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What Can I Do About Male Pattern Baldness?

By David McEvoy

Republish: EasyPublish™
Published: 12Mar2010
Word count: 878
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The most common reason for Male pattern baldness lies in genetics. If baldness runs in your family then you have a high chance of losing your hair too. However, there are other reasons for hair loss and these include diet, illness, medication, and stress.

Men can start to lose their hair from as young as their late teens onwards and it can take anything from less than five years to more than twenty years to go bald. The reason it is called male pattern baldness is because the hair loss tends to follow a similar pattern.

First of the hair begins to recede and become thinner on the top of the head which will eventually develop into a bald patch. The hair line will continue to recede and the bald patch will get larger until all that's left is a horseshoe line of hair round the side and back. Some men will lose this too and become completely bald.

Male pattern baldness is extremely common and affects approximately half of males over the age of fifty. In practically all cases of common male pattern baldness the cause is linked to the male hormones testosterone and Dihydrotestosterone (DHT).

Testosterone is converted into DHT by the hair follicles and for reasons unknown, the hair follicles in the scalp can become sensitive to DHT and will start to shrink over time. This results in thinner and thinner hair until the hair follicle stops working altogether.

The trick to slowing down hair loss is to catch it as early as possible as you are more likely to respond to any treatment than if you are already almost totally bald. There are two aspects to dealing with male pattern baldness and this is to first of all preventing any further hair loss and secondly to promoting hair growth. So what can you do?

Improve your diet

One of the first things you can try regardless of what other options you have is to improve your diet. If your diet is lacking in certain nutrients, vitamins and minerals then this can contribute to hair loss so it's important to correct any dietary deficiencies.

Taking fish oil might prove beneficial as fish oil contains essential Omega 3 fatty acids that are necessary for healthy hair and for hair growth. Today most people don't get enough Omega 3 in their diet and one of the first indications of this is poor hair growth and poor condition of the hair, skin and nails.

Visit your doctor

Sometimes certain illnesses or medications can cause hair loss so it's important to rule these out as potential causes before embarking on any treatment for hair loss. Your doctor will be able to advise you on what sort of treatments might be appropriate for you.

There are of course many hair loss treatments on the market today but unfortunately most of them won't work so don't be conned into parting with your hard earned cash for something that won't make any difference whatsoever.

Of all the treatments available there are two which have been clinically shown to produce results and these are Finasteride and Minoxidil.

Propecia (Finasteride)

Studies have shown that Finasteride can be quite successful in stopping male hair loss and helping new hair to grow in some men, it is not suitable for women. It works by helping inhibit the conversion of DHT but the levels of testosterone are not affected in case anyone is worried that it will affect their masculinity.

By lowering levels of DHT the hair follicles will stop shrinking and get back to normal. It can take six months or more to see any results and the treatment is only available on prescription but you have to continue the treatment daily because if you stop, the hair starts to fall out again.

Around eighty percent of men using Finasteride will see some positive effect provided they start the treatment early enough.

Rogaine (Minoxidil)

Originally Minoxidil was used to treat high blood pressure but since it was discovered that one of the side effects was that it happened to promote hair growth, it has been used as a hair loss treatment for both men and women.

No one fully understands exactly the exact mechanisms involved or why it works to promote hair growth but around fifty percent of men will see a slowing down of hair loss, fifteen percent will see some hair re-growth and some will see no difference at all.

Again you need to continue the treatment daily and it will take some months before you will see any results.

Other options

Apart from the risk to health in general, prolonged stress can promote hair loss so take steps to lower your stress levels and learn how to relax.

It's worth remembering than an increasing number of men are choosing to shave their heads even when they aren't going bald; it has become somewhat fashionable and attractive. However, some men find it extremely distressing and if they have seen no results with anything else they might want to consider hair transplants, or wear a wig. If this is the case for you then in the first instance speak to your doctor or contact a specialist for advice.

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