About Male Pattern Hair Loss


Up to 25% of men begin to go bald before their thirtieth birthday and nearly 70% are completely bald by the time they reach sixty.

The fact is, more men lose their hair than don't, but the good news is that there is a large selection of treatments available to help cover up, disguise or even alter the pattern of hair loss, from getting a better haircut or wearing a wig or toupee, to undergoing surgery or taking drugs such as Dutasteride.

What Is Male Pattern Hair Loss?


Male pattern hair loss is the most common way that men lose their hair. It accounts for 95 percent of all hair loss in men. At any given time you are in the process of shedding about 10,000 of the 100,000 scalp hairs which you began the day with. Each hair on your head lasts about five years before it is shed and a replacement hair usually takes its place six months later. Men with pattern hair loss do not always grow new hairs for the ones they shed.

Balding can begin at any time after puberty and affects people in different ways. Men who begin balding at an early age are more likely to lose more hair. Caucasian males are the most likely to go bald--some estimates are as high as 80%.

The specific pattern of balding can vary from person to person. "Classic balding" is where the hairline creeps up toward the top of the head, but there are other patterns as well. For example, some men lose hair only on the top of their head while others may only keep the hair on the sides of their head.

The important thing to remember is that balding does not affect your physical well-being. However, if it starts affecting the way you look and feel about yourself, you may need to consult your healthcare provider.

How Do I Know If I Have Male Pattern Hair Loss?


The symptoms of male pattern hair loss are obvious: a man's hairline starts to recede up his head, or he develops a bald spot on the top of his head. Healthcare providers often use a hair loss classification system to diagnose male pattern hair loss. There are seven basic types of pattern hair loss, depending on which areas of the scalp are balding.

Tests aren't usually needed to diagnose male pattern hair loss, but sometimes a dermatologist may take a hair sample and examine it under a microscope to determine what may have caused balding. If the skin is irritated or unhealthy looking, they may also take a skin biopsy and analyse a portion of the scalp to determine what type of hair loss the patient has.

What Causes Male Pattern Hair Loss?



Hormones
Male pattern hair loss is caused by certain male hormones. The most well known male hormone is testosterone. An enzyme found in skin cells and hair follicles converts this hormone into the more potent dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Men with male pattern hair loss have high levels of DHT in their skin.

This hormone can slow down hair production and also make the hair grow weaker and shorter. In some cases it can even stop hair growth altogether. All that is left may be vellus hair--the soft fuzz that covers most of your body.

Male pattern hair loss does not affect all hair at the same time; some hair is more sensitive to DHT than others. For instance, you are more likely to lose the hair on the sides of your head than on the top of your head.

Other Causes Of Hair Loss
There are a number of reasons that men lose hair apart from male pattern hair loss. The following is a list of other causes of hair loss.

How Can You Treat Male Pattern Hair Loss?


There is no permanent cure, but there are a number of methods to minimise the affects of hair loss including drugs, surgery and accessories.

 

Your Hair Cut.

Keep It Short

A shorter haircut may make you look like you have more hair

Get A Perm

A mild perm can also give the appearance of greater hair volume

Shave It Off Cutting off all your hair may be a way to deal with hair loss

Cover It Up! You may want to cover your bald spots with a hairpiece. You may be surprised at how advanced hairpieces have become. The process of making a quality hairpiece has become much more intricate than before. A high quality hairpiece is custom built to fit the head and can last as long as four or five years.

 

Surgery

Hair Transplants Tiny plugs of hair from the back or side of the scalp are transplanted to bald spots. The process can take several months, but techniques in hair transplantation have improved greatly in recent years.

Scalp Reduction The skin on your head is flexible enough for some of it to be stretched and surgically removed. After a healthcare provider removes the loose skin, hairy areas on either side of the head are stretched over and sewn together. Sometimes the forehead is lifted slightly as well, removing wrinkles and loose skin.

Tissue Expansion Tiny balloons are implanted on the scalp between areas with lots of hair. This operation makes these bald areas up to one-third larger. They are then removed using the scalp reduction operation and the sides are pulled up to the top of the head, because hair on the sides of the head is more resistant to balding than hair on the crown.


Drug Therapy

There are a range of drugs available which can help to inhibit hair loss or promote regrowth. For example, Dutasteride and Propecia can help to prevent hair loss by blocking the production of the hormone DHT which slows down, and in some cases stops, hair growth.

Before taking any drugs to treat male pattern hair loss you should always visit your healthcare provider.

If you have the time to sift through more sites related to this subject, why not try the male pattern hair loss directory listings in Yahoo and DMOZ? Alternatively simply click the panel at the top of the page to order this super effective hair loss treatment today.

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