Male pattern baldness - causes and treatment

Today, people all over the world very closely monitor the state of their appearance, and not only women, but also men. And one of the most common cosmetic problems in the stronger sex is baldness. It would seem, well, what's wrong with that - appearance for a man is not the main thing. But just look at the photos of the same man with hair and without them, when he can not cope with alopecia. Hair makes a person more youthful, attractive and confident. Modern techniques are simply amazing with their diversity - the fight against baldness goes on all fronts, hair is even transplanted from other parts of the body! In this article we will try to figure out why men grow bald, what contributes to this and how to deal with this problem.

Why do men grow bald

Indeed, the question is quite interesting, because men do not use hair dryers and irons,they practically do not color or curl their hair, they do not experience them with aggressive chemical procedures, like women. And, nevertheless, by the age of forty more than half of the representatives of the stronger sex have alopecia in its various manifestations. Let's try to figure out why men go bald.

1. Genetic influence. The overwhelming majority of men are balding against the background of hereditary factors. Every male body produces the hormone dihydrotestosterone, a biologically active form of testosterone. But the amount of this hormone is determined genetically. If this hormone in the body a lot, it inhibits the growth and development of hair onions. Pay attention to maternal and paternal males. If they are already bald by the age of 35–40, partially or completely, in 70% of cases the same outcome awaits you, no matter what you do.
2. Stress. A great influence on the condition of the hair have nerve overvoltages. Unfortunately, men very often face stresses and anxieties at work, they are more categorical in nature, therefore they are often subjected to neurological tests. Abrupt baldness can be the result of a sudden psychological trauma (loss of a loved one, etc.).
3. Circulatory disorders. Some diseases, localized in the head and neck, cause blood flow to the scalp. Due to this, the amount of oxygen that enters the hair follicle is reduced. For example, in case of cervical osteochondrosis, the blood flow to the head decreases sharply, which causes not only alopecia, but also hypoxia, and severe headaches develop. Impaired blood flow may be due to pathologies such as neuritis of the occipital nerves, ENT diseases, lymphodenitis of the submandibular region, etc.
4. Avitaminosis. If a person eats poorly, sits on tough and monotonous diets, vitamin deficiency can occur in his body. The condition of the hair is most often affected by iron deficiency.
5. Diseases. A lot of various diseases that adversely affect the condition of the hair and cause their loss. Among them are diseases of the pancreas and thyroid, adrenal glands, diabetes. The cause may be tuberculosis, syphilis, autoimmune disorders. Quite often, in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, the process of assimilation of vitamins is disturbed, because of this, the follicles are depleted, the hair quickly falls out.
6. Diseases of hair follicles. Sometimes hair falls out directly on the background of diseases of the hair follicles or scalp. Seborrhea, keloid follicles, perifolliculitis - all this can lead to baldness in a short time.
7. Poisoning. Sometimes focal alopecia occurs against the background of poisoning with drugs, drugs, radiation, etc.
8. Medication. Some drugs and dietary supplements can give a similar effect if taken for a long time. Alopecia is caused by antidepressants, medicine against tumor growth, aggressive sports supplements.

Baldness can be androgenetic, focal or cicatricial. Androgenetic alopecia occurs most often - this is the classic hair loss in two parts of the frontal zone of the M-type. Next, only the hairy horseshoe-shaped part remains on the head, after which the person becomes bald completely. Focal alopecia occurs in certain areas, the hair in these areas may fall out, and then grow back. Cicatricial hair loss is characterized by isolated areas of the scalp on which the hair follicles have completely died.

Drug treatment of alopecia

The first thing you need to do is to contact the trichologist, who will help to identify the true cause of hair loss. The chosen treatment tactics will depend on the diagnosis.

1. Vitamins. First of all, the doctor prescribes vitamins to eliminate the shortage of important trace elements in the body. The composition of complex drugs should include trace elements such as iron, zinc, phosphorus and calcium. Required vitamins of group B.
2. Vascular medication. These are drugs that improve blood circulation in the vessels of the scalp, due to which the follicles are saturated with oxygen and other nutrients. Among such means - Curantil, Actovegin, Trental, etc.
3. Hormones. When the autoimmune nature of the problem, the patient is prescribed hormone therapy, both for internal use and for outdoor use. Hydrocortisone and Prednisolone can be taken in the form of capsules and tablets, or used topically in the form of an ointment. In difficult cases, drugs are prescribed injecting in the affected area.
4. Finasteride. This is a very powerful and fairly safe drug that can stop androgenic alopecia.To understand its effect, it is necessary to deal with hormones. Testosterone, which is in the body of any person, in particular men, enters the hair follicle. Under the influence of the enzyme 5-alpha reductase, the hormone is converted to dihydrotestosterone. So you need to break this chain. We will not touch testosterone - it is involved in important processes of the body. But suppress the production of the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase quite real, it can be done with the help of the drug Finasteride. It is prescribed inside, with serious lesions, the solution is rubbed topically. Finasteride does not promote hair growth, but is able to stop their hair loss.
5. Minoxidil. If Finasteride stops falling, Minoxidil provokes the growth of new young hairs. This drug can be used in the treatment of alopecia in both men and women, although the male dosage is much higher. Minoxidil is found in medicinal formulations such as Alerana, Regein, Generolon, etc. Women only need to use Minoxidil once to get a great result, but men will have to apply Minoxidil long enoughand always paired with Finasteride. After starting to use Minixidil, it may seem to you that hair began to fall out more than usual. This is normal. The fact is that the drug improves blood circulation in the follicular vessels, there awakens and activates a new young hair, which pushes out the old dead hair trunks. Wait quite a bit, and a beautiful head of hair will decorate your head.

Finasteride with Minoxidil gives a powerful result, but this tandem has one serious drawback. As soon as you stop drinking and applying these drugs, the hair will begin to crumble again, unfortunately.

How to beat male alopecia

In the fight against hair loss, you can use numerous home and cosmetic tools that will give a real visible result.

1. Medicated shampoos. There are many specialized medicinal shampoos on sale that strengthen the hair follicle, provide it with additional nutrition, stimulate the growth of new young hairs. Alopecia shampoo needs to be bought in a pharmacy, and not in a cosmetic store.The most simple and natural shampoos - burdock and tar. More serious products include Alerana, Selentsin, Vichy Dercos, Fitoval Hairloss, Kerastase, etc.
2. Mesotherapy. This is a physiotherapeutic procedure, which consists in the introduction of special vitamin cocktails under the skin. The active substances nourish and saturate the hair follicle, it awakens, the growth of the hair trunk is activated.
3. Electrophoresis. This procedure consists of micro-frequency effects of currents on the affected areas of the scalp. Electrical impulses stimulate the nerve endings, so that blood circulation increases, the follicle comes to life. In addition to electrophoresis, physiotherapeutic procedures such as iontophoresis, phonophoresis, Darsonval, laser therapy, etc. are also used in the fight against alopecia.
4. Massage. This is one of the most effective and affordable means of improving blood circulation in tissues. It is more pleasant and easier to perform the procedure with a special massage comb. Just brush her head as often as possible, stimulate blood flow to the follicles, provide them with adequate nutrition. In addition, you need to massage the collar area and neck with your hands or with a special massager to facilitate blood flow to the head.By the way, this is an excellent prevention of frequent headaches.
5. Homemade masks. It is possible to provide a rush of blood to the areas affected by alopecia with the help of warming ointments and homemade recipes. In the fight against hair loss, mustard, red pepper or onion are most often used. Cosmetic oils can be added to the masks to mitigate the aggressive action of burning components. If you add an egg, kefir, honey or cucumber to the mask, you will provide the hair follicles with additional nutrition. It is very useful to use onion juice - it is rubbed into the affected area, it is covered with a film and left for a couple of hours. Then you need to wash your hair with shampoo and rinse the strands with lemon water so that there is no unpleasant onion smell. The result will be noticeable after a few days after the first procedure - new small hairs will begin to appear.
6. Hair transplantation If you do not help medical and home remedies, you can resort to an extreme, but quite effective measure - hair transplantation. The principle of the procedure is simple - follicular association is taken in those places where it grows genetically well - as a rule, it is the occipital or temporal region.Follicles are kept in a special solution that helps them stay alive. The second stage - follicles are placed in the recipient zone, strictly observing the angle of inclination of hair growth and other nuances. After sitting down, the hair is not rejected, grow as well as in the previous areas.
7. Fully. This modern tool does not help you grow your hair, but it perfectly hides a cosmetic defect. Microfibers interlock with their own hair, taking their texture, color and shape, it is an excellent means for correcting the hairstyle, the result is noticeable after 30 seconds after use.

For any type of alopecia, it is necessary to review the quality of your life. You need to provide yourself with a balanced and varied diet to eliminate the deficiency of trace elements and vitamins. It is necessary to try to be less nervous - in some cases you will have to drink a course of sedatives. Give up bad habits - they also affect the condition of your hair. In the presence of primary diseases, the main pathology should be treated.

Remember that balding for a man is not a sentence.Competent doctor, complex treatment and patient implementation of all recommendations will help you to achieve the desired goal and restore the former beauty of your hair!

Video: how to prevent hair loss