Many men start to lose their hair at a relatively young age. In fact, it isn’t unusual for some men to begin losing their hair in their late teens or early twenties. For these men, the most important question is, ‘will that lost hair ever be replaced?’. And if not, why not?Can male hair loss be stopped?
The dilemma for many men is that, if they are self-conscious about their condition, the alternatives can sometimes seem just as excruciatingly embarrassing. If you’ve begun to lose your hair, will you feel any less self-conscious if you suddenly emerge one day wearing a toupe or hairpiece? Probably not. It would make life far easier if your real hair could just grow back.
In this article, we’ll look at why men lose hair, whether the condition is reversible and what options you have (other than wearing a hairpiece, of course).
What is male-pattern baldness?
Male pattern baldness is the most common reason why men lose hair. For most men with male-pattern baldness, it can take up to 25 years to go bald. For others, hair loss can occur entirely within a timeframe of five years.
Usually, by the time most men have reached their early 60s, they are showing some signs of baldness. However, as we mentioned, baldness can begin at virtually any age from late teens onwards. Research has shown that around one third of 30 year olds have male-pattern baldness, while when you get to 50 year olds, it is around 50%.
Male pattern baldness is actually a form of alopecia. Alopecia is really a name that covers a lot of different factors that contribute to baldness. Three of the most significant of those factors are disease, age and genetics.
Research from Kings College London in 2008 identified the gene regions that lead to male-pattern baldness. While the research showed that the mother’s side exerts the strongest influence, baldness on either side of the family would make men more likely to have male-pattern baldness later in life. Over 1000 men were tested and statistics showed that, for men who had activity in the gene regions identified as influencing male-pattern baldness, hair loss was seven times more likely to occur. Altogether, around 14% of the male population in the UK is thought to have the genetic make-up required for male-pattern baldness.
As well as genetics, there are a number of other factors that contribute to androgenic alopecia. As you would expect from the statistics that show most men are showing signs of baldness by their 60s, age is a contributory factor. Typically, hair thins at the front and the crown, leaving a fringe of hair around the back and sides of the head.
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