Pollution, not genes alone, leads to baldness

London, May 4 (UNI) Next time you experience hair fall, don't just blame it on your genes as pollution can also rob you of your crowning glory.

Reserach said men living in polluted areas were more likely to go bald than those breathing cleaner air.

The research by academics at the University of London linked the onset of male pattern baldness to environmental factors, such as air pollution and smoking.

The scientists believe toxins and carcinogens found in polluted air can stop hair growing by blocking mechanisms that produce the protein from which hair is made, the Daily Telegraph reported.

The ground-breaking research raises the hope that scientists may be able to develop treatments for balding men, with topical creams that are able to combat the effects of pollution on hair follicles.

Mike Philpott, from the school of medicine at Queen Mary University of London, said, ''We think any pollutant that can get into the bloodstream or into the skin and into the hair follicle could cause some stress to it and impair the ability of the hair to make a fibre.'' ''If you stop smoking or live in an area with less air pollution, you may be less predisposed to hair loss,'' he added.

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