I am a 28-year-old man and I have started balding already. I got it checked from a doctor who told me I have male pattern baldness. What is this and how is it caused?
Answered by Dr Apoorva Shah, Founder of Richfeel.
Androgenic alopecia or male pattern baldness is an irreversible progressive disorder. It has no types as such but there are different stages of this type of hair loss. Hair starts receding around the temple or crown area and in the final stage, there is only a band of hair around the back and sides of the scalp, rest of the scalp is hairless. The typical seven stages can be seen in chart below:
Even though it has these set stages, the pattern today is more aggressive where in one does not face the typical receding of hair line slowly forming a deep M which eventually becomes a deep U. Today we are observing that the entire scalp from front to crown is affected and density of hair is lost in the section. Male pattern baldness usually begins during one’s late teens and early twenties where the baldness progresses by the time they are thirty.
What are the causes?
The basic causes are the male hormone DHT and a genetic weakness the person inherits. The very reason why it has taken an aggressive mode is due to lifestyle stress. When we say lifestyle stress we are referring to urban stress which includes wrong diet habits, less sleep and career pressures. All of these trigger hair loss. Here’s why young men are going bald.
How to curb it?
This can be taken care of with proper treatment and making healthy lifestyle choices. Anti-male hormones or DHT blockers are prescribed to control male pattern baldness. They are available in pharmacological form– such as finepecia, propecia and finasteride. In natural form – food supplements such as green tea and extracts of a plant called serenoa repens (berry fruit) are used all over the world.
The aim of DHT blockers is to control the process of thinning, to slow down the pace and sustain the hair for a longer period of time. Following a proper diet, sufficient sleep and practising de-stressing activities like meditation and pranayam are beneficial. Also follow these 10 dos and don’ts.
Image source: Shutterstock
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