A social media post claims that masturbation is one of the main causes of hair loss in men.
The message originally posted by a Twitter user, Eric @amerix claimed that frequent ejaculation may be responsible for hair loss in men.
“One of the main causes of hair loss is masturbation. Indiscriminate ejaculation leads to the intentional loss of vital nutrients responsible for hair growth. Whenever you meet a man with thinning hair, remind him of the sperm retention,” said the Tweeter bed.
One of the main causes of hair loss is MASTURBATION.
Indiscriminate ejaculation leads to the intentional loss of vital nutrients responsible for hair growth.
Whenever you meet a man with thinning hair, remind him of sperm retention.#Better together
— Eric (@amerix) August 23, 2022
The post garnered over 1,400 retweets and 8,800 likes.
On Facebook, the same post was shared several times on different accounts. A such is Emem Nelson who claimed to be a doctor with over 8,000 followers.
Another user, Jay Ade reposted the claim on Medriod Elite City, a public Facebook group that has more than 9,000 followers.
Verification
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defined masturbation as the erotic stimulation, especially of one’s own genitals, usually resulting in orgasm.
Depending on the definition, masturbation can be achieved by manual or other bodily contact exclusive of sexual intercourse, by instrumental manipulation, sometimes by sexual fantasies, or by various combinations of these agents.
Cable contacted medical experts to confirm whether there is any scientific evidence to support the claim that indiscriminate masturbation or ejaculation could cause hair loss.
Best Ordinioha, a professor of public health and community medicine, dismissed the claim, saying there was no correlation between hair loss and masturbation.
According to him, the tweeter user probably posted such a message to attract traffic to his page.
“I think it’s just scary and it could also lead to the stigma of men going bald, when people see them they think that’s what they’re doing,” the medical professor said.
“In health science, increased testosterone level is responsible for hair loss, testosterone is the male hormone. However, there is no scientific evidence to support the claim that ejaculation blind causes baldness.
“Those with higher testosterone levels may have higher sex drives, but this can be modulated and diminished by many factors: stress can make someone impotent, and sex will likely be the last thing they want to do. I think the poster stretched it too much.
POSSIBLE CAUSES OF HAIR LOSS
Francis Agbaraolorunpo, medical expert at University of Lagossaid a few factors, including genetics, medical conditions, and excessive use of chemicals, can be responsible for hair loss in men, but certainly not for masturbation.
“One of the root causes of baldness is genetics, a person is born with the tendency. The other thing is that a person can inherit it from their parents,” he said.
“Some people with alopecia or debilitating medical conditions such as cancer can also lose hair. In such situations, a woman may also experience hair loss.
“If you see a man with a receding hairline, most likely there is this gene in the family line, it could have been an unexpressed gene, but the person could express it when the gene aligns with certain environmental conditions. “
However, the medical expert pointed out that masturbation is more of a psychological issue and has nothing to do with hair loss or the physical appearance of a man.
He further revealed that inferiority complex could also be one of the causes of masturbation in men, adding that “it could lead to infertility issues.”
“A man who masturbates and loses sperm frequently may suffer from low sperm count when he meets a woman.”
Verdict
The claim that masturbation is one of the main causes of hair loss in men is false. According to science, masturbation and hair loss have no connection.
This story is published in partnership with Report for the World, a global service program that supports local public interest journalism.
