Does Baldness Come from Poor Health?

Certain kinds of baldness accompany illnesses. For instance, scarlet fever, pneumonia, and typhoid fever can sometimes result in the loss of hair. Gland problems and an imbalance of certain hormones in the body can lead to baldness. So can poor nutrition, scalp disease, and poor care of the hair and scalp.

But the kind of baldness that is the most common by far is called pattern baldness, and it has nothing to do with poor health. This is the kind of baldness that usually begins with a patch on the back of the head, or with receding hairlines around the temples.

Once pattern baldness starts, there's nothing anyone can do about it, because this type of baldness is inherited!

Some men whose fathers weren't bald can lose their hair from pattern baldness too, for the baldness trait is often carried by the mother instead of the father. This trait doesn't show up in women, but they can pass it on to their children.