2009-11-02 19:39:22 -
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Pattern baldness describes a condition that usually occurs in a distinctive pattern as a person ages. It is gradual and painless. If the hair loss is early there is greater eventual loss. There can be short periods of intense hair loss, followed by long, stable periods. Hair loss is more common in men and appears as early as the 1920's.
In women, pattern hair loss is usually not as severe and rarely appears before the 1950's.
Causes of Baldness, Pattern
Causes of pattern baldness are genetic, but are influenced and controlled by hormonal factors. Men castrated at a young age don't develop pattern baldness. Estrogen (a female hormone) may be protective in women, because hair loss rarely begins before menopause.
Urban Myth: It is not caused by wearing a hat!
Signs and Symptoms of Baldness, Pattern
Hair is made in hair follicles which are like tiny pouches just under the skin surface. A hair normally grows from each follicle for about 3 years. It is then shed, and a new hair grows from the follicle. This cycle of hair growth, shedding, and new growth goes on throughout life. The following is thought to occur in men as they gradually become bald.
* Affected hair follicles on the scalp gradually become smaller than normal.
* As the follicle shrinks, each new hair is thinner than the previous one.
* Before falling out, each new hair grows for much less time than the normal 3 years or so.
* Eventually, all that remains is a much smaller hair follicle and a thin stump of hair that does not grow out to the skin surface.
Male hormones are involved in causing these changes. The level of testosterone, the main male hormone, is normal in men with baldness. Hair follicles convert testosterone into another hormone called dihydrotestosterone. For reasons that are not clear, affected hair follicles become more sensitive to dihydrotestosterone, which causes the hair follicles to shrink. It is also not clear why different hair follicles are affected at different times to make the balding process gradual.
There is some genetic (hereditary) factor involved.
It is also not clear why only scalp hairs are affected, and not other areas such as the beard or armpits.
What are the treatment options for male pattern baldness?
Medication
Currently there are two medicines that help - finasteride (trade name Propecia) and minoxidil (trade name Regaine). Neither are available on the NHS, so you need to pay the full price for them.
Finasteride was launched in the UK in 2002, although it has been available in the US since 1997. It works by blocking the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone. The hair follicles are then not affected by this hormone, and can enlarge back to normal.
Some hair re-growth occurs in about 2 in 3 men who take a finisteride tablet each day. In about 1 in 3 men there there is no hair re-growth, but most do not have any further hair loss whilst taking finasteride. It has no effect in about 1 in 100 men. So, if you take finasteride, you have a good chance that hair will re-grow, or at least stop any further hair loss. Some points about finasteride include the following.
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