Premature Hair Loss and Baldness
Written by Male Pattern Baldness Writer on February 17th, 2009About 40% of men in their forties and half of men in their fifties have some degree of hair loss or thinning hair. The main cause for men genetic and known as male pattern baldness or androgenic alopecia.
Only 10 to 15% of older teens and twentysomethings have the problem. While it is easier to have thinning hair these days when many young guys are shaving their heads completely, not having a choice in the matter is one of a man’s greatest fears.
When you’re older, having thinning hair doesn’t matter because it looks more natural. But when you’re younger it can look out of place. The psychological effect of hair loss, especially for someone in their teens or twenties, is similar to being permanently scarred or losing a body part in a car accident, according to some psychologists. Hair loss is seen as an old man’s condition.
There are a number of reasons why men start to go bald, but if you are between 20 and 45 and you start to lose scalp hair, it’s 95% certain that you are experiencing male pattern baldness.
Most men are genetically predisposed to male pattern baldness. It is the effect of testosterone, a hormone present in high levels in males after puberty, converted to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) by an enzyme, which has an adverse affect on hair follicles. Some males start to see hair loss at the age of 17 or 18.
There are now medicines available to treat premature hair loss. Propecia (the brand name for finasteride), a prescription medicine pill, prevents hair loss and may even stimulate some regrowth in 85 to 87%.
Rogaine (the brand name for minoxidil), a medicated liquid solution that is applied to the scalp is effective for some people.
A hair transplant is another possible treatment, but perhaps not for someone younger, when it’s too early to tell how extensive the hair loss will be. It might end up looking unnatural if the person starts to lose hair around the hair that was transplanted.
A cheaper solution to hair loss, and maybe the healthiest, is to accept it. So a guy who shaves his head, for example, is happier than someone hiding his hair loss under a hat.