- Bald is beautiful in some people's eyes. For others, the thought of losing their hair can be quite shocking or depressing. But the fact is that in some men, going bald is inevitable. The roots of male pattern hair loss have already made that determination.
- Losing one's hair happens to both men and women, starting at birth. It is part of your natural hair growth cycle, where almost 90% of the hair on your head is growing at once, starting in follicles just below your scalp. The other 10% is in a resting period for two to three months. Once that time is up, it starts to fall out. According to the British Association of Dermatologists, the average person loses up to 100 hairs per day. As you get older, the growth rate slow down and the rate of loss speeds up.
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People affected by male pattern hair loss (also known as male pattern baldness), lose their hair much faster and much earlier than normal. Male pattern hair loss can begin as early as the teenage years. The cause is a genetic predisposition for most men. In others, it may be a reaction to chemicals and treatments like chemotherapy. Male pattern hair loss occurs when testosterone, which contributes to the growth of hair follicles, gets converted into another chemical called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT does exactly the opposite of testosterone: it slows down the growth of follicles. Instead of growing long strands of hair, DHT forces the follicles to grow smaller, weaker scalp hairs that are white and resemble peach fuzz. In many cases, the hair stops growing all together.
There is no known cure for male pattern hair loss. Treatments are available to help fill the bald spots or even slow down the hair loss process. Rogaine and Propecia are the only known brand name products with FDA-approved chemicals. With hair restoration surgery, groups of follicles called "plugs" are removed from existing growth spots and transferred to bald areas. If you choose to manage male pattern hair loss through one of these treatments, it is recommended that you study any possible side effects and consult with your physician.
