Millions Suffer With Male Pattern Baldness

The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS), along with Web MD, report the following statistics about male pattern baldness:

• Between 35 and 40 million men in the United States are suffering from this condition.
  
• It is the cause of over 95% of hair loss cases in men.
  
• Approximately 21% of men will begin losing their hair by the age of 21.
  
• Two-thirds of men will have some degree of hair loss by the age of 35.
  
• Eighty-five percent of men will have noticeably thinning hair by the age of 50.
  

Despite the large number of men who experience hair loss, or how common it is, the fact is it's an extremely difficult condition to live with for most men.
For many, hair loss causes lowered self-esteem, depression, social withdrawal, and even puts a deep strain on interpersonal relationships.
Male pattern baldness can detrimentally affect almost every aspect of life.
The Cause of Male Pattern Baldness Male pattern baldness, or androgenic alopecia, is genetic.
It is passed down through the paternal or maternal X chromosomes.
Many years later, it manifests through the onset of the hormone dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, which is a metabolite of testosterone combined with the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase.
Although DHT is present in the same approximate amount in everyone, those who've inherited weak androgen receptors will be susceptible to the damaging characteristics of this hormone.
DHT will begin to break down the hair follicles, miniaturizing them to "peach fuzz" or to the point of falling out.
This eventually leads to noticeable thinning and baldness.
The Psychological Effects of Male Pattern Baldness It seems to the casual onlooker that baldness is normal, almost expected, and that men are easily able to accept and live with it.
But quite the contrary is true.
Hair loss is often devastating and causes all kinds of emotional turmoil.
Common emotions include shame, destroyed confidence, humiliation, anxiety, and depression.
Most men would go to great lengths to reverse the condition.
Until a solution is found, they will go to great lengths to conceal the loss of hair.
They may avoid meetings at work and social gatherings.
It is not unheard of for balding men to go through mood swings or develop a social phobia.
Some may even alter their career path.
Hair Transplant for Male Pattern Baldness Hair transplantation is the only permanent solution to hair loss.
For someone seeking a temporary or non-surgical fix, there are other options.
Some of them include:

• Cosmetic concealers, like Toppik
• Hair pieces
• Minoxidil (Rogaine)
• Finasteride (Propecia)

However, if male pattern baldness is not caught early on, most of these options will prove futile or will appear noticeably unnatural.
Hair transplantation has come a long way through its years of development.
It is not only permanent, but also safe.
Today's microsurgical technologies like follicular unit extraction create a natural-looking result, with minimal invasiveness and minimal scarring.