Hair loss is a condition that affects over half of all men by the time they reach middle age, to a greater or lesser degree. Some men appear to take balding in their stride and are not unduly affected by the alteration in their appearance. However, in our increasingly image conscious age, thinning hair can have a detrimental effect on men’s self confidence.
The pressure to present a youthful appearance
Although it’s perfectly normal and usually medically benign for men to lose their hair, baldness is increasingly a source of shame and stigma. Men themselves may unwittingly contribute to this by making a balding mate the subject of jokes and banter, or keeping any insecurities they have about their own appearance to themselves rather than sharing.
To a certain extent, celebrities and sports stars such as Wayne Rooney have challenged this attitude by speaking openly about their own struggles: Rooney admitted that he had been going bald since the age of 25. However, high-earning men can afford to have expensive treatments such as hair transplants, which are unobtainable to the average man.
As we increasingly live out our lives online, the pressure to maintain a youthful appearance becomes more intense: men with fuller hair tend to be favoured for promotions at work, and get more profile matches on dating sites. However, research dating back to the 1990s have shown that hair loss has an adverse effect on men’s mental health.
Studies have found that in particular, unmarried men experiencing premature hair loss worried that they were less attractive, looked older than their age, felt hopeless about the problem, and thought that they would be singled out and teased by their peers. This can lead to the development of depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem.
What can be done about male hair loss?
There are effective treatments for male hair loss, but first it’s important to establish the cause. Up to 90 per cent of cases of thinning hair in males is caused by androgenetic alopecia (aka male pattern baldness or MPB). This is a hereditary condition that is driven by the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which is derived from testosterone.
Scientists believe that men who are prone to MPB tend to accumulate more DHT in their hair follicles, which causes them to shrink and spend more time in the resting phase of the growth cycle.
The resting times become longer and longer, and the growing times get shorter. Eventually the follicles enter a permanent resting state, and the remaining hairs eventually get finer and thinner, then fall out completely.
Medications for MPB
Hair loss that is caused by MPB can be treated with a drug called finasteride, which can be bought cheaply online. It works by suppressing the enzyme that converts testosterone into DHT, known as 5-alpha-reductase (5AR). It’s most effective when taken in the early stages of MPB, and is capable of slowing down or even reversing the effects of hair loss.
There is also an over the counter topical treatment called minoxidil, which works by stimulating the hair follicles into the growth cycle, although it is not fully understood why this is the case.
Other causes of hair loss
If the cause of the hair loss is not MPB, then it won’t respond to finasteride. Other causes of thinning hair include stress, poor diet and lack of sleep, which disrupt the natural cycle of hair growth. Usually, hair growth will return to normal patterns if the source of stress and other lifestyle factors are addressed.
Certain medical conditions can trigger hair loss, such as thyroid disorders and autoimmune diseases. Treatments for certain conditions, such as blood pressure tablets and chemotherapy, can also cause hair loss. Men who are deficient in vital nutrients such as iron, vitamin D, and biotin may also experience thinning hair.
Emerging treatments for hair loss
Stem cell therapy is being explored as a treatment for hair loss, as scientists have found that extracting stem cells from fat tissue and injecting them into the scalp can rejuvenate hair follicles. A topical drug called PP405 is also being developed to reactivate dormant hair follicles from stem cells.
However, these treatments are still in the earliest stages of development, and it’s likely that even if they prove to be viable in the long term, they will not be widely available for several years to come.
Recent Comments