Hair loss is one of the most common conditions, affecting more than 80% of the world’s population at some point in their lives. One of the most common types of hair loss is androgenic alopecia, which affects both men and women but is worse in the former. Left untreated, hair loss can lead to baldness, which can wreak havoc on self-esteem, affecting your self-confidence, which can ultimately have serious implications for your social behaviour.

Causes of baldness

Baldness is mainly associated with genetics and hormonal changes, which are undoubtedly the two most common causes of hair loss that lead to baldness. However, there are also many other factors that can cause severe hair loss. These include:

• Health problems: Your hair loss can be the cause of certain diseases, such as hypothyroidism, high fever, especially after typhoid fever, alopecia areata, and anemia.
• Nutritional Deficiencies: Nutritional deficiencies can also cause hair loss. These include iron deficiency, low vitamin levels, altered iodine levels.
• Sudden Weight Loss: Sudden weight loss due to any factor, be it illness or a strict diet, can also cause severe hair loss.
• Medications and Treatments: There are various medications and treatments, such as cancer treatment (chemotherapy) and immunosuppressive drugs, that can cause the patient to lose hair.
• Physical and emotional stress: Both physical and emotional stress cause hair loss. You may not see the impact right away, as hair loss typically begins several months after trauma.
• Not following proper hair care – If you do not take proper care of it, your hair may start to fall out. Proper care means good hair hygiene, conditioning and washing the hair regularly, brushing, dyeing, drying and styling the hair properly.

What is male pattern baldness?

Male pattern baldness or androgenic alopecia is often attributed to genes and hormones, although the exact cause is still unknown. This type of pattern of hair loss usually runs in the family and mainly affects the male members of the family. Since the hormones responsible for this type of hair loss are also present in women, some women also experience this type of baldness, but this is very rare. The onset of this type of baldness can be as early as adolescence. More than 70% of men who suffer from male pattern baldness begin to experience symptoms of hair loss in their mid-20s.

Myths about baldness:

• You inherit baldness from your maternal family, this is nothing more than a myth. You can inherit male pattern baldness from either side of the family, and sometimes from both as well.
• Longer hair puts pressure on the roots, which causes the hair to fall out; this statement, once again, has no reality. The weight of the hair itself can never cause it to fall out.
• Wearing hats can trigger baldness in specific areas: hats have nothing to do with blood circulation nor do they pull out hair.
• Shampooing can accelerate baldness, while over-shampooing can damage the hair shafts, it does not have access to the roots and therefore cannot be a contributing factor to baldness.
• Poor blood circulation in the scalp does not cause hair loss: the blood supply to the scalp and its circulation in the scalp play a vital role in determining the health and life of the hair follicles. Poor blood supply weakens the roots and causes hair follicles to fall out. This type of hair loss can be effectively treated through massage.

Treatments for baldness:

There are numerous scientifically proven and FDA-approved treatments for baldness. These include oral and topical medications, as well as surgical and non-surgical procedures, and all of them are equally effective for both men and women.

• Minoxidil (Rogaine) – This is a topical medication that can be easily purchased at any pharmacy without a prescription. This app can be used by both men and women and works best for hair loss on the frontal lobes and crown of the head. This medication comes in 2% and 4% solution. An extra strength 5% solution is also available, but it is for people who suffer from excessive hair loss. Minoxidil can significantly control hair loss, but it may or may not trigger hair regrowth. But the most irritating part is that you have to apply it once or twice a day for an unlimited period of time and this is what makes it a not-so-preferred option for patients suffering from hair loss.
• Finasteride (Propecia) – This is also an FDA approved drug used to treat androgenic alopecia and only in men. This prescription oral medication not only helps reduce hair loss but also blocks dihydrotestosterone, a male sex hormone responsible for the male pattern. baldness and this oral medicine has shown encouraging results not only in controlling hair loss but also in hair growth. But the downside of Finasteride is that it has some very serious side effects that can negate its benefits.
• ACell/PRP Hair Loss Therapy: is a non-invasive hair loss treatment that involves injecting a mixture of ACell (growth factor) and PRP (platelet-rich plasma) into the patient’s scalp to make miniaturized hair follicles below the skin’s surface healthier and healthier. stronger. Ultimately this triggers hair regrowth.
• Hair Transplant Surgery: If you are looking for an instant and guaranteed treatment for baldness, hair transplant surgery may be an option worth considering and is a surgical hair restoration procedure in which hair follicles are removed. from bald-resistant areas of your own scalp, usually the back or side of the head, and are transplanted into bald areas or areas with thinning hair. Follicular unit transplantation (FUT) and follicular unit extraction (FUE) are the two most widely used donor graft extraction techniques.