scalp at the top of the forehead. While scalp temperatures varied slightly, the difference in transcutaneous [PO.sub.2] between bald and control subjects was significant. The oxygen level in the bald scalps was almost 38% less that of the control group. Additionally, in those with male pattern baldness, the [PO.sub.2] was less in the frontal scalp than over the temples. In the control group, there was no significant difference between the frontal scalp and the temporal areas.
The area around the temples is not likely to be bald because the circulation to the temples and back of the head is fed by the external carotid artery, which provides a sufficient flow of blood. The frontal scalp receives circulation from the internal carotid artery, which supplies the brain, and small branches pass through the eye sockets to the scalp. Hair transplants may be able to grow in what previously was bald scalp because they are inserted at a level deeper than the normal hair follicle, where there is greater circulation.
In recent years, the reduction of baldness has been noted as a side effect in male patients receiving minoxidil for hypertension. While this phenomena has not been explained fully, the increased circulation that results from the treatment may change the availability of oxygen in the frontal scalp.
"This study is just part of ongoing research to identify specific treatments and possible prevention of male pattern baldness," Ringler explains. "Current studies show very promising results." In the meantime, he suggests that people with male pattern baldness consider hair transplants, which increasingly are successful.
