Male hair loss treatment

There are many ways of treating male hair loss. However, we need to know of certain basic facts to treat male hair loss. For instance, when do we come to understand that this trend is turning out to be a problem? Once we know these basic facts it would be easier to deal with this issue with an objective approach.

MALE HAIR LOSS OR MPB

When a male loses hair frequently and beyond the normal pace, this syndrome is clinically termed as ‘Male Pattern Baldness’ (MPB).

MPB can strike a person right from his teenage. Male hair loss is seen in men within the 30 plus age bracket. More than 90 per cent of the males suffer from this ailment of the scalp.

SIGNS OF MALE HAIR LOSS

The most obvious signs of MPB are thinning of hair on the crown and a hairline that starts receding at the temples and from the front portion of the scalp. This syndrome can assume a progressively degenerating state thereby resulting in baldness – partial or total.

Certain other common signs of the MPB syndrome subsequently leading to total baldness are extreme hair loss; a bald patch atop the scalp; and partial or fractional baldness.

The MPB characteristics are more prominent with advanced age.

THE PRIMARY CAUSE OF MALE HAIR LOSS

Male hair loss treatment commences right from the stage MPB occurs. It happens mainly due to the presence of ‘dihydrotesterone’. Also known as ‘DHT’, this hormone determines the sexual progress of the males. In some instances, the hair follicles react sensitively to DHT. As a result, the follicles not only shrink but their lifespan shorten. So, the follicles fail to generate normal hair.

Medical studies have found that 85 per cent of the bald males have family histories of baldness, particularly in some of their male lineages. Hence, genetic reasons are deemed as quite imposing agents in the occurrence of male pattern baldness.

DHT VERSUS FOLLICLES

The Male Pattern Baldness (MPB) syndrome is intensively connected with the male hormone ‘dihydrotesterone’ or DHT, and which, is sensitively linked with the overall status of hair follicles. This is the reason why the effect of DHT is prominently witnessed on the scalp, particularly the crown and the temples.

MPB STAGES

The MPB (Male Pattern Baldness) has been intensively analyzed. The yardstick to study MPB is the ‘Hamilton-Norwood scale’. This clinical scale identifies MPB according to seven stages. Here are the ‘Hamilton-Norwood scale’ stages.

STAGE 1: The scalp is covered with hair with little hair loss.

STAGE 2: The frontal hairline indicates temporal and negligible recession. It is important to remember that such a state is quite normal, and it can’t be stated to be the first stage of baldness.

STAGE 2A: The earlier negligible and temporal recession starts progressing to the entire frontal hairline. This is degeneration from Stage 2.

STAGE 3: The frontal hairline recession takes deep roots.

STAGE 3A: The frontal hairline recession moves backwards to cover the scalp totally.

STAGE 3V: One experiences insignificant loss of hair from the vertex or the crown even as the frontal hairline recession progresses.

STAGE 4: There is a significant enlargement of the particular vertex patch from where hair loss is taking place. This happens even when the frontal hairline recession progresses.

STAGE 4A: Hair loss takes place from areas besides the mid-crown or the vertex. The hairline recession also continues.

STAGE 5: There frontal hairline recession extends towards and in some cases joins the vertex balding patch.

STAGE 5A: The hairline recession now progresses simultaneously with the balding patch at the crown together as one unit. The balding patch enlarges.

STAGE 5V: The recession keeps on progressing. The balding patch on the crown stretches.

STAGE 6: The hairline recession joins with the balding patch at the crown and the hair loss syndrome progress as one unit. The rear portion of the scalp also starts losing hair but at a faster pace. In fact, the rate at which hair is lost at the back portion is much faster than that in Stage 5.

STAGE 7: Almost the balding pattern gets completed. Hair remains on the sides and at times at the back of the crown.