Q: Why do some people have a full head of hair into their seventies or eighties and others start to go bald in their late teens or early twenties?

A: The cause is genetic and this poly-genetic trait can be inherited from the mother’s side, the father’s side, or both.

There is an old wives’ tale that it is inherited only from the mother’s parents. Although the inheritance can come from either side, it is actually greater from the mother’s side – but only slightly.