Understanding Male Baldness or Alopecia

If you are a male in your mid 30’s and experiencing thinning of your hair, especially if there is a genetic predisposition to baldness in your family, most probably you can safely predict that by the age of 50 you will experience alopecia, the scientific name for male baldness.

Research states 2 out of 3 men in their thirties experience thinning of hair while 85 % of males will experience hair loss by age 50. Though not a life threatening condition, it most definitely affects the confidence and psyche of such persons leading to issues in their professional and personal life.

The fact remains that little or nothing can be done for you if you have already loss most of your hair. So don’t be caught by the marketing gimmick which promises to satisfy your deepest desire to replace lost hair miraculously. This would just be adding insult to injury and in the end you would have also paid the price as well.

The diagram below demonstrates the progression of male pattern baldness starting from a receding M shaped hairline meeting a bald spot in the middle of the head. The levels of progression for male pattern baldness are seen in the Norwood scales below.

There are only two (2) drugs which have been approved by the FDA (Food and Drugs Administration) for the purposes of hair loss or alopecia; these are called minoxidil and finasteride. However, these products are only useful while in use and hence the condition reoccurs when you stop using these meds.

Continuous use of finasteride for 3-6 months is recommended before any positive effect is seen while all hair growth will cease 6-12 months after its discontinuation. Finasteride is considered better than minoxidil since it stops the production of the hormone DHT which usually shrinks the hair follicle that holds the hair. So that when DHT is not produced the hair will be allowed more holding capacity thus allowing growth.

The key to the success of both drugs is the timing of the initial treatment since successful treatment becomes very difficult once there is much hair loss as seen from 4a in the Norwood Scale. Minoxidil comes in the ever popular brand name Rogaine® as a topical solution for scalp application.

A novel approach if you can afford it out of the country is hair transplant done by qualified surgeons where healthy hair is removed from the visible sides and back to the front. Although in two (2) months this hair is shed new hair grows back looking almost natural in six (6) months.

Apart from the genetic factor which affects a particular age group of persons, there are other categories of people who suffer hair loss due to unique reasons such as consumption of certain medications, peculiar illnesses, and use of hair products with harsh chemicals or simply a poor nutrition. For example, if you are on cancer treatment or some acne treatment you can experience hair loss. Some medications for bipolar disorder can also lead to hair loss. There is also a psychological disorder called Trichotillomania where some persons pull their hair out leaving bald patches. In other cases where there is baldness there is associated cigarette smoking.

However, almost all of the above is reversible since hair will re-grow once you stop whatever the causative factors were like either changing your meds, stop smoking, improving your diet or supplement intake or yet behavioural change with regards to pulling of hair or use of harsh chemicals.

However for those with irreversible hair loss or alopecia, it is important to understand that this is a medical condition and it should not determine your personality or confidence since you can accentuate your strengths by improving on your fitness. In the early stages you can attempt to slow down the hair loss or stimulate the hair growth but it must be a continuous effort. Once you understand this you won’t get frustrated.

For further information please call the pharmacist at Medicine Express located at 223 Camp Street, between Lamaha and New Market Streets. If you have any queries, comments or further information on the above topic kindly forward them to medicine.express@gmail.com or send them to 223 Camp Street, N/burg. Tel #225-5142.