Treatments for Male Pattern Baldness and Hair Loss

When asked to picture a man in his late fifties most of us would bring to mind a balding, slightly overweight character. Sadly the odds are that we would be close to the mark as most men develop at least one type of baldness as they get older. Hair can live for about five years but, as there thousands of hairs on the head, we can lose an enormous amount each and every day and hardly notice. Many men bald in a specific way referred to as male pattern baldness.

Hair loss is known in the medical world as alopecia and Male pattern baldness (MPB) is specifically known as androgenetic alopecia. Not strictly a medical disease or illness it is caused by the action of chemicals in our body upon the hair follicles in the scalp. The hormone known as dihydrotestosterone appears to be the main cause in the case of MPB.

Even though MPB is known to be a genetic problem it can still come as a shock if you begin to notice the early signs of hair loss at a relatively early age. The fact is that androgenetic alopecia can develop at any age between 20 and fifty. The fact that it is genetic means that we can get an idea of what might happen to us by seeing what happens to our fathers and grandfathers.

Today's modern man is often under more pressure than previous generations. Ageism seems rampant and one of the key signs of a man's age is his hair, or rather, the lack of it. For this, and many other reasons, many men feel the need to either hide their male pattern baldness or to treat it. Luckily modern medicine offers a number of solutions, some are very new and yet some, such as the use of wigs, very, very old.

There are only really three options when it comes to treating male pattern baldness. As, strictly speaking, it is not a medical condition, there are not that many therapies available. However there are two medical treatments that halt the progression of MPB. Other options include cosmetic surgery and, of course, the use of a wig.

Many sufferers of MPB will have heard of Rogaine. Rogaine uses and incredible ingredient known as Minoxidil which can halt hair loss. Sadly there are rarely any signs of hair regrowth and when it does occur it is minimal. However this topical medication is highly effective. Unfortunately it is necessary to use it on a regular basis otherwise hair loss will resume.

Another chemical, Finasteride, halts hair loss and MPB by stoping the bodies production of dihydrotestosterone. Found in products such as Proscar and Propecia, Finasteride is an oral medication. Unfortunately, just like with Minoxidil, if you stop taking it the hair loss starts again.

Cosmetic surgery has come on in leaps and bounds in the last few decades and this is especially so in relation to cosmetic surgery for male pattern baldness. If you are lucky enough to be able to afford this type of treatment you will find that the results are often spectacular. Unfortunately you need to take great care to ensure that you use a cosmetic surgeon who has an exemplary reputation because there is always an element of risk with such treatments.

Finally we come to the oldest, and most probably the simplest solution, other than just learning to live with it, the wig. Wigs and hair pieces are available in a number of types with most of the finest examples costing a small fortune. The best wigs are those that use real human hair but you, obviously, need to ensure that it looks good on you. You may have had a splendid head of jet black hair in your early years but at a much older age such a wig, or hair piece, can often look ridiculous. Male pattern baldness can be embarrassing but a dodgy wig can be far worse.

About the Author:

If you want to discover more about male pattern baldness or male hair loss in general visit Information Junkie.