For most the thought of losing their hair is disturbing. For some words such as male-pattern baldness or androgenic alopecia are newly familiar terms which give them the same warm and fuzzy feeling as having a flat tire on the way to the airport. In this informational article titled male-pattern baldness we will dissect the condition and make a few helpful suggestions as to how you can slow its unrelenting march.

Male-pattern baldness is known in medical terms as androgenetic alopecia. This condition is a genetic based hormone facilitated form of balding that affects both men and women. Some estimates have this condition affecting up to 90% of the population. To better understand why this happens take a few minutes to walk with me through the technical aspect of this confidence bursting condition.

The human scalp is filled with over 100,000 hairs; each of which spring forth from a pouch like sac known as the follicle. Every day there is a delicate balance of hair loss and hair regrowth taking place right on top of your head with approximately125 hairs being lost only to be replaced. The head hair replacement mediator is a cranky enzyme called 5 alpha reductase type 2 which converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). When too much DHT is produced new hair growth is for the most part paralyzed and your existing hair becomes fine and brittle. DHT also interrupts the growth phase and accelerates the number of hairs lost.

Most men with this condition first notice it on the top of the head with perhaps slight balding on the crown. They are also likely to experience a receding hair line. For those men, whose hair loss started in their teens, they likely will lose all of the hair on top of their head but retain hair on the sides and back of the scalp.

In women, hair loss begins on top of the head and is generally recognized as an overall thinning process rather than complete hair loss. They are fortunate in that the receding hair line so prominent in men is not often a part of the process. In women the condition is appropriately called female-pattern baldness.

What can be done!

If is probably fairly obvious by now that any success treatment must have a component that blocks DHT’s ability to interrupt the hair replacement cycle. There are a couple of herbs that have been effective in this pursuit with the most well known being Saw Palmetto. The next step is to find a product that is rich in vitamins and extracts that can provide a fertile ground for hair regrowth. And lastly, consider a topical hair growth stimulator such as minoxidil or perhaps a natural blend of stimulating oils (almond, pumpkinseed) to accelerate hair growth.

In summary, there are no easy answers. Chances are if you have already lost most of your hair due to male-pattern baldness your options will be limited to surgery, a hairpiece, or loving your partially bald new look. On the other hand if only a moderate to small amount of balding has occurred, your chances of slowing and possibly reversing the condition are very good. If you fall in this category there are a number of excellent hair regrowth products formulated specifically for treating male-pattern baldness that are worth considering.

Chances are you have heard the name DHT. And if you haven’t the chances are virtually 100% that you have DHT floating around in your system and there is a 90% chance that it may be having an effect on your appearance.

Dihydrotestosterone is a form of testosterone that is one of the primary factors responsible for androgenic alopecia; more commonly known as male pattern baldness in men and female pattern baldness in women. Many experts in the hair regrowth industry simply refer to it as the hair loss hormone. While this description is accurate perhaps a better description would be the hair loss mediating hormone.

The hair cycle includes two major phases: the growth phase and the resting phase. The growth phase last from 4 to 5 years while the resting phase last two to three years. Unbeknownst to most people there is a delicate balance of hair loss and hair replacement going on right on top of their head. Every day about 125 hairs are lost with most being replaced and the cycle continues virtually unnoticed.

The main traffic cop sitting on top of our head is a hair cycle control officer known as 5 alpha reductase type 2 whose sole purpose is to convert testosterone to DHT. Over several hair cycles dihydrotestosterone causes hair to become finer and shorter. This unsavory traffic cop also is obsessed with stopping the traffic on the growth side of the road while letting an unusually large number of cars pass on the resting side, leading to a giant stack up.

In summary, DHT (dihydrotestosterone) is a concentrated form of testosterone that damages hair quality and growth.

Its effects can be seen in men as hair loss usually beginning at the forehead or on the top of the head toward the back. Some men lose only some of their hair and have only a receding hairline or a small bald spot in the back. Others are not so lucky, especially those individuals whose hair loss started at an early age and has been advancing ever since. For these men it is likely they will lose all of the hair on top of the head, but will retain hair on the sides and back of the scalp.

In women, hair loss begins on the top of the head and is usually a thinning of the hair rather than total and complete loss of hair. Women generally don’t experience the dreaded receding hair line.

If you feel you may be one of the 90% affected adversely by DHT there is good and bad news. The bad new is if you have lost a great deal of hair there are no really good answers beside hair transplant surgery. On the other hand if you are one of the lucky ones who have recognized the condition early it can be slowed or even reversed. There are some excellent hair regrowth products designed to reduce or block DHT levels and supply the scalp with nutrition designed to promote healthy hair growth. If you are looking to improve your appearance through slowing or reversing androgenic alopecia this is an option worth considering.

Balding and testosterone is an interesting area of discussion. It is ironic that the hormone most closely linked to male virility can in fact be the cause of hair loss in both men and women. Testosterone is one of a family of hormones called Androgens which are produced primary within the cells inside the testicles. In women testosterone is produced in very small amounts in the ovaries and adrenal glands. Testosterone in its original form does not cause balding but when hair follicles convert this vital androgenic hormone into another more powerful hormone known as dihydrotestosterone (DHT) a condition known as male pattern baldness in men and female pattern baldness in women can occur.

The human scalp is covered with an estimated 100,000 hairs. These tiny strands spring forth from a small pouch like sacs called a follicle. A complete hair cycle includes two major phases: the growing phase, which lasts four to six years, and the resting phase which lasts two to three months. But hair growth cannot go unchecked; there must be a hair cop on board to make sure that the hair replacement cycle is carried out as planned. This cop is an enzyme known as 5 alpha reductase type 2 and when he gets cranky bad things happen. If he decides to be a whirlwind of DHT production balding or thinning is sure to follow. It may not be noticed immediately due to the vast number of scalp hairs but over time the loss of hair will become problematic. Men will begin to notice a receding hair line combined with thinning on the top. Women will notice a more evenly distributed thinning process that may cover the entire scalp, which generally begins later in life. The differences in how androgenic alopecia presents itself has to do with overall testosterone levels and differences in the pattern of hormone receptors and enzymes in the scalps of men and women.

Testosterone related balding accounts for an estimated 90% of all cases of hair loss. One in every four men begins losing his hair by age 30; the remaining two thirds start balding by age 60.

What can be done? This is the question that millions of men and women who have been victimized by the hair loss bandit, AKA androgenic alopecia, are asking. The good news is if the condition is recognized early there are a number of excellent hair regrowth products which are specifically formulated to slow and possibly reverse the condition. On the other hand if balding and testosterone (DHT) levels have gotten out of hand and allowed to cause extensive hair loss over time your options will be limited. This is truly one of the conditions where early treatment may make the difference in being able to keep your precious hair or joining the ranks of the bald is beautiful club.