Results: We evaluated 59,765 anagen hairs (controls 24,609, patients 35,156) and found thinner hairs grew slower than thicker hairs. LHGR in normal women was generally higher than in normal men. LHGR correlates with hair diameter (P < 0.006) and global thinning is associated with slower growth rates.
Several factors, including age, genetics, and gender, can influence how fast hair grows: For example, studies show that male hair tends to grow faster than female hair, while natural, textured hair tends to grow slower than other hair types.
In physiological terms, men's and women's hair are exactly the same. Since these genes are found on ordinary chromosomes, they aren't influenced by gender. Of course, when you pay attention to the cut and style, each gender generally follows cultural norms that create distinctions in how their hair looks.
Male skin texture is tougher and rougher, because they have a thicker outer layer of skin than women. A man's skin is also oiler and they have more hair follicles. Men's hair is also thicker than women's, so men are more prone to ingrown hairs.
The ability to grow very long hair may be a result of sexual selection, since long and healthy hair is a sign of fertility. An evolutionary biology explanation for this attraction is that hair length and quality can act as a cue to youth and health, signifying a woman's reproductive potential.
“[It is] almost universally culturally found that women have longer hair than men,” says Kurt Stenn, author of Hair: a Human History.
Men develop more androgenic hair than women because we have more androgens. Androgens (sometimes referred to as male sex hormones because we more of them than women) are sexual hormones such as testosterone, androstenedione and DHT, which create male characteristics. This, of course, includes being hairier.
OK, apart from aging, why does my hair grow so slow these days? “Other than age, hair can grow slower due to health conditions, vitamin or nutrient deficiencies caused by a poor diet, stress, hormonal imbalances, certain medications and even excessive heat damage from everyday styling,” explains Pierre.
Vitamins B and D factor big in healthy hair. So do zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, and the B vitamin biotin. Your doctor can test you for deficiencies. Ask them whether you should take a multivitamin or supplement and how much.
Many hair follicles stop producing new hairs. Men may start showing signs of baldness by the time they are 30 years old. Many men are nearly bald by age 60.
“The speed at which hair grows is determined by genetics but there are other factors that can affect the growth rate. Age, diet, stress, hormonal fluctuations, scalp health, hair care practices, medications and other health conditions can potentially influence hair growth,” said master hair colorist, Stephanie Brown.
Because roughly 10 percent of the body's testosterone is converted into DHT by an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase, men with high testosterone are more prone to baldness and, for the same reason, proliferating body hair.
Hormones called androgens, which are present in both sexes, stimulate body hair (known as vellus hair) to darken and coarsen. Men have higher levels of androgens than women, so their body hair tends to be more prolific.
Men all have roughly the same amount of testosterone. Certain genes make your hair follicles more or less sensitive to the amount of testosterone in your body. Basically, an enzyme converts testosterone into a substance that shrinks hair follicles.
So man is supposed to have short hair. But I think in prehistory man had to work hard and long hair made the head hot. There is also a factor of cleanness. So men kept their hair short to keep cool and clean.
While higher testosterone levels drive more obvious baldness in men, female hair loss happens when a woman who is genetically predisposed to the condition is exposed to androgens – predominantly male hormones that also exist in women.
Women can develop excessive body or facial hair due to higher-than-normal levels of androgen hormones. These hormones include testosterone and androstenedione. All individuals produce androgens, but these levels typically remain low in individuals assigned female at birth.
As we age, our prolonged exposure to testosterone starts to play a visible role on other body hair as well. Just like it transforms the vellus hair on a young man's face into a thick beard, it also changes the nearly invisible hair that grows in places like our ears into thicker strands.
Hairy chested Mensa men
A survey of 117 male members of the high intelligence society Mensa found they were more likely than average to have a hairy chest. The most intelligent also had hair on their backs.
The research, involving three separate studies related to balding, found evidence suggesting men with shaved heads are sexier.
So, for the questions “Do women like bald men?” the overwhelming majority of women gave positive answers. 87.5% of women of different ages and nationalities surveyed find bald men attractive compared to only 12.5% of women, who gave negative answer.
Too much testosterone can cause symptoms that effect a woman's physical appearance including: excess body hair, specifically facial hair.
Androgens, such as testosterone (T), dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and their prohormones dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and androstenedione (A) are the key factors in the growth of terminal hair.