Everything you need to know about male pattern baldness

Key Takeaways:

• Male pattern baldness is the most common type of hair loss in men and gradually becomes more apparent with age.
• Genes are the main factor in male pattern baldness, as well as high levels of male hormones.
• Treatments are available for male pattern hair loss.
  

If you’re a man over the age of 30, you may start having concerns about your hairline. Maybe it’s gradual thinning throughout your scalp, a receding hairline, or a thinning circular area at the back of your head. Hair loss can take many forms, including male pattern baldness. Also known as male androgenetic alopecia (MAA), male pattern baldness is the most common type of hair loss in men. It’s characterized by gradual hair loss in a specific pattern, particularly the temples, the mid-frontal scalp, and the crown of the scalp.

Here’s everything you need to know about male pattern baldness, from what causes it and what you can do about it.

1. Most men experience male pattern baldness at some point

About two-thirds of men experience male pattern baldness. It affects 30-50% of men by age 50, and the likelihood of hair loss increases with age. That said, this definitely isn’t something that only affects older men. The beginning stages typically start when a man is in his thirties, but can even begin in the late teenage years.

2. Male pattern baldness is often inherited

Genetic factors account for up to 80% of male pattern baldness. Hair loss is highly dependent on the presence of androgens, which are male hormones that help in regulating sex characteristics. These typically increase after the onset of puberty and help with muscle growth, bone density, and sexual production. Testosterone, for example, is a type of androgen. The prevalence of hair loss increases with age, but just how much hair a man loses depends on factors like genetics, stress, and chronic disease.

Additionally, age and race can also influence male pattern baldness. Caucasian men develop male pattern baldness at an earlier age compared to Mongolian populations, and Japanese males typically start to experience male pattern baldness a decade later than Caucasian males. Meanwhile, black, Asian, and Native-American men tend to have less extensive baldness and tend to keep their frontal hairlines longer than Caucasian men.

To understand how hormones affect male pattern baldness, it’s helpful to understand how hair grows, which happens in three phases:

• Anagen: This is the active growing phase. The hair follicle takes form and begins producing the fiber that makes up the hair. A new hair shaft will soon appear on the skin’s surface. This phase of hair growth can last many years before moving on to the next phase.
• Catagen: This phase begins shortly after the anagen phase, and is typically moving toward a resting phase. During the catagen phase, the hair follicle regresses and shrinks by about a sixth of its diameter. Club hairs, which are full-length hairs with a light-colored keratin bulb at the end, also begin to form, when hair follicles attach to the hair shaft.
• Telogen: During this phase, the hair follicles lie dormant. No growth occurs during this phase. Club hairs will also fall out easily, and can give the appearance of thinning hair if they all shed subsequently. Up to 10-15% of all hair on your body can be in the telogen phase at any given time.

3. Symptoms are often gradual and slow

Male pattern baldness manifests in different ways, but a common characteristic is gradual hair loss in a specific pattern, as opposed to sudden hair loss or losing hair in patches, which could indicate different health conditions. Many men experience receding hair at the hairline and thinning hair at the crown of their head.

4. Treatments are widely available

The two FDA-approved treatments for male pattern baldness are oral finasteride and minoxidil. These medications prevent further hair loss, and partially reverse baldness, but require consistent and continuous use and can take up to 6-12 months for effects to become visible.

A medication called dutasteride is also often prescribed off-label to treat hair loss. Some research shows that dutasteride is more effective in treating hair loss than minoxidil and finasteride.

Comprehensive treatment solutions are also effective. Talk to a healthcare provider about combination prescription medications like Maximus’ Hair Improvement Protocol to stop hair loss, regrow lost hair, and thicken head & facial hair.

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