Male Pattern Baldness |
|
|
|
|
Seventy percent of adult males will experience some degree of balding, and advanced male pattern baldness affects well over one half of the adult male population. It is so common that some degree of hair loss is considered normal in adult males. Once male pattern baldness begins, it does not stop.
Male pattern baldness is dependent on the interaction of three factors: age, a genetic pre- disposition, and male hormones. This hair loss may begin as early as the teenage years and gradually worsens with time. (1) The male hormone, testosterone, is converted to another male hormone, 5-DHT, in the hair follicles. In genetically susceptible men, the hair on the front and top of their scalps tends to miniaturize (become more fine and not grow as long) over the years under the influence of 5-DHT. Eventually, this hair will completely disappear, leaving a balding pattern behind.
Various primary dermatologic diseases can affect the scalp,
leading to hair loss due to scar formation. Treatment is aimed at medical
control of the disease. If the disease remains under control for years,
transplants can be considered for the scarred areas, but just like with alopecia
areata, if the disease returns, that transplanted hair could be lost.
|
|||
Figure 1-2. The incidence of cosmetically significant male pattern hair
loss (types III, IV, V, VI, and VII) increases steadily with age and is
represented by a solid line. The incidence of hair loss characterized by only a
remaining horseshoe fringe of hair (types V, VI, and VII) is depicted by the
dotted line. The significance of this is that once hair loss begins, it does not
stop. It progresses through life.
Figure
1-3
