Today's health topic::

Androgenetic Alopecia
a.k.a. (Male Pattern Baldness)

Back in the 1960's there were two people who were bald, Telly Savalas, and Mr. Clean. Now, everyone seems to be sporting a bald head... maybe that has to do with the amount of men with Male Pattern Baldness, or "Androgenetic Alopecia"

Androgenetic Alopecia - What Are The Causes Of Male Pattern Baldness, and Available Treatments

Let's break down the word, "Androgenetic". The prefix (andro) means male in Greek. The suffix (genetic) refers to the science of genes, and heredity. Put them together and you get a condition that effects men, caused by their genes.

This type of alopecia is very common; so don't think for a minute you are the only one. Androgenetic alopecia usually follows a certain pattern of hair loss, first the crown of the head begins to thin, then it spreads out from the crown to the rest of the head.

At the bottom of each hair, is a tine hole, called a follicle. If the follicle is clogged, it may cause the hair to fall out. In the beginning stages of this condition, the hair follicles shrink, and will not allow hair to exit the scalp. The follicles may not seem to be producing hair, but they are still alive, so it is possible to grow new hair.

The Symptoms of Male Pattern Baldness

The balding usually starts at the hairline and recedes to the back of the head. Eventually the hair becomes much thinner, and creates a horseshoe pattern around the sides of the head. There are different causes of baldness, you may need a skin biopsy to be sure. You may want to have your doctor look into it; you may not have alopecia at all, but your could have had some contact with lead or arsenic - both of these substances can cause hair loss.

Should I Shave It Off?

Usually a man says, "I don't want to be bald". I understand -- but there is a bright side of this problem. Women like bald heads, a lot of them do, or there wouldn't be so many married men with totally shaved heads. You can go for a hair piece or a weave, but they rarely look natural, you are better off shaving your head than wearing a wig.

Medicines That Work

There have been some remarkable changes in the way we treat baldness, Caesar would have given all of Rome for a cure... all he could do was wear a golden crown to cover up. If you don't have a golden crown, you might want to try these topical medications.

You may have seen commercials for Minoxidil or "Rogaine". This is a topical solution you apply to the scalp. It is supossed to stimulate the hair follicles and cause new growth. The down sude to this Rogaine is, the hair loss returns when you stop it - so you are stuck using it forever - nothing is good when taken forever.
Another new medicine for baldness is Finasteride -- sold under the name Propecia. This is not a cream or solution, it is a pill that corrects the gene linked to baldness. It works a little bit better than Rogaine, but again, if you stop taking the medicine, the hair loss returns.

Hair Club for Men - Bosley?

My daughter said to my friend, "Did you go to Bosley?" Actually he went to another doctor for hair transplants, and it really worked. A hair transplant takes plugs of hair from the back and reinserts the hair where the balding is occuring. You will need multiple treatments, and the costs are rather high. You may also get infections at the sight of the surgery.

For more information about balding, and to get a great alopecia treatment try this.

-- Blog entry from - Miami, FL