Men have worse hair problems, women have far worse skin problems, all hair and skin problems can happen to both sexes? (dye, color)

[goodheathen]

Two years ago, I didn't know that men could develop skin problems like melasma and cellulite. Now I can't think of any skin problem that men don't get, but nothing that men get much worse than women get (excluding razor burn, which is not innate). Men get much worse hair loss on average, of course, and gray maybe 5 years younger on average also.

Anything to say about that, people?

[Shimmy00]

Men seem to have just as much acne as women do, in general. I think actually men are more prone to acne because they tend to have oily and thicker skin than women.

[goodheathen]

Adult women get more facial acne than adult men. I'll assume it's the reverse below the neck. "Thus, it is no surprise that acne in young males is more severe and long-lasting than in females. By adulthood, most men normalize their oil production so that acne is not a life-long skin problem." Articles If the difference isn't obvious in public, it's probably because most women hide (and probably aggravate) their acne with makeup.

I thought I might have made a mistake about hair loss in both sexes, because men only get male-pattern baldness and women female-pattern baldness, right? But actually women with hormone problems can get male-pattern baldness and I think that rarely men can get female-pattern baldness.

[Shimmy00]

Well the pressure to wear makeup might have a big effect. Makeup clogs pores.

[Hedgehog_Mom]

I don't think that men gray earlier than women. It's really common for women to color their hair even when they're not going gray, so it's easier for women to hide it when it happens.

Women are also more likely to cover up hair loss than men. When my hair fell out, I wore hairbands to disguise it, and scarves or wigs once the hairband wasn't enough to disguise it. I also bleached my hair blonde (blends better with pale scalp showing through) and I learned to style it in ways that made the hair loss less obvious as it was growing back. Most men will just let it happen or they'll shave it bald.

Some acne on adult women isn't really acne. I have what looks like acne on my cheekbones but it's rosacea. Unlike acne, you can't pop the pustules (they get much worse, last longer and scar if you do) and most acne treatments don't help at all. Rosacea can be worse for a man than a woman though, because men often get the kind that leads to a thickened, enlarged nose.

[goodheathen]

I just discovered that while rosacea sometimes is called "acne rosacea," it's totally distinct from acne. I get your point that some 'acne' on women is actually rosacea, and I appreciate the point about rosacea-plagued noses on men. That makes two skin problems men have worse.

I cannot find the source about earlier male graying, which I'm almost sure I read online, but I did find that "85% of men between the ages of 35 and 69 have grey hair." It's hard to believe that women's gray hair is that common. Even among elderly women - some of whom no longer or never did use hair dye - hair with little or no gray isn't rare. Even among old white women (whites gray faster). Also, more men smoke, which grays hair. By the way, during the search, I found a link between graying and a lack of vitamin D3.
Epidemiological and Investigative Study of Premature Graying of Hair in Higher Secondary and Pre-University School Children
It might sometimes go smoking -> less vitamin D3 -> more gray.

Women are more prone to alopecia areata of the scalp, I confirmed, the hideous, autoimmune type of alopecia where hair falls out in patches. Women are more likely to get all types of autoimmune diseases, I think. Men get the facial hair form more, if only because very few women can grow beards Women get more traction alopecia, too, but that's probably entirely related to styling.

[Shimmy00]

I know more adult men with acne than women tbh. Boyfriends- one had severe cystic acne that healed and scarred and still gets pimples. Another had mild acne. These are men in their 20's, so adult men. I've seen plenty of my girlfriends without makeup who didn't have acne. I really think if an adult woman has acne often it's either hormonal (pms) or from wearing makeup daily. Lots of celebrity women get acne because of how much makeup they wear. And men have thicker thin than women- this means bigger pores and sometimes more oilyness.

[Scooby Snacks]

Hair and skin problems are mildly sex linked, especially male pattern baldness. Male pattern baldness is genetically inherited via the X chromosome, which men get from their mothers, strangely enough. Women inherently get more acne because they often break out before their menstrual cycle. The makeup thing is also a factor, but I don't consider that a sex factor as much as something they cause themselves. I'm not sure about the sex differences with the incidence of cystic acne, but I am a woman who underwent Accutane treatment for longstanding cystic acne at age 30. I never wore makeup; it was just a terrible skin condition I had endured for 20 years. It was a miracle cure for me, and it solved my problem after every other treatment had failed.

As for female baldness, I think more women than men have it than we believe, but they hide it due to embarrassment, so we don't know how common it is. There is also the alopecia due to women tying their hair back too tight, which can be easily remedied if they don't do it too long. Cellulite happens in both sexes, but it's less visible in men because they usually wear trousers. Cellulite is also genetic. One can work out and eat right until the end of time and it still remains. Rosacea is more common in women, I think. Oh, and don't forget ingrown hairs and keloids. Keloids are more common in black people but I'm not sure about the sex differences in their incidence. As for ingrown hairs, I believe that is due to skin thickness and not a sex ratio itself. We could go on forever, but that's a good overview, I believe.

[goodheathen]

Male-pattern baldness comes from both parents. I don't know if it's proven that the Y chromosome is a source. It's possible it's RNA inheritance from the father or something else weird.

I did forget ingrown hairs. That must be more common in men, because men shave more.

I suppose men get worse acne scars, but I don't think I will find reliable data and I cannot remember seeing acne scars in person in years.

[Ruth4Truth]

I'm not sure what you're talking about, honestly. Women have more skin problems? What women? I've never known women to have skin problems among my friends or relatives. Adult women with face acne? Do you live somewhere, where the diet is poor or the food/water is full of hormone residue?