Male Baldness and hair loss with aging

Why do men go bald when they grow older?
(August 7, 2008)

Men who go bald as they get older is due to disorder known as male pattern baldness that is prevalent among men between the ages of 20 to 45. This particular pattern causes the hair to fall out rapidly revealing bald patches. Men who experienced male pattern baldness do not usually recover their lost hair growth. This particular process takes place over a period of time and it is a matter of a few years before the individual realizes that baldness is creeping in. The male pattern baldness typically follows a particular pattern or a sequence. The loss of hair can be seen in different areas of the scalp but is usually prominent at the temple and on the crown of the head. An individual would experience gradual thinning of hair which progresses over a period of years.


Male pattern baldness usually results in total baldness and almost 95 percent of men experiencing this disorder lose hair over the top surface of the head.

Male pattern baldness is usually caused due to the genetic predisposition or imbalance. The effect of hormones on the hair follicle causes male pattern baldness. One particular hormone in males known as the testosterone which is usually in high levels after puberty is transformed into dihydrotestosterone (DHT) through an enzyme known as 5-alpha reductase. This particular dihydrotestosterone creates an adverse effect on the head follicles thus causing hair loss. Due to the production of dihydrotestosterone hair becomes weak and results in shorter hair while sometimes the hair growth is completely stunted. A gradual process results in the depletion of hair and thus hair loss occurs. However it is not known why only scalp hair is affected and not other areas of hair growth such as the beard or the armpits.

There are various forms of treatment used to arrest their fall and help the re-growth of hair. For those men experiencing male pattern baldness as a cause of hereditary disposition may not necessarily find successful treatment to arrest hair loss or grow back the hair. Some men on the other hand find that wearing a wig is a much simpler and uncomplicated alternative than opting for medications with side-effects. Some others opt for scalp surgery techniques including hair transplantation, scalp flaps, and other forms of surgical treatments that have found favor with some patients. Surgery options more often fall under cosmetic surgery and hence tend to be more expensive than oral medications or applications.