If you have noticed your hairline moving backward, a new bald area, or a few extra hairs in your hairbrush or on the pillow, the culprit might be male pattern baldness. However, certain factors such as wearing a hat or using non-organic shampoos do not contribute to the disorder.
It might not be the best of situations where you can keep calm. Rather, it is easy to panic whenever you notice your declining hairline. While there is no concrete way to prevent male pattern baldness, certain medications and lifestyle changes can slow down the process.
What exactly is male patterned baldness?
Typically, male pattern baldness is a hormonal and genetic condition that results in hair loss. It is strongly related to hair loss, especially in men. While the condition is commonly seen in men with age fifty years and above, it can happen at any time.
Some men even notice signs of diffuse thinning or receding hairline in their twenties and thirties. Hair loss in men under twenty-five years includes traumatic experiences, anxiety, stress, male pattern baldness, medical conditions, and nutritional deficiencies.
What are the causes?
One of the primary causes of male patterned baldness is sharing a hereditary problem in the family. Besides, several studies show that the condition is connected with androgens and male sex hormones. These hormones have different functions apart from regulating hair growth.
Each hair undergoes a growth cycle. When you have male pattern baldness, the cycle weakens and the hair follicles tend to shrink significantly. As a result, it produces finer and shorter hair strands.
In short, the growth cycle for hair ends without new hair growing in their places. Baldness has serious causes such as thyroid conditions, medications, anabolic steroids, and cancers.
Therefore, it is wise to see a doctor if you notice frequent hair loss even after taking medications. Also, it is recommended to visit a doctor if the hair loss is associated with other health issues. Specialists use the hair loss pattern to identify male patterned baldness.
As such, they would perform certain examinations to make sure that the condition is not because of nutritional deficiencies or fungal conditions of the scalp. Sometimes, health conditions might be the cause of baldness when unusual hair loss pattern, hair breakage, peeling scalp, redness, or rash is associated with hair loss.
In addition, blood tests and skin biopsies might be necessary to identify the disorder that is responsible for intense hair loss.
What are the signs of male pattern baldness?
Hair loss is a visible sign of male patterned baldness. Hair loss can occur in different patterns such as receding hairline or diffuse thinning of hair. Also, hair loss happens gradually. You may not notice any loss of hair or changes in your pattern for many years. Suddenly you notice your scalp slightly shining bright and start looking for a male pattern baldness cure.
- Diffuse thinning – It is a form of hair loss that impacts your scalp. However, it does not affect your hairline. It is easily noticeable when your hair is wet or certain areas of your scalp become visible because of bright lighting.
- Receding hairline – Most men experience hair loss when their hairline tends to recede. Male patterned baldness causes an M-shaped hairline that represents receding corners along with a longer forelock, commonly known as the widow’s peak area.
However, not every hairline would recede in the same pattern. Therefore, a sure sign of male pattern baldness is when men start developing an M-shaped pattern.
- Thinning crown – Not every man with pattern baldness hair condition experiences loss of hair around their hairline. In that case, the hair around the crown starts falling out and looks thinner.
Hair loss in and around the crown is not visible in front of a mirror. As a result, most men notice the same until it reaches to advanced level.
How to address hair loss:
If you are unhappy with how you look, consider addressing hair loss by using certain techniques. For minimal hair loss, the right haircut might resolve the issue. When it comes to concealing baldness, receding hairlines, or even thinning hair, you can use wigs. Besides, you can use topical medications recommended by a male pattern baldness doctor.
Apart from that, you can consider hair transplants as well. The process involves removing hair from areas of your scalp with active hair growth to the balding or thinning areas. As such, you can have a natural and permanent look.
Hair loss is extremely common and there is no need to get overwhelmed. It is not something that you should be afraid of, especially when you have the best male pattern baldness treatment at NOA Skin & Hair Clinic.