Androgenetic Alopecia in men is also known as male pattern baldness.
While androgenetic alopecia affects men of all races, it affects white men more frequently than other ethnicities with up to 80% of Caucasian men affected.
Symptoms of Androgenetic Alopecia In Men
It’s not unusual for men to lose 50-150 hairs per day but hair loss is exacerbated when the hairs don’t grow back.
Androgenic alopecia tends to manifest itself in the following ways:
- Slowly with a gradual onset.
- Thinning of the hair particularly on the top of the head.
- Circular or patchy spots of baldness.
Treatments
Currently, only Minoxidil and Finasteride (ie. Propecia) are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for androgenetic alopecia in men. While both medications help to prevent further hair loss, they are not as successful in reversing baldness.
Minoxidil is a topical treatment applied to the affected area(s) whereas Finasteride is taken orally in pill form.
Minoxidil as an example might be used for up to 6 months before any improvement is noticed. Given society’s desire for instant gratification, how many men try Minoxidil but give up after a certain number of doses when the quick fix doesn’t occur?
And since both treatments tend to be better at preventing further hair loss only, how many men are disappointed in the results, instead expecting their hair to magically grow back?
Shaving Your Head
Shaving your head is of course a cheaper and quicker solution to address hair loss. By shaving or otherwise cutting your hair short, it minimizes the impact of hair loss since it makes it less noticeable by removing hair completely!
Growing facial hair with a shaved head additionally takes the focus from your head and moves it to your face.
Plus, it’s reversible…don’t like the look? Stop shaving and whatever hair you still have will soon grow back again.
Conclusion
- The loss of hair each day is normal for humans. Male pattern baldness is when the hair doesn’t grow back.
- Male pattern baldness tends to take a number of common forms, shown in the graphic above on this page.
- The sooner you do something to find the root cause of your hair loss, the sooner you can address it. And the less noticeable it will be to others!
- There are only 2 current FDA-approved hair loss treatments mentioned above.
- Shaving your head is a cheap, quick option to deal with hair loss. A buzz cut (use clippers with a short attachment) is the step to consider before shaving your head completely if you’re unsure.
Androgenetic alopecia in men is also known as male pattern baldness. What have you done to deal with your male pattern baldness? Let us know in the comments below!