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February 13, 2020 | Farah Jassawalla

How to deal with male pattern baldness?

Do you stand in front of the mirror for hours on end and wonder why your luscious locks are thinning every day even though you are still so young? Well. What you are experiencing is called male pattern baldness, which commonly affects men all over the world at a very young age. However, do not worry because we have combined all the ways in which you can deal with male pattern baldness, but before that, it is imperative that we understand what male pattern baldness is.

What is male pattern baldness? 

Male pattern baldness is the common form of hair loss among men that is mostly dependent on your genetics and sex hormones. Under normal circumstances, the hair follicle, the cavity under our skin where the hair is situated, does not reduce in size over time. However, in male pattern baldness, the size of the follicle tends to shrink over time, which ultimately leads to the hair strand becoming finer until it stops growing altogether.

How to detect male pattern baldness? 

Although there are no tests that can be conducted to ascertain if one has male pattern baldness or not, it can be distinguished based on the pattern of hair loss.
In male-pattern baldness, there is a distinct receding hairline along with hair thinning around the temples. This is accompanied by general thinning on top of the head and all over.
 
Now that we know what male pattern baldness is, we feel that we also have to bust some myths regarding male pattern baldness. These are discussed in more detail below:
 
1. Wearing caps or hats increases the chances of male pattern baldness. This is not true at all since male pattern baldness is mostly genetic, and wearing or not wearing certain types of items of clothing does not affect it at all.
 
2. It depends on your mom's genetic makeup. You may be surprised to know this, but male pattern baldness can be due to genes from either side of the family.
 
3. High amounts of stress lead to male pattern baldness. Technically, this is not true at all. What we mean to say is that extreme psychological stress could lead to some thinning of hair, but everyday stress about you being late to work really won’t lead to male pattern baldness. 

How to deal with male pattern baldness? 

While there is no cure for male pattern baldness, there are some remedies to slow down the rate at which you lose hair. These are as follows: 
 
1. Minoxidil is a standard OTC treatment that a majority of men use to deal with male pattern baldness. It is a chemical solution that is applied directly to the scalp to reduce hair loss. In some cases, some men may also experience the growth of new hair strands, provided their hair follicles are still active. However, one drawback of this treatment to deal with male pattern baldness is that it is not a permanent solution, so when you stop using this, the hair loss will return.
 
2. Finasteride is another common medicine that can be used to deal with male pattern baldness. It works mainly by preventing the growth of an active form of testosterone, which causes male pattern baldness. However, this has the same drawback i.e.; hair loss begins again when you stop using this. Nonetheless, research shows that this is more effective in treating male pattern baldness than minoxidil.
 
In conclusion, while there is no permanent solution to deal with male pattern baldness, taking OTC medicines can significantly help control it

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Farah Jassawalla

Farah Jassawalla is a graduate of the Lahore School of Economics. She is also a writer, and a healthcare enthusiast, having closely observed case studies while working with Lahore's thriving general physicians at their clinics.