Balding and Graying

Balding and graying are common signs of aging. But are we accelerating this process? I will speak of two common accelerators of both.

1. Iron overload. Iron overload directly catalyzes ROS (oxidative stress). It also triggers inflammation, impairs blood flow, damages melanocytes, and impairs hair follicles stem cells through oxidative damage.

2. mTOR when chronically elevated increases metabolic activity further increasing ROS. mTOR upregulates inflammatory pathways, exhausts the stem cell pool via chronic activation of cell growth, and amplifies androgen receptor signaling and sensitizing DHT.