 There are various types of hair loss. But certainly the most common is male pattern hair loss or androgenetic . An inevitability for most men that usually starts between the age groups of 20 and 30. This mostly genetic condition is signified by thinning hair at the top of the scalp and at the back in the middle of the scalp. Eventually these two areas merge as the loss of growth spreads to other areas on the scalp. Some men become totally bald while others keep the hair growth along the back of their scalp and along the area around the temples.
What are the causes of male pattern baldness?
Most people assume that hair loss is associated with advanced age and in fact this is not the case at all. This might be due to the fact that the hair loss has advanced to a more noticeable degree the older a person gets, but male pattern hair loss can start at any stage after puberty. The main reasons for male pattern baldness are genetics and hormones. Male pattern baldness occurs when the hair follicles shrink and eventually die because they get affected by the testosterone derivative dehidrotestostorone.
Didhydrotestosterone is created when the enzyme 1type II 5- alpha works in on the hormone testosterone and converts it into Dihydrotestosterone, or DHT. DHT, over time shrinks and eventually kills hair follicles in concentrated areas on the scalp. This usually happens in a pattern and thus androgenic alopecia is known as male pattern baldness.
What are the symptoms?
The most common symptom of male pattern hair loss is a receding hairline that eventually forms an M-shape. Hair will also usually start thinning on the crown area eventually joining the receding hair line at the front leaving a horseshoe pattern of hair around the sides of the head.
Is male pattern baldness preventable?
Male pattern baldness is preventable to some extend if it is detected early enough and treated in the right way.
What treatments are available for male pattern hair loss?
When it comes to male pattern baldness there are various ways to approach treatment. There are over the counter topical treatments and herbal alternatives. Although these products claim to be affective they do not always deliver the desired results. There are, however, treatments that work against the effects of DHT, the main cause of male pattern baldness. Propecia (finasteride) is one such product that is the only approved prescription treatment clinically proven to prevent further hair loss and aid in hair regrowth. Regaine (minoxidil) has also been proven to work against hair loss but in a different way to Propecia, although it is not clearly understood how this product works.
Propecia
Propecia is an oral treatment available via prescription and it works by preventing the conversion of testosterone to Dehydrotestosterone (DHT). It does this by inhibiting the enzyme type II 5-alpha reductase from working in on the male sex hormone testosterone and changing it to DHT which causes hair follicles to shrink and eventually die.
This treatments proved to be effective in aiding hair growth in 2 out of 3 cases and it also prevented further hair loss in a third of the cases taking part in the trails.
Want to know more about Propecia? You can do so by following the link below to our treatment information page.
Regaine
Regain or minoxidil as it is generically known, is a topical treatments that helps to prevent further hair loss and also aids in hair regrowth and can be used by both men and women depending on the dosage.
Interesting facts about male pattern baldness
- Mostly Caucasian males will experience hair loss at some point throughout during the course of their lives.
- Male pattern hair loss used to be called greasy hair loss as it was thought that excess sebum on the scalp caused hair loss, but this has been disproved by medical science.
- Ironically DHT, the main cause of hair loss on the scalp, increases hair growth on other parts of the body except the scalp
Want to know more about Regaine? You can do so by following the link below to our treatment information page.
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