Table of Contents
What is a history of male-pattern baldness?
One cause of male pattern baldness is genetics, or having a family history of baldness. Research has found that male pattern baldness is associated with male sex hormones called androgens. The androgens have many functions, including regulating hair growth. Each hair on your head has a growth cycle.
Is male-pattern baldness more common now?
Men have been making the gradual transition from hirsute to hairless for centuries – Hippocrates’s ‘cure’ for baldness reputedly comprised pigeon droppings, horseradish, cumin and nettles – but recent studies suggest that hair loss in men aged between 21 and 30 is now more common than ever.
When did men start losing their hair?
Half of the men in the world experience hair loss by age 50. About 70\% of men will lose hair as they get older. And 25\% of bald men see first signs of hair loss before age 21.
Are rates of baldness increasing?
The proportion of men with moderate to extensive hair loss increased with increasing age, ranging from 16\% for men 18-29 years of age to 53\% of men 40-49. Twelve percent of the men were classified as having predominantly frontal baldness (type A variants).
What can you do about male pattern baldness?
Medicines that treat male pattern baldness include:
- Minoxidil (Rogaine), a solution that is applied directly to the scalp to stimulate the hair follicles.
- Finasteride (Propecia, Proscar), a pill that interferes with the production of a highly active form of testosterone that is linked to baldness.
Is balding inherited from the mother or father?
One popular myth is that hair loss in men is passed down from the mother’s side of the family while hair loss in women is passed down from the father’s side; however, the truth is that the genes for hair loss and hair loss itself are actually passed down from both sides of the family.
What causes male pattern baldness?
Male pattern baldness is related to your genes and male sex hormones. It usually follows a pattern of receding hairline and hair thinning on the crown. Each strand of hair sits in a tiny hole (cavity) in the skin called a follicle. Generally, baldness occurs when the hair follicle shrinks over time, resulting in shorter and finer hair.
What is the evolutionary advantage/disadvantage of male pattern baldness?
There isn’t an evolutionary advantage or disadvantage in male pattern baldness, it’s just one of those things. Nothing that happens after the usual age of reproduction can act much on evolution, and many things are neutral or disadvantageous.
What is it like to be a young man who balds?
In our western culture being young and healthy has become a second religion. Getting wrinkles, gray hair and balding are associated with aging. A young guy looks significant old when balding natural (without shaving). What I experienced with balding was the deep painful sense that I couldn’t be the curly haired ‘nice guy’ anymore.
Is baldness a gift from nature or fad?
Baldness is a gift from nature. Once you begin to lose hair, you realize you are ageing and that nothing about you is forever. You are not here for admiring yourself in the mirror but for changing this world. Therefore you’ll become wiser and death won’t make you worry.