An Important Insight into Male Pattern Baldness
We all aspire to look good and if not that at least presentable. An important part of this involves caring for the skin and hair. Hair growth occurs cyclically for about 2-3 years. More than 90 percent of the hair on your scalp is growing by about a centimeter a month. Ten percent of the hair is in a resting phase after which it drops and new hair grows to replace it. However, it is seen that for some people, hair fall is more than what is normal for each day during this cycle. Male pattern baldness is caused by a similar increase in hair fall.
What is it?
There are many reasons why men go bald. If you have been having persistent hair loss from around 20 years of age and are losing scalp hair, you may be suffering from male pattern baldness. There is often a certain sequence or pattern to this type of baldness. It may usually be seen more at the temples or at the crown of the head. This thinning will continue to persist until there is lesser surface hair especially around the top of the head. It can be quite a difficult thing to deal with especially at a young age.
Why it happens?
There may be often a lot of factors that are causing this kind of hair fall. In a majority of the cases where there was no extreme surgery, treatments or other medical conditions involved, the cause is genetic. Male pattern baldness has been found to be an inherited condition in the larger number of cases. Research has shown that the main reason is that these men have a certain hormone that affects testosterone. In these individuals, testosterone is converted to dihydrotestosterone by the effects of 5 alpha-reductase. It is the DHT, which causes the follicles to produce hair that is shorter, and finer which eventually die out. The chances to carry this condition are equal in both males and females and it increases by 50% when there is an immediate family member who is balding.
Common Myths
There are quite a few myths surrounding baldness and its causes. It is time to discard some of them. Hair gels and other hair care products cannot cause pattern baldness in males. Neither do hats. Though sleeping with hats on all the time is not good, as it does not let your hair breathe. If you are worried about too many chemicals, switch to herbal products. A traumatic experience will not cause this condition in men, neither will viral infections. Too much sun also does not adversely affect hair growth; in fact, a lot of that thick hair on your head protects the scalp from the dangerous UV radiation.
Now that you have a fair idea of male pattern baldness and what does and does not cause it, you can rest better. If you are noticing significantly large amounts of hair on your pillow then see a doctor. It is possible to treat this type of hair loss after a proper diagnosis.
What is it?
There are many reasons why men go bald. If you have been having persistent hair loss from around 20 years of age and are losing scalp hair, you may be suffering from male pattern baldness. There is often a certain sequence or pattern to this type of baldness. It may usually be seen more at the temples or at the crown of the head. This thinning will continue to persist until there is lesser surface hair especially around the top of the head. It can be quite a difficult thing to deal with especially at a young age.
Why it happens?
There may be often a lot of factors that are causing this kind of hair fall. In a majority of the cases where there was no extreme surgery, treatments or other medical conditions involved, the cause is genetic. Male pattern baldness has been found to be an inherited condition in the larger number of cases. Research has shown that the main reason is that these men have a certain hormone that affects testosterone. In these individuals, testosterone is converted to dihydrotestosterone by the effects of 5 alpha-reductase. It is the DHT, which causes the follicles to produce hair that is shorter, and finer which eventually die out. The chances to carry this condition are equal in both males and females and it increases by 50% when there is an immediate family member who is balding.
Common Myths
There are quite a few myths surrounding baldness and its causes. It is time to discard some of them. Hair gels and other hair care products cannot cause pattern baldness in males. Neither do hats. Though sleeping with hats on all the time is not good, as it does not let your hair breathe. If you are worried about too many chemicals, switch to herbal products. A traumatic experience will not cause this condition in men, neither will viral infections. Too much sun also does not adversely affect hair growth; in fact, a lot of that thick hair on your head protects the scalp from the dangerous UV radiation.
Now that you have a fair idea of male pattern baldness and what does and does not cause it, you can rest better. If you are noticing significantly large amounts of hair on your pillow then see a doctor. It is possible to treat this type of hair loss after a proper diagnosis.
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