Facts About Male Pattern Baldness (mpb)

Have you ever experienced seeing your scalp more and more as you check yourself in the mirror? You are not alone. Two out of three men in the United States are said to develop Male Pattern Baldness or MPB during their lifetime. Baldness among men usually starts with thinning of hair at the hairline, followed by the appearance of a bald patch found on the crown of the head.

MPB is a form of alopecia. Alopecia is characterized by loss of hair from the head and other parts of the body. There are many forms of alopecia, but the type associated with MPB is androgenic alopecia. This is to differentiate male pattern baldness from the patchy hair loss known as alopecia areata, loss of all head hair known as alopecia totalis, and loss of hair all over the body known as alopecia universalis.

The occurrence of baldness among males is attributed to a lot of factors. The primary factor, of course, is genetics. Some men have high levels of hormones that make hair follicles sprout shorter and finer strands before eventually dying out. Sometimes, these hormones even stop hair growth from the follicle completely. In the long run, the stock of hair becomes depleted resulting in the condition we know as baldness.

Men and women both carry the genes responsible for the occurrence of hair loss. Medical professionals contend that it usually does not have bearing as to whether which side of the family men inherit MPB from. However, a person"s chances of getting bald also increase by 50% if someone from the immediate family is already balding.

However, you should not mistake normal hair loss from male pattern baldness. There are times when you might experience noticeable hair loss. Though this may require diagnosis, this condition can be due to other factors such as diet, medications, improper hair care, and certain diseases. Improper hair care includes hairstyling routines such as ponytails, braids, dreadlocks, as well as hair relaxing solutions and hot hair irons. Hair loss of this kind can be treated successfully.

Since the 1950s, hair transplanting has become the most popular procedure among men with MPB in terms of permanent hair replacement. But these days, new innovations in hair replacement have surfaced, from topical creams and shampoos, to laser hair therapy to stimulate growth.

A typical hair transplant involves surgically implanting follicles to the balding areas of a patient to stimulate hair restoration. If the baldness of the patient is very extensive, several surgical sessions might be needed. Additional hair transplant sessions may also be added after a few weeks, in order to fill the gaps when the implanted hair follicles start growing in clumps. It takes approximately two years before you can actually see the most ideal results. Though this procedure is relatively costly, men are still clamouring for this treatment for MPB.