Main Causes of Hair Loss in Men

 Causes of Hair Loss in Men

We meet alopecia fully equipped Male pattern baldness is one of the common causes of hair loss in men. Moreover, hair does not fall out only in the elderly. Often the first signs of baldness are already evident in youth. Men relate to their appearance less reverently than the fair sex, however, baldness can cause serious stress and reduce self-esteem. Most men react extremely emotionally to the first signs of baldness. 

However, few people know that this process can be suspended and even reversed. Male pattern baldness: a problem or a given? Male pattern baldness is so common that many even consider it something inevitable. At the age of 40-50, about 40% of men to one degree or another encounter this nuisance. 

In general, 66% of men are familiar with alopecia firsthand - this is the scientific name for baldness. Alopecia in itself does not pose a risk to life and health. However, hair loss in men significantly affects their mental state. Researchers from the University of Norfolk (USA) conducted a survey of 145 people of different ages with a diagnosis of alopecia and found that hair loss significantly changed their lives. 69% admitted that hair loss made them feel older, 78% said it had a bad effect on self-esteem. 66% tried to change the hairstyle so as to hide their bald head, 45% bought overlays and wigs, many tried to hide their bald head under hats and caps. Half of the respondents doubted their attractiveness, 34% found themselves envious of people with thick hair. 

This survey clearly shows how fatal baldness can become for male self-esteem. Things can even go as far as neurosis or depression. Note According to medical studies, male pattern baldness may be associated with heart disease, so men prone to baldness need to carefully monitor their health. A study published in the journal BMJ showed that men with baldness in the parietal region have a higher risk of coronary heart disease than those who do not lose hair at all, or those who fall out from the side zones of the head. 

Nevertheless, most men continue to regard baldness as a curse of the masculine gender, against which any means are powerless. However, it is not. In the arsenal of modern medicine and pharmacology there are tools that can prevent and slow down the process of baldness. And surgical methods, such as hair transplants, can help even those who have lost their hair for a long time. 

Causes of Hair Loss and Baldness

There is no single cause for male pattern baldness. A variety of conditions and pathologies, as well as their combinations, lead to hair loss. Genetic predisposition . If your father, grandfather and great-grandfather began to lose hair at a relatively young age, you should prepare for the same. 

The baldness gene can be inherited from both the father and the mother (and to a greater extent). The stress reaction includes spasm of blood vessels, including those that nourish the hair follicles. Hair deprived of blood flow dies and falls out, and the growth of surviving hair slows down. It is important to remember that in this case, the hair begins to fall out not during a stressful situation, but several weeks or months later, and they fall out more or less evenly throughout the head. This type of baldness is called diffuse alopecia.

 Hormonal imbalance

Hair follicles are sensitive to male sex hormones. And not all, but only those that are located in the parietal and frontal areas. Excess dehydrotestosterone often leads to the fact that the hair follicles atrophy and the hair falls out. Baldness caused by an overabundance of certain hormones is called androgenic alopecia. 

Unbalanced diet

A lack of minerals and vitamins such as A, B2, B5, B12, C, E, iron, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, iodine, zinc and copper can lead to heavy hair fall and diffuse alopecia. Metabolic disorders . Problems with metabolic processes also adversely affect the condition of hair follicles. 

Chronic diseases

Psoriasis, systemic lupus erythematosus and many other diseases lead to sudden extreme hair loss. Focal alopecia is characteristic of this condition - hair falls out in small areas scattered throughout the head. 

Infectious diseases

They cause general intoxication, and hair loss is one of its consequences. 

Skin Illnesses that cause hair loss

In particular, seborrhea, lichen, as well as pustular inflammation of the scalp. Injuries . Hair does not grow on scars from deep wounds and burns. This type of baldness is called cicatricial alopecia. Note shampoo can cause hair loss, as well as frequent washing of the head - this is nothing more than a myth. 

Poorly selected shampoo can irritate the scalp or deprive the hair of shine and volume (which, however, happens quite rarely, as cosmetic companies try to make the formula as safe and gentle as possible). Any problems caused by shampoo immediately disappear after its replacement.

 

Signs of baldness and stages of its development 

We lose hair daily, and this is a normal process. The hair has a lifespan of about three years, after which it dies and falls out, and a new one grows in its place. When to start worrying? There are several classifications of the stages of baldness depending on the type, and each type of baldness has its own characteristic features. 

Androgenic alopecia 

Male pattern baldness caused by hormonal imbalance is practically irreversible. The process of hair loss can be significantly slowed down, but if the hair in any area has been completely lost, only a hair transplant can return it. With androgenetic alopecia, the condition is assessed on the so-called Norwood scale. 

1st degree

The line of hair growth on the forehead barely noticeably moves up. 

2nd degree

The appearance on the forehead and temples of faint triangular bald patches or areas of thinning hair. 

3rd degree

The bald patches on the forehead and temples expand and rise. A receding hairline on the crown may occur. 

4th degree

A round spot devoid of hair is clearly visible on the crown of the head. 

Bald patches on the temples increase, the hairline rises. Areas lacking hair can be covered with a rare fluff.

5th degree

The hair between the bald patches begins to thin.

6th degree

The border between the bald patches on the temples and the bald islet on the crown disappears. 

7th degree

The hair on the top of the head is completely absent. Diffuse alopecia This type of baldness in men occurs due to stress, lack of vitamins and minerals, exposure to toxins or endocrine diseases. 

Normally, we lose up to 150 hairs per day, but with diffuse alopecia, their number increases dramatically. Try to take a strand of hair and gently pull it - if more than 10 hairs remain in your hand, then perhaps it is time to take action. With diffuse alopecia, the hair does not just become weaker - they become thinner, lose their shine and bright color. 

As a rule, diffuse alopecia begins with the parietal part of the head. Diffuse alopecia is reversible, and the prognosis is almost always favorable. Alopecia areata With this type of male pattern baldness, hair loss begins in different parts of the head. Over time, small round bald spots the size of a coin arise, which can gradually increase and merge. 

In some cases, bald patches are not round, but ribbon-like. Sometimes the process of hair loss is preceded by itching and burning of the scalp. Very often, autoimmune and endocrine diseases become the cause of focal alopecia, less often - malfunctions of the immune system, organic cerebral disorders and hereditary factor. 

The exact answer to the question, for what reason there is focal baldness in men, is still unknown. There are three stages of focal alopecia: Progressive stage . Hair weakens and easily falls out if pulled a little. 

Usually the first hair to fall out along the edge of the future focus of baldness. Stationary stage . Bald spots are visible on the head, but the hair no longer falls out, but the foci of baldness do not overgrow. Regression stage . The foci of baldness begin to be covered with fluffy hair. Over time, this fluff becomes thicker and acquires color.

Alopecia areata is reversible. 

Cicatricial alopecia Foci of baldness often form at the site of scars from wounds, burns, surgical sutures and severe inflammation. At the site of the injury, connective tissue is formed, devoid of follicles. The only effective treatment for this type of baldness in men is a surgical hair transplant. What to do when detecting the first signs of baldness If you notice that the hair began to fall out and thin out, you should immediately consult a doctor. But which one? A hair doctor deals with hair health issues. However, in practice, he becomes not the first, but the last specialist to whom the patient is referred. 

The fact is that hair loss in men occurs for a variety of reasons and can be caused by dangerous diseases that require the attention of relevant specialists. 

Therefore, at the first signs of baldness, it makes sense to make an appointment with the therapist. He will listen to complaints and refer you to a specialist - most often he becomes an endocrinologist, dermatologist, neuropathologist, nutritionist, andrologist, gastroenterologist, venereologist and even a psychotherapist. It all depends on the general state of the patient’s health, his complaints, lifestyle features, type of baldness. 

To establish the cause of baldness, you will have to go through some research. In particular, donate blood: for general and biochemical analysis (they will show the presence of inflammation and give information about the work of internal organs); on hormones; parasites (helminthic infestations often cause a lack of vitamins and, as a result, baldness); on serum iron (anemia is a common cause of baldness). 

What can modern medicine offer for the treatment of baldness? The method of treatment depends on the cause of hair loss, but, in any case, the doctor will first treat the underlying disease. 

As a local therapy, external agents that improve blood microcirculation and follicular nutrition are widely used, as well as physiotherapeutic methods that have a similar effect. With the help of physiotherapy (darsonvalization, cryotherapy, massage, galvanization, compresses), it is also possible to normalize metabolic processes at the cellular level, strengthen follicles and stimulate hair growth. 

Medications also help to improve blood circulation - angioprotectors and drugs to improve microcirculation. If hair loss is caused by problems with hormones, antiandrogen therapy is prescribed, this helps to significantly slow down the process of baldness. 

In case of baldness in men caused by a lack of vitamins, multivitamin complexes are prescribed, and if the root of the problem is stress, then sedatives and antidepressants are prescribed. With advanced alopecia, the only way out is a hair transplant. 

During this operation, the surgeon extracts fragments of skin with follicles from the part of the head where the hair is still preserved, and transplantes them to the affected area. 

Modern methods of hair transplantation are less traumatic and give a completely natural result. It is necessary to treat hair loss in men, and the sooner therapy is prescribed, the higher the chances of saving hair. 

Combinations of different methods of treating baldness almost always give a good result. Therefore, do not waste time on folk remedies, advertised shampoos and cosmetic tricks, but immediately go to the doctor.