Androgenetic alopecia – causes, symptoms, treatment methods. How to stop baldness?

Androgenetic alopecia, or male pattern baldness, is a commonly observed phenomenon. This type of baldness is caused by hereditary and hormonal factors (harmful effects of the DHT hormone on hair follicles). Most often, androgenetic alopecia begins after the age of 40, but it can also be initiated at a very young age. The process can also progress slower or faster, depending on individual genetics.

Admittedly, male pattern baldness cannot be completely cured and fully reversed, but with the help of several proven methods it is possible to inhibit the process of hair loss and even activate follicles and stimulate new hair growth! The most important thing is that, having noticed the first symptoms of androgenetic alopecia in yourself, you should immediately start to counteract the process. Then we have a much better chance of saving our hairstyle. What are the causes and methods of treatment of androgenetic alopecia, what factors can exacerbate the process of hair loss? How to counteract further progression of androgenetic alopecia at home?

Androgenetic alopecia – causes. Family legacy or the result of an unhealthy lifestyle?

The most common cause of hair loss in androgenetic alopecia is a high concentration of DHT (a testosterone derivative). As a result of the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme, testosterone is converted to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). It is localized mainly in the scalp, within the hair follicles. If the hair follicles are overly sensitive to the hormone, they gradually shrink and atrophy.

As a result of miniaturization, the hair follicles lose their ability to produce normal healthy, strong hair. The growth phase of the hair (anagen phase) is shortened, while the resting phase of the hair (telogen phase) is lengthened. The consequence is the appearance of thin, weak, short, lacking intense color, prone to damage and rapidly falling out hair. In addition to hormonal factors, another cause of androgenetic alopecia is genetic (the tendency to baldness is inherited from a parent, grandparent).

In addition, health conditions and the lifestyle we lead may contribute to increased hair loss in men. Frequent, severe stress, prolonged physical and mental exhaustion, lack of sleep, excess use ofydrugs, dermatological and autoimmune diseases can weaken the body, including the skin and hair, and cause baldness.

Very often, an unhealthy diet also contributes to accelerating and exacerbating the balding process. If our menus largely consist of junk, highly processed foods, it is not difficult to have faster aging processes and deterioration of organs and tissues, including hair structures too.

Is it possible to eliminate the causes of androgenetic alopecia in men and stop hair loss?

Baldness in a large number of cases can be slowed, inhibited and sometimes partially reversed. The main factor determining success is time. It is worthwhile to get down to combating baldness as early as possible.

If we have only small, delicate curves and slight thinning in other areas of the scalp, we have a good chance of blocking baldness and stimulating hair regrowth. If, on the other hand, we have a markedly receding hairline and severe thinning in the frontal and parietal areas, we cannot hope to regain a lush hairstyle. Then we can only prevent further hair loss, strengthen hair structures, improve the overalloverall condition of the scalp and hair, and possibly thicken the hairstyle a bit, especially in the occipital area.

A diet poor in minerals, vitamins, protein or unsaturated fatty acids, as well as stress and excess stimulants are among the causes of baldness that you areable to eliminate (you can’t, for example, change genetic conditions or certain health problems, but lifestyle can!). Certainly, in order to start the battle against androgenetic alopecia, it is worth first looking at your diet and other aspects of your life that may be factors intensifying hair loss.

Relatively problematic, but manageable, is the hormonal cause of androgenetic alopecia. Specifically, it is the effect of DHT on hair follicles. There are a number of plant raw materials with valuable properties that regulate male hormones and inhibit the harmful effects of DHT on hair follicles. This is, for example, considered a weed, but actually endowed with unique properties, nettle (intensive nettle extract and many other hair-strengthening ingredients can be found in the Profolan hair loss supplement).

In summary, most of the causes of baldness can be partially reduced, and some can be completely eliminated. Whether we succeed in inhibiting and combating baldness depends mainly on the severity of the process and our determination to use baldness supplements and home or cosmetic treatments to inhibit hair loss and stimulate hair growth.

At what age do the hair curves appear? When do we start to go bald?

The timing of the start of the balding process sometimes varies. If baldness is mainly hereditary in origin, it can begin very early, as early as around the age of 20. In other cases, the average age of onset of the process of formation of hair curves is 30-40 years. Slightly less frequently, the first signs of baldness are observed only after the age of 50. Undoubtedly, the later the onset of baldness, the easier it is to halt its progress and fight hair loss.

Androgenetic alopecia – symptoms

The diagnosis of androgenetic alopecia is very simple, because its symptoms are specific. Depending on the stage of the process, baldness begins to cover more areas of the scalp. The first sign of androgenetic alopecia is hairline curves in the frontal area. In most men, one of the first symptoms observed is baldness on the top of the head. Rarely does androgenetic alopecia result in complete baldness. Mostly the hair in the back of the head is retained, but gradually the hair in the front and on top of the head disappears.

There is a 7-stage scale, the so-called Norwood-Hamilton scale, that accurately describes the symptoms of androgenetic alopecia in each stage:

• Grade 1 – the so-called teenage hairline. There is no thinning yet, the hairline remains as it was during childhood and adolescence.

• Degree 2 – a slight receding of the front hairline appears, slight curves on the forehead can be observed (this is the so-called mature hairline).

• Degree 3 – this stage can be called the early stage of baldness. The front hairline continues to recede. There is a deepening of the curves. On both sides of the temples, one can notice hairless distinct depressions shaped like the letter U.

• Degree 4 – a clearly receding hairline, visible thinning in the parietal part (the top of the head is devoid of hair).

• Degree 5 – increasingly thinning area of the top of the head. The band of hair that separates the frontal and parietal parts is increasingly narrow.

• Grade 6 – extensive hairless areas are observed on the forehead and parietal part of the head. The two areas of baldness merge into one (the strip separating the frontal and parietal regions disappears).

• Grade 7 – hair is present only in the occipital region of the head. In the other regions there is no hair or it is very sparse and thin.

Treatment of androgenetic alopecia. How to stop androgenetic alopecia?

For men struggling with androgenetic alopecia, there are many treatment options, both topical (scalp treatments) and pharmacological (taking agents that inhibit hormonal changes that are unfavorable to hair follicles).

There is also a wide range of cosmetic preparations (shampoos, ampoules, lotions) and dietary supplements available for sale that inhibit baldness and stimulate hair growth. There are also home remedies for baldness that are worth considering.

As for pharmacology, a frequently used remedy for baldness is finasteride. This compound, by inhibiting the activity of the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme, blocks the mechanism of converting testosterone into dihydrotestosterone and thus protects hair follicles from miniaturization. However, the use of this drug is unfortunately associated with a number of adverse side effects. Another agent used in alopecia with the effect of reducing the transformation of testosterone into DHT is dutasteride.

Among external agents, minoxidil (minoxidil) is the most commonly used. It is available in the form of a liquid to be rubbed into the scalp (e.g. Loxon 2%, Alopexy). This specificity dilates the vessels of the hair follicles, which results in their increased blood supply and better supply of nutrients. As a result, the follicles function more efficiently and stop miniaturization. What’s more, preparations with minoxidil stimulate the proliferation of follicle cells, thus activating the growth of new hair.

On the market you can also find many shampoos for androgenetic alopecia, including those based on caffeine and herbal complexes. These ingredients, like minoxidil, increase blood supply to the follicles, accelerate hair growth and counteract the negative effects of hormones on the follicles.

Ampoules for androgenetic alopecia are also in high demand. They contain highly concentrated active ingredients, usually of plant origin (e.g. sabal palm extract, ginseng, nettle, sage, etc.), as well as vitamins, bio-elements and proteins. The treatment is designed to simultaneously reduce hair loss, nourish and rebuild hair structures and stimulate hair growth.

Treatments for baldness

In the era of advances in aesthetic medicine and cosmetology, there is no shortage of effective treatments for baldness, both those more strongly interfering with the body and less invasive ones involving, for example, irradiation.

One of the more effective treatments used to treat androgenetic alopecia is mesotherapy of the scalp. It involves puncturing the scalp at numerous points and introducing specially selected preparations with a deep nourishing and regenerating effect.deeply nourishing, regenerating, strengthening hair follicles and roots and stimulating the growth of new, healthy hair. The most commonly applied active substances via mesotherapy include minoxidil,silicon, zinc, vitamins, platelet-rich plasma, nucleic acids, coenzymes, hyaluronic acid, amino acids, peptides and stem cells derived from the patient’s own tissues.

Another popular treatment with high efficacy is laser hair loss treatment, in which a beam of laser light at a special frequency is directed at the scalp. The irradiation leads to the stimulation of microcirculation within the scalp, thereby increasing cell nutrition and activating hair follicles to produce new hair.

A much more invasive, but with very good results, method of treating baldness is hair transplantation. However, it requires surgery and the use of a scalpel, in addition to being very expensive, so relatively few people opt for such a transplant.

Other popular treatments for androgenetic alopecia:

• led therapy (red or infrared light irradiation),
• peptide hair therapy, or Dr. Cyj Hair Filler treatment (applying a composition of seven peptides and hyaluronic acid to the scalp),
• scalp carboxytherapy (the application of medical carbon dioxide to the scalp),
• hair transplantation using the FUE method (modern hair transplantation without the use of a scalpel, without sutures or scars, involving the extraction of micro grafts of hair, for example. from the back of the head or chest and transferring them to the areas affected by baldness),

While professional treatments and surgeries to curb baldness and stimulate hair growth can be very effective, they are also not cheap. There are other methods of treating baldness that are much less draining on the wallet. These are oral preparations based on plant extracts, amino acids and vitamin and mineral components.

Very good results can be obtained by simultaneously using these oral preparations and topical preparations (such as liquids, lotions, shampoos or ampoules for baldness).

The most effective natural ingredients helpful in combating androgenetic alopecia

• sabal palm,
• nettle,
• field horsetail,
• bamboo,
• black turnip,
• zinc,
• selenium,
• vitamin E,
• vitamin A,
• vitamin B1,
• vitamin B2,
• biotin,
• sulfur,
• copper,
• iodine,
• iron,
• L-cysteine,

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Androgenetic alopecia in women

Although it would seem that androgenetic alopecia is a typically male problem, the phenomenon also occurs in women. As in the case of men, miniaturization of hair follicles also occurs in ladies, resulting in increased hair loss. Particularly susceptible to androgenetic alopecia are ladies with genetically determined hypersensitivity of hair follicles, with polycystic ovary syndrome, with Cushing’s syndrome, some ladies in menopause.

The process of androgenetic alopecia in women is the result of hormonal abnormalities (when male sex hormones, or androgens, are present in excess in a woman’s body). However, the symptoms are different from those of androgenetic alopecia in men.

While the main symptom in men is hair curves and a receding hairline, women show increased hair thinningof hair spreading over the entire central portion of the scalp, while the natural hairline is maintained.