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What you need to know about male pattern baldness.
If there is one subject that concerns men today, regardless of their age, it is baldness ! Hair loss in men is indeed a subject of great concern, a source of stress : the slightest hair on the pillow and it is panic. Scientifically called alopecia, baldness is a subject that requires some explanation. This is what we will see in the article below.
Why is male pattern baldness a source of stress?
It is true that the hair is an important subject in man. Hair care has taken an important place in recent years, and men do not hesitate to take care of their hair, almost as much as women do. Not only do men no longer hesitate to wear sophisticated cuts, such as the Pompadour cut. But in addition they apply different styling products (wax, gel, cream) and care (conditioners, nourishing care, etc.). The objective is of course to make them more beautiful, shinier, but also and above all to strengthen them, to prevent them from falling, and therefore to reach the stage of baldness in men. Hair is an integral part of human aesthetics.
And yet, male pattern baldness affects everyone, whatever their age, whatever their hair type, to greater or lesser degrees. Moreover, nearly one in four French men declares to be affected by baldness. While some, the baldness will be limited to the gulfs, others will see stronger baldness. You should know that baldness in men can start at the age of 20, it usually appears between 20 and 40 years. But it can also start later, or even before, during puberty. This is called premature baldness .
What causes male pattern baldness ?
You should know that there are different types of male pattern baldness. Indeed, we do not all have the same level of hair loss. I am not going to talk here about hair loss for medical reasons, especially related to chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
Hereditary male pattern baldness
It is the main cause of male pattern baldness. Just look at your father's and grandfather's skulls to get an idea of your baldness in the years to come ! It's a great way to know what to expect, and prepare yourself (psychologically !!). Hereditary baldness, also called androgenic alopecia, is linked to an excess of male hormones that dries out the scalp. In fact, these hormones will make the hair's life cycle faster, thus making it fall faster. Since it's hormonal, there's little you can do about it. Thereby :
If all the men on one side of your family have all their gulfs clear, expect to see the same type of male pattern baldness.
If all men have a clear vertex, expect to have this type of baldness in the years to come as well.
Seasonal male pattern baldness
If you notice sudden hair loss, don't worry ! It could just be seasonal male pattern baldness. During seasonal changes, you may indeed notice hair loss, but this will very quickly stop.
Male pattern baldness linked to fatigue and stress
Another factor that can cause baldness in men, temporary, is a big blow of fatigue or stress. Moreover, the two are generally linked. In this case, there is no need to panic either, the objective being to recover from fatigue and find remedies to cope with stress. Easier said than done, of course. But at least it is not necessary to jump on the first anti-hair loss food supplements, it will be useless ! For your information, baldness in men (or women) related to fatigue is called asthenia.
Male pattern baldness linked to deficiencies
If there is a group of vitamins that are very important for the quality of the scalp and hair, it is the B group vitamins. A deficiency in this type of vitamin can cause baldness in men.
Male pattern baldness linked to aggressive products
The use of aggressive products can also cause male pattern baldness. This is more anecdotal, but may explain hair loss. Also it is recommended :
not to wash your hair every day. It's not good, you're weakening the hair.
to wash and comb their hair with natural products. Forget all products containing petrochemical ingredients.
Avoid using your hair dryer every day. Too much heat can weaken your hair.
to avoid dyeing your hair too much, it also weakens the hair.
What are the signs of male pattern baldness ?
Different signs can announce the arrival of male pattern baldness. Either way, if you see a few hairs falling out, don't panic ! For there to be anything to talk about male pattern baldness, you would have to have more than 1 000 hair loss per day. Indeed, it is not necessarily easy to count them !
Baldness in men with release of the font.
This is usually the first visible sign of an onset of male pattern baldness, the forehead receding gradually. It is a sign that is easy to see because by combing your hair, by doing your hair every day, it is easy to see the evolution of the frontal line. Moreover, even before that, we generally find that the hair is finer and less dense.
It is also at this stage that we also see the appearance of the gulfs which are becoming deeper and deeper. In this regard, baldness in men in the gulfs can happen very early, from adolescence, but only concern the gulfs and have no impact on the rest of the hair.
Male pattern baldness with relief from the top of the skull
Another sign of baldness in men is of course the release of hair at the top of the skull, what is called the tonsure, or even at the temples. It is when you bend down while looking in the mirror, see yourself in videos or on photos that you notice a lower density of hair in this place.
Male pattern baldness with a clearing at the back of the skull
Finally, the last area that can be affected by baldness is the back of the skull, which is called the vortex. Generally not very visible by yourself, unless you look in a mirror, the diagnosis is made by those around you.
The diagnosis of male pattern baldness ?
Baldness in men develops differently depending on the person. Again, male hormones (testosterone) play a fundamental impact in the evolution of baldness.
On this subject, there is a tool which makes it possible to measure the various stages of a baldness, it is the scale of Norwood-Hamilton, which was developed in the Fifties (it is thus relatively recent). This scale has 7 degrees, from the least important to the most important.
Step 1. just a slight frontal clearance.
Step 2. just a slight undercut in the forehead and around the temples.
Stage 7. This is the most prominent male pattern baldness, complete baldness at tonsure and swirl. All that remains is a strip of hair on the sides and back.
What is the treatment for male pattern baldness?
There is no one treatment for male pattern baldness, but there are several. Of course, it is necessary to start treatment as soon as possible, to avoid hair loss. The idea being with these treatments to strengthen the hair, make the scalp healthy and thus slow down hair loss.
Over-the-counter baldness treatments
You can do hair mesotherapy cures. On this subject, I invite you to read my article :
Article to read : Hair mesotherapy, details of my sessions.
Mesotherapy consists of making injections directly into the scalp of complexes, in particular composed of several group B vitamins.
You can also apply certain vegetable oils to your hair and scalp, such as castor oil, which are known to strengthen hair.
Prescription baldness treatments
There are also treatments against baldness with prescription, after a visit to your doctor. The best known baldness treatment is Minoxidil. It is also marketed under the Rogaine brand in some countries. This treatment is very simple to do, just apply it directly to the scalp. But beware, once you start with Minoxidil, as soon as you stop applying it, you will see hair loss again.
Hair transplants for male pattern baldness
Finally, the radical step against hair loss remains hair transplantation. There are different transplant techniques, I suggest you read my article on stem cell hair transplantation.
Article to read : I attended a stem cell hair transplant, report!
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