Do you stand in front of the mirror for hours and wonder why your luscious locks are thinning every day even though you are still so young? Well. You are experiencing male pattern baldness, which commonly affects men worldwide at a very young age. However, do not worry because we have combined all of how you can deal with male pattern baldness, but before that, we must understand what male pattern baldness is.
What is male pattern baldness?
Male pattern baldness is a common form of
hair loss among men, primarily dependent on 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, leading to the hair strand becoming finer until it stops growing altogether.
How to detect male pattern baldness?
Although no tests 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 and 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 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. However, this is not true since male pattern baldness is primarily genetic, and wearing or not wearing specific clothing does not affect it.
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. We mean to say that extreme psychological stress could lead to some hair thinning, but everyday stress about you being late to work won't lead to male pattern baldness.
How to deal with male pattern baldness?
While there is no cure for male pattern baldness, some remedies slow down the rate at which you lose hair. These are as follows:
1. Minoxidil is a standard OTC treatment that most men use to deal with male pattern baldness. It is a chemical solution 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 for male pattern baldness is that it is not a permanent solution, so hair loss will return when you stop using it.
2. Finasteride is another standard 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 an identical drawback, i.e., hair loss begins again when you stop using this. Nonetheless, research shows 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
Our clinical experts continually monitor the health and medical content posted on CURA4U, and we update our blogs and articles when new information becomes available. Last reviewed by Dr. Saad Zia on May 11th, 2023.
