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Male Pattern Baldness

by Janie Jonah

What is male pattern baldness? Male pattern baldness or Alopecia is caused by hormones and genetic predisposition, and causes hair loss along the front hair line along with thinning around the crown in men only.

Hair grows out of what is called a hair follicle. This is a cavity in the skin. Hair usually grows out of a follicle for anything between 2 and 6 years. Normal growth occurs and after a while hair stops growing and eventually falls out. This is caused by the hair follicle shrinking, causing the hair produced to be shorter and finer than that produced by healthy follicles. Normally, a new hair growing out of the follicle would be healthy, but this does not occur in men suffering from male pattern baldness. Genetic disposition and male sex hormones are thought to relate to the cause of male pattern baldness, which is not fully understood.

First signs that a man is developing male pattern baldness appear when the front hairline begins to recede in shape of a 'M'. Hair also begins to recede around the crown region of the head. This receding continues outward until it meets the bald area that has receded from the front hairline.

Not all hair loss in males is a symptom of male pattern baldness. Atypical hair loss such as breaking of hairs or loss in patches and the appearance of redness on the skin may need a skin biopsy to successfully diagnose the cause of hair loss.

Most men that are comfortable with hair loss don't seek help in trying to remedy the problem. Some men choose to wear a hairpiece or other weave to disguise the bald area. Hair transplant procedures are also available but are often expensive and may leave scarring on the scalp. There is also a risk of skin infection but the results are often excellent.

There are however a number of drugs available to treat baldness, but it must be noted that none of them are guaranteed to be 100% effective, if at all. Rogaine (Minoxidil) can be applied directly to the scalp to stop the shrinking of hair follicles and can even promote the re-growth of hair in follicles long since dormant. However, it is mostly likely that it will be more effective in halting receding hair than actually causing re-growth of dormant follicles. Another popular drug is Propecia or Proscar (Finastreride) that is taken in pill form. It is considered more effective than Minoxidil however and the outcome the same as Minoxidil.

There is no known prevention for male pattern baldness and the the loss of hair is usually permanent. Although the loss itself is not an type of disorder, it can lead to mild mental disorders such as loss of self-esteem and psychological stress.