Why this topic Sunscreen and hair loss are where genetics is visible in a mirror.
In the news
2026-09-03 · NYU Langone Health, published in Journal of Investigative Dermatology
Using Mendelian randomization on large public genetic datasets, researchers found that naturally higher GLP1R gene activity causally raises the odds of androgenetic alopecia by about 7%. GLP1R is the same gene GLP-1 weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy target -- the first genetic evidence for a real biological pathway behind hair thinning some men report on these drugs, beyond rapid weight loss alone.
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What this topic connects to
Solid lines are connections this site curates. Dashed lines mean the two ends share a research paper — worth knowing, and not a claim that one explains the other.
Variants that share a paper with this
Counted in Europe PMC, where the title or abstract names both this topic and that rsID. The number is papers, not evidence of a cause.
rs16891982
SLC45A2
Skin pigmentation
15 papers →rs12203592
IRF4
Freckling & sun sensitivity
13 papers →rs12913832
HERC2 / OCA2
Eye color
12 papers →rs1042602
TYR
Skin pigmentation
8 papers →rs1126809
TYR
Sunburns
5 papers →rs6152
AR
Male pattern baldness tendency
5 papers →rs1129038
HERC2
Vitiligo
2 papers →rs1801133
MTHFR
Folate metabolism (MTHFR C677T)
2 papers →rs4833095
TLR1
Asthma and hay fever
2 papers →rs10033464
PITX2
Atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter
1 paper →rs10846744
SCARB1
Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 activity and mass
1 paper →rs12565727
TARDBP
Male-pattern baldness
1 paper →rs1393350
TYR
Eye color
1 paper →rs1408799
TYRP1
Blue vs. green eyes
1 paper →rs17646946
TCHH
Common traits (Other)
1 paper →rs1799964
HLA-DQA2
Crohn's disease
1 paper →rs1801131
MTHFR
Folate metabolism (MTHFR A1298C)
1 paper →rs2075876
AIRE
Rheumatoid arthritis
1 paper →rs2155219
near EMSY
Inflammatory bowel disease
1 paper →rs429358
APOE
Lewy body disease
1 paper →rs4343
ACE
Angiotensin-converting enzyme activity
1 paper →rs4481887
OR2M7
Asparagus urine odour detection
1 paper →rs7412
APOE
Cholesterol, total
1 paper →rs776746
CYP3A5
CYP3A5 expression (*3 allele)
1 paper →How this was counted
Europe PMC, title and abstract only, searched for “skin pigmentation”, “male pattern baldness”, “androgenetic alopecia”, “alopecia areata”, “sun sensitivity”, “freckling” alongside each published rsID. Full text was not counted: it returns every paper with an rsID buried in a supplementary table. Recounted monthly.
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Skin, sun and hair. MyGeneLog™. https://www.mygenelog.com/topics/skin
Questions about Skin, sun and hair
What is Skin, sun and hair?
Skin, sun and hair is this site's topic page for the genetics people can actually see — the visible traits, which is why they are usually the first thing a reader looks up.
Is hair loss or skin pigmentation genetic?
Yes, more visibly than most topics here — sunscreen tolerance and hair loss are two of the clearest places genetics shows up in an actual mirror, rather than only in a statistic.
Why is skin, sun and hair a topic on this site now?
Sunscreen and hair loss are where genetics is visible in a mirror, which is exactly why these are the traits people search for first.
How does this site decide which variants are linked to skin, sun and hair?
Europe PMC is searched for skin pigmentation, male pattern baldness, androgenetic alopecia, alopecia areata, sun sensitivity or freckling appearing in a paper's title or abstract alongside a published rsID, recounted every month.