Male Pattern Baldness – Men’s Hair Loss
Pattern hair loss in men occurs due to a combination of genetics and male hormone. The hair loss or hair thinning usually begins from the temples and top of the head. Each strand progressively become thinner, a process called miniaturization. Eventually only a rim of hair at the sides and rear of the head remains.
This pattern includes a retreating hairline with thinning around the crown with ultimate bald spots. Moreover, this has been attributed to genetics as well as testosterone influence.
Why are men balding at an early age as compared to their parents?
Latest studies have shown that men are going bald at an earlier age as compared to their parents. There are many cases wherein the patients report of balding in their early 20’s and a closer look at their family history reveals that their parents had suffered baldness much later in life by the age of 50 or 60.
The study was carried out at the University of London. In the study, samples of hair were taken from people staying in different areas. Scientists conducting the research found that samples removed from more polluted areas showed higher degrees of “oxidative stress”, a process known to cause damage to follicular hair growth leading to faster baldness.
This clearly shows that hereditary tendency alone does not play a role in premature baldness. It is the combination of hereditary factors and the added influence of environmental factors like change of water, traveling, exposure to toxins, dietary deficiencies, stress etc which hasten the process of baldness in which it is also referred in American Academy of Dermatology Association.
As the number of factors causing hair loss increases, so does the severity of hair loss. Refer to the below table for more details:-
| Factors affecting hair loss | Effect on Hair |
|---|---|
| Hereditary alone | Hair Loss after 40-45 Gradual baldness sets in over 5-10 years |
| Hereditary + Stress | Hair Loss between the age of 30-40 yrs Baldness results within 3-5 yrs of onset |
| Hereditary + Stress + Fungal Infections | Hair Loss in early & mid 20s Baldness by the age of 30 yrs |
| Hereditary + Stress + Fungal Infections + Change of water | Hair loss starts in teenage life Baldness results by age of 25 |
The above scenarios are just some examples of how various causes can combine together playing havoc on your hair, almost like “a candle burning at both the ends”. The exact combination varies from patient to patient and to treat any case of hair loss, the exact combination of factors affecting hair loss need to be elicited. This is one of the reasons why many over-the-counter products like oils and shampoos do not work for everyone, because they are not tailor made for specific cases and being general in nature, they are not equipped to tackle all the factors in a particular case. The research has confirmed the belief that a holistic approach keeping genetics and environmental factors both in mind while treating a case gives a better long term control of hair loss.
