Over 30 million men in the United States suffer from some degree of erectile dysfunction (ED).
On the other hand, roughly two-thirds of American men experience some form of hair loss by the time they hit 35. And it gets worse – once men reach 50, as much as 85% of the American male population will have undergone significant hair loss.
An unnerving statistic, for sure – but the parallels between ED and hair loss beg the question of whether a link exists between both medical conditions. Let’s get to the bottom of it.
The Lowdown on ED and Hair Loss
Erectile dysfunction is often viewed by most men as the complete and total lack of ability to produce or keep an erection. But the reality is a bit more nuanced than just that.
ED can range in severity, with some men experiencing occasional off days in getting it up or maintaining it long enough, while some men just can’t produce or keep an erection at all. However, when such sexual dysfunctions become a major condition, they can take a toll on your relationships and your mental health.
The same can be said for hair loss. Losing hair or going bald can affect your self-esteem, which can bleed into your personal, professional, and social life.
Hair loss comes in various forms, but the most common type is androgenetic alopecia, which is responsible for most receding hairlines and bald spots on top, which can appear anytime during adulthood. Other types of hair loss include alopecia areata and telogen effluvium.
What Causes ED and Hair Loss?
Let’s first get something straight: ED and hair loss are completely different conditions. Some men can live out their lives with a full head of hair while dealing with chronic ED or lose their hair early into their 20s while experiencing a few sexual health issues throughout the rest of their adulthood. Some get a double whammy by both conditions, while some are fortunate to never have to deal with either. We should all be so lucky!
However, there is some overlap between the causes of hair loss and ED.
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What Are The Risk Factors for Erectile Dysfunction?
ED can be broadly categorized into two groups: physical and psychological.
Physically-induced causes of ED include cardiovascular disease, clogged arteries, chronic renal disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and trauma or scarring from surgery in the pelvic region. Such physical conditions contribute to or worsen ED by hindering blood flow to the genitals or nerve damage that dampens responses to sexual stimuli.
Certain medicines such as antihypertensives, antidepressants, and antihistamines can interfere with sexual function, as can the use of chemicals such as alcohol, nicotine, and recreational drugs.
On the other hand, psychological ED triggers include stress, depression, anxiety about sexual performance, or negative emotions like guilt.
What Are The Risk Factors for Hair Loss?
As far as hair loss caused by male pattern baldness is concerned, the primary cause is genetics and hormones called androgens.
In particular, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), an androgenic hormone, may cause damage to your hair follicles, shortening the anagenic hair growth cycle and causing hair to thin out.
This DHT-induced hair loss tends to begin around your hairline, causing it to recede. This might cause hair to struggle to penetrate through the skin on your head.
However, not all men are as genetically susceptible to male pattern hair loss as others might. That explains why some men lose hair early into adulthood, while others can keep a full head of air throughout old age.
Other types of hair loss, such as telogen effluvium, can be caused by stress or medication. In contrast, others might come from autoimmune disease or fungal infection.
Is ED and Hair Loss Linked?
There doesn’t seem to be any genetic factor directly linking ED and male pattern hair loss based on the science out there.
However, they do share a couple of similarities between risk factors that lead to both conditions.
Age is one shared risk factor between ED and hair loss. As men age, their ED and hair loss risk increase due to age-related health conditions (heart disease, hypertension) for the former and the long-term effects of DHT for the latter.
Meanwhile, stress, a recognized psychological risk factor for ED, can also contribute to telogen effluvium, leading to falling hair when combing or shampooing.
However, certain hair loss contributing factors may be beneficial for erectile and sexual function.
For instance, male sex hormones are a key overlapping contributing factor between hair loss and sexual health.
DHT, the same hormone that causes male pattern hair loss, is a byproduct of testosterone. And while high testosterone levels (and consequently DHT) aren’t exactly beneficial for your hairline, healthy T levels are crucial for healthy libido and sexual function. An established link between low T and ED is also documented, despite being a rather weak link.
And therein lies the link between hair loss and ED: one of the main causes of main pattern baldness is also a crucial factor for better erections and a vigorous libido.
But in reality, things aren’t cut-and-dried: not all risk factors for ED are risk factors for hair loss and vice-versa. That said, the relationship between ED and hair loss can be considered distantly associated rather than closely related.
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How Is Erectile Dysfunction Treated?
Here’s some good news: ED can be treated in just a pinch. Most men with ED can treat their symptoms as easily as popping a prescription ED drug just before having sex.
These prescription drugs are known as PDE5 inhibitors, which work by promoting enhanced blood flow to the soft erectile tissue known as the corpora cavernosa found in your penis.
These drugs include sildenafil (generic Viagra), tadalafil (generic Cialis), vardenafil (Levitra), and avanafil (Stendra®).
Besides taking a PDE5 inhibitor ED drug, dropping bad habits and implementing lifestyle changes can help boost your sexual health and lessen the severity of your ED symptoms.
How Is Hair Loss Treated?
Hair loss can be treated by medication and other products are taken simultaneously, attacking male pattern baldness risk factors from different angles.
Finasteride is one of the first-line medicines for treating hair loss. It’s a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor that hinders the conversion of testosterone to DHT. In the process of preventing its conversion, finasteride reduces DHT serum levels by up to 70%, slowing down, stopping, or reversing male pattern baldness in its tracks.
However, a note of caution: in rare cases, finasteride may cause temporary erectile dysfunction in 1% of men taking it.
Another hair loss medication is an over-the-counter topical solution known as minoxidil, which promotes the anagen hair growth cycle in each hair follicle while boosting blood flow to the scalp. The latter is thought to stimulate hair growth.
When taken in combination, finasteride and minoxidil are highly successful in stopping hair loss and promoting the growth of new hair – up to 94% of men with male pattern hair loss using both medicines experienced substantial improvements in a year of use.
