There are already home test kits available that can be used to determine if you carry baldness-related changes in the androgen receptor gene, says Paradi Mirmirani, MD, a dermatologist in Vallejo, Calif.

“[But] it was clear that the androgen receptor was not the whole story—many men without this gene variation still had male pattern baldness,” Dr. Mirmirani says.

There are probably many genes waiting to be discovered that play a role in balding, experts agree. However, better testing could help identify men who could benefit from early treatment with available hair loss treatments, such as minoxidil or finasteride, says Dr. Mirmirani.

“If this new gene region and androgen receptor together better delineate men who are predisposed to hair loss from those who are not, then the discovery could be used to give a prediction of risk,” Ellis says. “However, we are far from understanding all of the genes, and so such tests would not provide an absolute answer.”

For example, you can still have both risk variants and a full head of hair, said Axel Hillmer, PhD, of the University of Bonn and lead author of one of the studies. “We find this combination of risk variants also in men over 60 without hair loss.”

Hillmer’s research team found that the chromosome-20 risk regions varied in populations—from 3% in the Papuans, who live in New Guinea, and 86% in the San, a South African tribe.

It’s even found in 35% to 60% of East Asians, a population that is less likely to develop male pattern baldness than other groups. “The chromosome-20 variant does not explain this,” Hillmer says.

Dr. Mirmirani does not currently recommend that patients use home tests for the androgen receptor hair-loss gene. Any genetic testing would need to occur as part of a thorough medical evaluation to eliminate the other causes of hair loss, she explains.

One study was funded in part by GlaxoSmithKline, deCODE Genetics, the Wellcome Trust, and other groups.

(PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO)

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