Alopecia, Male Pattern
Alopecia, Male Pattern Causes
Male pattern baldness or androgenic alopecia is a genetically determined condition. Not found in males castrated prior to puberty, androgen is necessary for the progression of the disorder, and is postulated to be a dominantly inherited disorder with variable penetrance and expression.
Alopecia, Male Pattern Definition
Androgenetic alopecia or the male pattern baldness is the patterned balding of a man. One should note that the condition is not a medical disorder although it may affect both the appearance and self-esteem of some men.
Alopecia, Male Pattern Diagnosis
Through visual inspection of the scalp, androgenetic alopecia in men can usually be diagnosed and also through a family history of similar hair loss might be suggestive as well.
Alopecia, Male Pattern Symptoms and Signs
For male pattern baldness, the most common location occurs at the frontal hairline and may move to toward the back of the scalp (posteriorly), or may be first noted as the thinning at the crown of the scalp. Appearing normal, a man might see miniaturized hair follicles with the underlying scalp.
Alopecia, Male Pattern Treatment
Minoxidil (a topical medication) and Finasteride (an oral medication) are the only clinically proven pharmacologic methods to prevent hair loss, however, accelerated hair loss may occur if there's discontinued use of the products. Hair transplantation therapies and scalp reduction, which are effective surgical procedures, should only be performed by qualified dermatologic surgeons or plastic surgeons but they can become expensive.