Unfortunately, approximately 50% of all men over the age of 50 will experience some form of hair loss. So what gives with male pattern hair loss? Is there are cure for it?
1. YOU ARE PROBABLY GONNA GET IT IF THERE ARE OTHER BALD MEN IN YOUR FAMILY
Much time, brain power and money have been poured into researching why male pattern baldness occurs. They’ve come to a conclusion – if there are other bald men in your family, baldness will also likely come for you. Most people think that having a bald father increases this risk, but the primary baldness gene is on the X chromosome, so blame Mom too.
2. THE IRONY OF DHT
DHT is a derivative of testosterone, and is an important hormone for hair growth in areas of the body. Yes – DHT helps with hair growth normally. But if you have the baldness gene, DHT will bind to receptors in hair follicles on the scalp and cause them to weaken and shrink – a term known as miniaturization. Since DHT is the cause of male pattern hair loss, DHT blockers such as Finasteride will help keep DHT off your scalp. But a not-so-uncommon side effect of Finasteride includes sexual dysfunction, and that knocks it off the list for some men almost immediately.
3. THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO STIMULATE HAIR GROWTH
Topical treatments include medicated hair serums, such as the Revitascalp and Hair Recovery Serum, both of which uses Minoxidil and other hair vitamins. Minoxidil stimulates hair follicles by increasing blood flow around the scalp, extending the active hair growth phase.
Other non-invasive hair loss prevention treatments include hair biostimulation lasers, such as the Revage 670, which similarly stimulates blood flow in the scalp. A completely painless laser, all you need is to sit under this laser for 30 minutes at least once a week.
4. THE SECOND-LAST RESORT
Kera-Clone is a novel hair grafting treatment. Think of it as a mini-hair transplant, but rather than having the entire donor hair shaft lifted and replanted into a bald spot, organic hair growth factors are infused into balding areas instead. It’s a legit treatment to consider if you have moderate to severe hair thinning. Think of it as the last hurrah before it goes completely bald and you only have either the dreaded hair prosthesis or the hair transplant to choose from.
5. THE LAST RESORT
Based on the principle of donor dominance, hair transplants simply move transplanted hair follicles – they don’t know they have been moved and just continue to grow where they are planted. Hair follicles that are not miniaturized or affected by DHT are chosen, and after transplantation, they continue to grow without being sensitive to DHT. This is a long and expensive procedure that men do fork money out for, in exchange for retention of masculinity and sex appeal. And this effort appears to be rewarding, as an experiment post ARTAS (robotic hair transplant) showed 75% more matches post transplant on Tinder.
Is it worth the effort and money trying to grow a patch? Can bald be attractive? It all depends, balding enthuasiasts say the key is to become a bald attractive man (weird I know, but let’s not digress). But I am sure the medical hair industry knows only too well, that this perspective would be the hardest to gain.