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Related Experiment Videos

Beards, baldness, and sweat secretion.

M Cabanac1, H Brinnel

  • 1Université Laval, Faculté de Médicine, Départment de Physiologie, Quebec, Canada.

European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology
|January 1, 1988
PubMed
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Male common baldness may be a thermoregulatory adaptation. Baldness compensates for beard growth, aiding heat loss in adult men, according to new research on skin evaporation rates.

Area of Science:

  • Human physiology
  • Thermoregulation
  • Evolutionary biology

Background:

  • The evolutionary purpose of male pattern baldness is debated.
  • A hypothesis suggests baldness aids heat loss as a counter-adaptation to beard growth.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test the hypothesis that male baldness evolved as a thermoregulatory compensation for beard growth.

Main Methods:

  • Measured glabrous and hairy skin areas in 100 clean-shaven men.
  • Assessed evaporative heat loss from bald and hairy scalps during hyperthermia.
  • Compared evaporation rates on foreheads and chins across different groups (women, young men, bearded men).

Main Results:

  • Forehead and calvaria glabrous skin area correlated with facial/neck hairy skin area.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Evaporation rate on bald scalps was 2-3 times higher than hairy scalps during hyperthermia.
  • Bearded men showed significantly lower chin evaporation compared to forehead, unlike women and unbearded men.

    • Conclusions:

    • Findings support the hypothesis that male baldness is a thermoregulatory adaptation.
    • Baldness may facilitate heat dissipation, balancing the insulating effect of adult male beards.
    • This evolutionary trade-off could be crucial for maintaining thermal homeostasis.