Understanding male pattern baldness

Understanding male pattern baldness

“Bald is beautiful” is the mantra of many a man who happens to have lost his natural hair over the years.  But for all you bald men out there who wish you still had a headful of hair– take heart.  Some very famous and sexy men have been noted for embracing their baldness – Michael Jordan, Bruce Willis, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, to name a few.

Women either love the look of men lacking hair while other women prefer to have hair to run their fingers through.

No matter what a person’s preference is regarding the amount of hair on top of a man’s head, a man going bald is nothing new. A bald man has plenty of company as up to 50 million men in the United States have some form of male pattern baldness if not completely hairless on top. 

Here are some facts on male baldness:

·      Up to 25% of men begin balding by the time they are the age of 30.

·      There is a four in seven chance of inheriting the baldness gene.

·      Male pattern baldness can be inherited from either the mother’s or father’s side.

·      The majority of guys – 95% - who have lost some hair have male pattern balding which is typically permanent.

·      By the age of 50, approximately 50% of men have significantly thinning hair.

What exactly is hair

Unlike skin, hair is not a living tissue but is made up of a tough protein called keratin.  Keratin is the same substance our fingernails and toenails are composed of. A hair follicle anchors each hair into the skin with the hair bulb forming the base of the hair follicle.  It is in the hair bulb where there are living cells that divide and grow to build the hair shaft. 

Hair growth depends on our own unique genetic inheritance with the average growth ranging about half an inch each month.  The average number of hair on someone’s head is about 100,000.

At any given time, part of the hairs on your head is in a growth phase while part of it is taking a break.  Once the break is done, the hair will fall out.  Each day we lose between 50-100 hairs falling out.  Generally when a hair falls out it is replaced by another hair coming in but in the case of baldness this doesn’t occur.  Baldness that is due to genetics happens when the body fails to produce new hairs to replace old hairs that have fallen out. 

Causes of hair loss in men

The most common cause of hair loss in men is androgenetic alopecia (alopecia is the medical term for hair loss) also known as male pattern baldness. 

Once this happens a receding hairline is the tell-tale sign that a man may soon be looking at a bald man staring back.  Almost half of men of European descent will have at least a receding hairline which can begin as early as age 20. Certain ethnicities – some Asians, Africans, African-Americans and Native Americans – seldom experience baldness. 

It is still not entirely understood the exact cause of why many men go bald but it appears that the male hormone testosterone has a role.

Other causes can be the following:

·      Genetic inheritance

·      Sometimes severe emotional stress

·      Fad diets that cause malnutrition

·      Thyroid disorders

·      Anemia

·      Certain drugs and medication such those for cancer treatment

·      Large doses of vitamin A

·      Constant wearing of a tight-fitting hat

How to possibly slow male hair loss

Unfortunately, preventing male pattern baldness is not possible.  But there are some hair loss home remedies that might slow down the progression:

·      Use a gentle shampoo and shampoo no more than once a day

·      Gently towel dry hair and if a hair dryer is used, keep it on a low setting

·      Handle hair gently particularly if it’s thinning.  Comb gently – avoid brushing as it can injure hair

·      Avoid bleaching, excessive sun exposure, and straightening

There are a few topical and oral hair treatment medications both offering some help for baldness but they can only do so much and will require a lifetime commitment to sustain any hair growth achieved.   LED laser therapy and surgical hair restoration are other options a man might want to consider. 

Another solution to thinning hair is to find a good hair stylist who can suggest a cut making the hair fit your face shape.  It might be cropping your hair short (please, no comb overs) in anticipation of when no more hair is left.  Or maybe the time has come to bring out the electric shaver completely shaving the head embracing the strong, virile bald look.   

At the very least, once you do decide to go natural and bald, you’ll never have another bad hair day in your life!