Men’s hair loss: Causes, diagnosis, treatment and prevention

Posted By Suborna Fermi Posted on Apr 08, 2023

No matter if it occurs in men or women, hair loss seems frightening on its own. Hair loss is a very common concern of ours. Even though hair fall is a natural bodily process, having bald patches and a lot of hair fall out each day can be depressing.

Shedding 50 to 100 hair strands a day can be considered as normal, but losing more than that is not healthy. Also preventing hair loss is not very effective for some. This is why you should consult with your doctor if you notice excessive hair loss on a daily basis.

What is hair loss in men?

Hair grows almost everywhere on the skin, except eyelids, palms of hands, soles of feet and belly button. The average count of our hair is near about 100,000 to 1,50,000, and a person loses up to 100 hair strands a day.

Each and one of the hair follicles has a different life cycle, which basically depends on our age, disease and other factors. There are generally three phases of hair follicles' life cycle:

• Anagen phase: Anagen phase is considered as the hair growth stage. This hair growth stage lasts between two to eight years. Nearly 80% of your hair has grown in this phase. Also, the anagen phase of your brows, eyelashes, and other body hair lasts for about one month.
• Catagen phase: Catagen phase is called the transition hair growth stage. In this stage the hair follicle begins to shrink, and lasts between two to three weeks.
• Telogen phase: The telogen phase is called the resting stage, which lasts from between two to three months. By the end of this phase, the hair sheds and new hair is replaced with it.

What age do men begin to lose their hair?

Male pattern baldness can affect people of all ages. And if you are experiencing rapid hair loss, check yourself with a mens hair fall test.

• 24% of men who have hereditary baldness begin to lose their hair at the age of 21.
• Nearly 60% of men experience male pattern baldness in their late 30’s.
• Approximately 80% of men may notice significant hair loss in their 50’s.

What are the types of hair loss in men?

Here are the most common types of hair loss in men:

• Androgenic alopecia: Androgenic alopecia is a hereditary condition that can occur in both men and women. This type of hair loss is widely known as male pattern baldness for men. Men with this type of hair loss begin to notice baldness as early as in their 20’s. With this condition you may notice hair thinning on their frontal and crown scalp.
• Involutional alopecia: Involutional alopecia is our natural hair loss condition, in which our hair thins over the time. This condition occurs when a large number of hair follicles goes into the resting or telogen phase.
• Alopecia areata: Alopecia areata occurs suddenly and leads to patchy hair loss. This can affect adults as well as children. Alopecia areata can result in complete baldness to some, while most people’s hair rebounds within a few years.
• Telogen effluvium: Telogen effluvium is a temporary hair loss condition, and occurs because of the changes in the hair growth cycle. This may also occur when a large amount of hair follicles goes into the resting phase.
• Alopecia universalis: Alopecia universalis can result in the shredding of all body hair, such as eyelashes, brows, and pubic hair.
• Scarring alopecias: Scarring alopecia is considered to be a permanent hair loss condition. Mainly some kind of lupus, acne, folliculitis, cellulitis, and lichen planus can lead to scars that ruin the ability of hair regrowth.
• Traction alopecia: Traction alopecia may cause permanent hair loss. Hot combs, tightly hair pulled and woven can cause this type of hair loss.
• Trichotillomania: This is a psychological disorder that is generally seen in children. In this condition the person pulls out their own hair strands.

What are the common misconceptions about hair loss in men?

• Using a hair dryer can cause permanent hair loss.
• Swimming in the chlorinated water or pool water can cause hair fall.
• Sunscreen can make your hair fall off.
• Wearing a baseball cap can cause hair loss.

The above mentioned points are completely false. Doing all these will not cause you hair loss.

What are the causes of hair loss in men?

Here are some possible reasons of hair loss in men:

• Genetics: Androgenic alopecia or the male pattern baldness is the most common type of hair loss that affects both men and women. You may be affected by this condition from the genes you got from your parents. To be more specific, this condition runs in families. Therefore, if your parents or close relatives have this condition, then you are also likely to have this condition. Male pattern baldness may start in your 20’s, depending on your family’s medical history. With this condition, you may notice thinning of hair in your temples and crown.
• Medical condition: Certain medical conditions can cause temporary hair loss. Lupus, thyroid disorders, cancer, anemia, gout, heart disease, high blood pressure and depression, can cause temporary hair loss. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy can also cause hair loss, but the hair will regrow once the treatment has ended.
• Autoimmune disease: Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease, in which your immune system affects the hair follicles for some unknown reasons. However, with the proper treatment your hair will grow back.
• Stress: Physical stress as well as mental stress hugely affects our hair health. If you have lost or gained weight, had fever or surgery, gone through depression or anxiety, then you may notice hair fall for more than a few months.
• Scalp infection: Some bacteria and fungus can cause your hair to fall out. Ringworm can also cause patchy hair fall or bald spots. However, treatments will help in the regrowth of your hair.
• Hair styling: Bleaching or dyeing your hair too frequently can make your hair more brittle and may lead to thinning of your hair. Using too much hair dryer or having a too tight hairstyle can damage your hair. However, all of these do not cause bald spots or permanent hair loss, but may cause temporary hair fall.
• Nutritional deficiency: Our diet has a vital role in your overall health. A diet which is low in iron, zinc, biotin, selenium, and other vitamins, can cause severe hair fall.
• Eating disorder: Anorexia nervosa (not enough eating) and Anorexia bulimia (vomiting after eating) can cause hair loss.
• Impulse control disorder: Trichotillomania is a psychological disorder that can lead the person to pull out their own body hair, such as brow hair, scalp hair and other body hair. This disorder is mostly seen in children, but may occur in adults as well.

What are treatments of hair loss in men?

The common treatments of hair loss in men includes:

• Medicines: Your doctor may prescribe you certain medicines to treat hair loss. The most common medicines for hair loss recommended by your doctors are minoxidil and finasteride. Finasteride comes in a pill form and is available only by prescription.
• Laser treatment: Laser therapy helps to stimulate the growth of hair follicles. Laser hair restoration is a relatively new procedure and is considered to be safe. Compared to the hair transplant surgery, this hair treatment is also less invasive.
• Hair transplant surgery: Hair transplant surgery is a very popular and expensive hair treatment. Follicular unit extraction (FUE) and follicular unit transportation are the most common hair transplant procedures. In follicular unit transportation, the surgeon will take a section of skin from the back of the head where the hair is still growing. After that the section of the skin will be splitted into tiny pieces, and then will be placed on the scalp where the hair is not growing. Besides, in the follicular unit extraction, the surgeon will take individual healthy hair follicles from your head. After that they will be placed in the bald spots.

Approximately 90% of hair loss in men is due to androgenic alopecia or more commonly known as male pattern baldness. If you have this type of hair loss, then you are more likely to experience bald spots in your 20’s.

Although male pattern baldness cannot be prevented, you can only slow down the process. This is why it is important to get yourself a blood test for hair fall, or hair fall test.

References:

• https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/hair-loss/men-hair-loss-causes
• https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/hair-loss/understanding-hair-loss-basics
• https://www.healthline.com/health/why-do-men-go-bald