Leg Baldness

[Can Handle the Truth]

Like many men my age, I am losing my hair -- but not on my head. It's on my legs. Ever since adolescence, my legs have been covered with a carpet that any ape would be proud of, but now baldness has been spreading up from my ankles and has reached mid-calf. It may be hereditary; my dad's legs had gone completely hairless by the time he was in his 60's.

I have two questions: (1) Has anyone ever heard of this condition, and (2) would baldness products for the head work on the legs?

[panache45]

I've had the same condition for many years. And I'm diabetic. According to my doctor, there's a connection between the two. In fact, he looked at my legs when I was diagnosed, and told me I'd been diabetic for seven years prior to the diagnosis.

But I imagine there are many other reasons for what you're experiencing.

[Alice The Goon]

Besides being diabetic, being overweight and having regular swelling/accumulation of fluid in your lower legs can cause hair loss there. Plus, as you age your circulation can get worse even if you're otherwise healthy, and good circulation is essential for hair growth. You don't see a lot of elderly people with lots of hair on their legs.

[Mangetout]

Stephen Fry (tangentialliy) mentioned this on his programme QI as a normal sign of male ageing; that's not a terribly rigorous citation, I know, but the programme is all about interesting factual trivia (and distinguishing such from interesting myth); he is usually pretty accurate on facts.

[GingerOfTheNorth]

My father (whose hair is intact elsewhere) has this condition, as does my step-father. They both put it down to years of wearing pants, and them rubbing on their legs.

[PoorYorick]

Since I was about 35 or so, I've been the victim of rather embarrassing ankle baldness, but it hasn't seemed to creep up any further over the past 15 years. My doc said the circulation in my legs was fine and put it off to my wearing socks.

[SkeptiJess]

My husband is slim and in good health and he's had bald ankles since before I met him when he was 26. He always thought it might be from wearing flight deck boots.

[Webner]

My dad also has this condition, but he can't remember if there was ever much hair there in the first place. He's not diabetic or anything, so it's probably a natural sign of aging.

[Ike Witt]

Originally Posted by Alice The Goon

having regular swelling/accumulation of fluid in your lower legs can cause hair loss there.

What causes the swelling? I have been having a problem with swelling in my feet (right foot in particular) for about 2 months.