Male Pattern Baldness
Male pattern baldness affects most men at some stage. Treatment is necessary as it does usually prevent further hair loss, and often cause hair re-growth. Let us know in detail the terms related with the male baldness.
Male pattern baldness
Male pattern baldness is the common type of hair loss that develops in majority of men at some stage. It usually takes 15-25 years to go bald. However, some men go bald in less than 5 years.
Typically, at first the hair begin to get thinner at the front, while the hairline starts receding. At the same time, the hair usually becomes thin on the top of the head. A bald patch gradually develops in the middle of the scalp. The receding front and the bald patch on the top gradually enlarge and come together to give a bald look.
However, a weave of hair is often left around the back and sides of the scalp. In some men, this also thins and ultimately vanishes to leave a completely bald scalp.
Nearly all men have some baldness by the time they are in their 60s. However, the age connected with the hair loss is variable and depends on many factors including the hair care.
Causes of male pattern baldness
Hair is made in hair follicles that are like tiny pouches just under the skin surface. A hair normally grows from each follicle for about 3 years, thereafter it sheds and a new hair grows from the follicle. This cycle of hair growth, shedding, and new growth goes on throughout life. Men can look forward the following symptoms as they gradually start loosing hair.
• Affected hair follicles on the scalp gradually become smaller than normal.
• As the follicle shrinks, each new hair is thinner than the previous one.
• Before falling out, each new hair grows for much less time than the normal 3 years or so.
• Eventually, all that remains is a much smaller hair follicle and a thin stump of hair that does not grow out to the skin surface.
Male hormones are involved in causing these changes. The level of testosterone, the main male hormone, is normal in men with baldness. Hair follicles convert testosterone into another hormone called dihydrotestosterone. For reasons that are not clear, affected hair follicles become more sensitive to dihydrotestosterone, which causes the hair follicles to shrink.
Treatment options for male pattern baldness
While surgery and wearing wig helps, the medication is the main treatment for the male baldness.
Currently there are two medicines that help - finasteride (trade name Propecia) and minoxidil (trade name Regaine)
Finasteride was launched in the UK in 2002, although it has been available in the US since 1997. It works by blocking the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone. The hair follicles are therefore, not affected by this hormone, and can regain its size back to normal.
Further, Minoxidil lotion is a rub-on treatment that you can buy at pharmacies without a prescription. It is not clear how it works. The higher strength solution (5%) is more effective than the 2% strength.
There are other medication reviews which will be carried in another article.