Male pattern baldness. How to prevent it and what to do with baldness?
Baldness is a rather unpleasant problem that is most common among men. According to unofficial data, 70% of the middle-aged male population suffers from baldness in one form or another. Today we will talk about the causes of baldness in men and how to deal with them.
They say that in ancient Russia a bell rang over balding men – it was believed that this is the way to cure an ailment. In other countries, in order to accelerate hair growth, men even poured decoctions of various compositions on their heads – from cow saliva to cat droppings. However, there were those who just tried to hide the emerging gap. It is believed that even Napoleon, therefore, wore a cocked hat that he was embarrassed by his receding hairline.
Many hundreds of years have passed, and male pattern baldness is still one of the most important problems causing a number of complexes. Causes of baldness in men Useful: The causes of baldness can be many, but most often in men, there are two: active hormones and heredity. Male hormones affect the hair follicle in such a way that it gradually loses the ability to produce new hair and, in the end, dies.
And if a man has a hereditary predisposition to hair loss, then a bald head is almost inevitable. Moreover, it is interesting that in 75% of cases, baldness is inherited on the maternal side and only in 20% – on the paternal side. The remaining percentage are people whose baldness appears first in the genus.In addition, the causes of male pattern baldness include:
- Hormonal disorders
- Metabolic disorders;
- Some diseases (Addison’s disease, Down syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus, and others);
- Stress and malnutrition, lack of vitamins.
Depending on the cause and focus of spread, there are different types of baldness (or alopecia).
Species, types, and stages of male pattern baldness
Androgenetic Alopecia (AHA)
This type of alopecia accounts for 95% of the total male population. This is exactly the type of baldness that is affected by the work of hormones and genes. Localization occurs in the parietal and frontal areas. The process of baldness begins with thinning of the hair, then they become short, like fluff, and after a while, they completely disappear.
Androgenetic alopecia has several stages. According to the Norwood-Hamilton classification, during the first two stages, hair begins to thin in the area of the temples and forehead, forming a receding hairline. In the following stages (third through sixth), a hair loss zone also appears on the crown of the head. And at the seventh stage, the main zones of hair loss merge into one.
In addition, several types of baldness can be distinguished:
- “Horseshoe” type: baldness starts from the frontal part closer to the temples, then passes to the entire frontoparietal region, forming a hair loss zone that looks like a horseshoe.
- Type “Nest”: baldness zones appear randomly in different areas of the head, and a nest-like area forms on the crown of the head. In the end, this type of hair loss takes the shape of a horseshoe.
- Mixed type: hair loss occurs simultaneously at the temples, in the parietal region.
In this case, some external factors influence baldness – from stress and taking antibiotics to radiation. It is believed that pure diffuse alopecia does not happen and always in one degree or another, AHA is mixed with it. With the telogen form, the follicles fall into the sleep stage, but with the anagen form, it is almost impossible to restore the hair, since the follicles die in severe chemical poisoning. Women are more likely than men to suffer from this type of alopecia, but if you have undergone this type of baldness, remember that with a telogen form you have a chance to restore hair growth.
This type of baldness, which has recently been a very rare option for hair loss, today appears more and more. Foci may appear on the head, face, or other scalps where all hair falls out in a short time. After some time, the hair completely grows at the site of the lesion and focal alopecia can no longer occur. But in most cases, the foci appearing can grow hair (partially or completely) in one place and appear in another, as if “moving” from place to place. The most complex cases of manifestation of focal alopecia are when the foci that appear do not overgrow, but new ones appear.
The causes of hair loss with focal (otherwise – nest) alopecia are not fully understood. It is believed that in this case, hair loss becomes an autoimmune disorder of the body.
Cicatricial alopecia occurs in 1-2% of cases, represents irreversible damage to the hair follicles and the formation of connective (scar) tissue. The cause may be infections of various etiologies (bacterial, viral or fungal), which cause inflammatory reactions around the follicles, resulting in the formation of connective tissue in this area. With adequate and timely treatment of infection, hair can be saved. A common cause of cicatricial alopecia is a physical injury – thermal and chemical burns, injuries.
It represents the extreme stage of alopecia areata, due to which hair loss occurs on the entire surface of the scalp. A variation of total alopecia is universal alopecia or total hair loss throughout the body. It affects both adults and children. As a rule, it begins with a sharp abundant hair loss, which after 2-3 months can lead to complete baldness.
Is it possible to stop baldness and how to do it
Of course, if you just survived the stress and lost some hair, then restore their active growth will be quite realistic. But today we are talking about a more serious problem of male pattern baldness, in which the hair becomes thinner and, in the end, disappears. Unfortunately, this process is irreversible, and no vitamins, burdock oils, and masks can stop it. However, fortunately, there is still a solution to the problem of baldness.
Treatment and remedies for baldness in men
In the treatment of male pattern baldness, it is perhaps worth highlighting three main methods:
- Drug treatment. Conducted by the course, the results are visible after 6-10 months. The course is selected individually. Injections, masks, massages, medications, laser therapy are used. Drug treatment is aimed only at maintaining and strengthening the existing native hair and hair follicles.
However, after treatment is completed, hair loss may resume. If minoxidil-containing preparations were used in the treatment, then the hair may already begin to fall out immediately after the treatment is canceled. If you use other drugs, then strengthened native hair can last 1.5-3 years, without additional intervention.
Please note that if in places of hair loss (places of complete baldness or thinning) the hair does not grow from 6 months or more, then any treatment in these areas will not bring any results. Because in these places, hair follicles have already died, from which the hair itself should grow.
- Hair transplantation. This is one of the most effective procedures in which hair is transplanted from areas not affected by baldness (the donor zone) to the alopecia zone. Hair transplantation is performed using surgical and non-surgical methods. The consequences and results after transplantation can vary and very significantly.
When choosing one or another method of hair transplantation, pay attention to the consequences of such an intervention on your health (after some methods, scars and scars on the head remain forever, headaches can last from 6 months to 3 years, etc.). And also take an interest in the degree of density of hair that you will receive after the transplanted hair grows (for comparison: natural density – 100 hair per 1 sq. Cm, and the possibility of setting hair, for example, with operating methods – only 30-40 / 1cm 2)
- Hair transplant without surgery using HFE technology. This is the most modern hair transplantation procedure that allows you to achieve natural density without surgery and with minimal trauma to the skin. In this method, microneedles of 0.5-0.8 mm are used instead of cutting tools and robotic devices, which means there are no cuts, no scars, no pain and no swelling on the face. Hair survival is up to 90-98%, wound healing takes 3-5 days.
The HFE method is the most advanced method of hair transplantation.
The solution to the problem of baldness
HFE hair follicle transplantation (Hand follicular extraction) is the best solution for those who have problems with baldness and want to restore their hair, including in the area of eyebrows, beards, mustaches, as well as in place of scars and scars.
Today, HFE is the only clinic in the Russian Federation where this procedure is carried out by trichologists using unique micro-tools in just a few hours. Hair restoration in HFE is almost painless, leaves no scars and swelling, and the healing process is only 3-5 days. The result is the restoration of the natural density of hair (up to 80 hair per 1 cm 2 with a natural density of 100-120 hair).