Men and Hair Loss: What Are the Options?
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These grafts are then inserted into parts of the scalp where hair currently isn’t growing. If you find that your hair is thinner than it used to be, you can draw some comfort from the fact that you’re not alone. Male pattern baldness affects the majority of men at some stage in their lives. According to the American Hair Loss Association, 95 percent of hair loss in men is caused by androgenetic alopecia. Male-pattern baldness typically appears first at the hairline or top of the head. Some people have an urge to pull out their own hair -- from the scalp, eyebrows, or someplace else -- a chronic condition known as trichotillomania.
What happens if I stop hair loss treatment?
Just letting go is possibly the most challenging of the available options. It’s also the cheapest and ultimately the most effective in the struggle with hair loss. Given the imperfections of surgical, medical, and technological options, there are many who advocate simple acceptance. It may seem a peculiar American vanity that men have in-boxes full of hair loss treatment offers and spend billions of dollars on hair loss treatments each year.
Symptoms and Causes
Some research connects excess intake of vitamin A or selenium with an increased risks for hair loss. It is worth noting that this method is unlikely to benefit or help people with scarring alopecias. If they suspect an autoimmune or skin condition, they might take a biopsy of the skin on your scalp. This involves carefully removing several small sections of skin for laboratory testing.
What questions should I ask my doctor?
Radiation treatment or chemotherapy can cause widespread hair loss, but usually, your hair will grow back with time, once the treatments end. Male pattern baldness -- you may hear it called androgenetic alopecia -- is triggered by the genes you got from your parents. Exactly how it is inherited isn't clear, but it does tend to run in families. So if you have close relatives who are balding, you're more likely to have it, too. If you think your hairline is receding every time you look in the mirror, you’re not alone.
If you don’t acknowledge the fact that you’re going bald, then maybe it means that you aren’t actually going bald. Go and talk to any man who has been bald for any length of time. As soon as you cross the line from ‘going bald’ to ‘being bald’, everything improves immensely. I’ve spoken to a few men in their seventies who have been bald for decades – my dad is one of them, Larry David another – and it doesn’t matter to them at all. I’m a relative newcomer to baldness, and I’m already starting to see their point. Finasteride may affect prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests used to screen for prostate cancer.
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What causes hair loss?
Dutasteride (Avodart) is FDA approved to treat an enlarged prostate, but it’s sometimes used off label to treat hair loss. Like finasteride, it blocks the production of the hormone that causes hair loss. Some studies show that it’s effective in treating hair loss in men. While you don’t need to treat this type of hair loss, treatment options exist. Treatment can reduce further hair loss, and some men regrow a bit of their hair.
What are the symptoms of male pattern baldness?
Ask your hairstylist for a creative cut that will make thinning hair look fuller. Male pattern baldness can begin in your teenage years, but it more commonly occurs in adult men, with the likelihood increasing with age. Men who have close relatives with male pattern baldness are at a higher risk. This is particularly true when their relatives are on the maternal side of the family. If you recently underwent a major surgery or are recovering from a serious illness, hair loss is normal.
In particular, hair follicles begin to shrink over time, resulting in thinning hair. Eventually they get so small that hair growth is no longer possible, resulting in baldness. Doctors often prescribe oral medications to be used along with topical minoxidil because studies show the combination boosts hair production. Low-dose oral minoxidil (prescribed off-label) has been found to be effective and safe for most patients, Mirmirani says.
A densitometer measures the thickness of your hair follicles. Male pattern baldness causes the small depressions in your scalp at the base of your hairs (hair follicles) to gradually shrink, often in a specific pattern. As your hair follicles shrink, your individual hairs get thinner and shorter. However, male pattern baldness affects people differently based on their ethnic heritage. You’re more likely to have male pattern baldness if you’re white, followed by Afro-Caribbean. You’re less likely to experience male pattern baldness if you’re of Chinese or Japanese descent.
Androgenetic alopecia (AGA), or male pattern baldness, is the most common type of progressive hair loss disorder in men. Hair transplant surgery involves moving small plugs of skin, each with a few hairs, to bald parts of your scalp. Because so many things can cause hair loss, it’s best to schedule an appointment with a medical professional if you notice any changes in your hair. It’s also the most common cause of hair loss, affecting up to 50% of people. I think people talk to me now because I could be anyone. A plumber, maybe, or someone who possesses a rudimentary level of knowledge about competitive sport.
About 85% of men will have major hair thinning by the time they're 50. Laser therapy may have promise for slowing hair loss, but the evidence supporting this option is not as strong as the evidence for other treatments. Hair loss can continue even after a hair transplant, so a doctor may recommend using medications as well. Ketoconazole is an antifungal and antiandrogen medication present in dandruff shampoos, such as Nizoral. A 2019 review of past studies found evidence that it can increase hair shaft thickness and improve hair loss.
Spot baldness, or alopecia areata, makes your hair fall out in smooth, round patches, but it usually grows back. The condition is a type of autoimmune disease, which means your body attacks itself. However, your hair can grow back, as this condition does not cause scarring.
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