If you’re one of the 70% of men who suffer from male pattern baldness you might not want to skip over this one. If you’re one of the other 30%, chances are you know someone in the 70% you can share this with.
Androgenetic Alopecia aka “male pattern baldness” is kind of a big deal for men. Guys might not stick to a weight loss plan, but if you told us we’d have to run a marathon each month to get our hair to grow back, you’d bet your bouffant we’d be pounding the pavement everyday!
Prevention
Although, unfortunately, you can’t completely stop hair loss if you’re genetically predispositioned. BUT, there are things you can do to slow the process down. Here’s a list:
1. Clean up the diet. Up your intake of Omegas fatty acids. Eat fish high in fat, like salmon. Dark leafy green vegetables are high in vitamins A and C which are great in slowing down hair loss. Also, nuts are high in zinc.
2. It’s been shown that whey protein concentrate slows down the thinning process.
3. Stop smoking. This has been shown to speed up the process, most likely due to the free radical damage imposed on the body.
4. Slow down with the chemicals and excessive styling. This can wreak havoc on those delicate hair follicles and the thinner strands of hair.
5. Avoid washing your hair with hot water. Lukewarm water has been shown to be less damaging.
6. Use only a large tooth comb when styling your hair.
7. Saw Palmetto. There are A LOT of testimonials from men using this natural supplement claiming that it significantly slowed the thinning process down.
Treatment
So what if you’ve been lost a lot of hair and you haven’t read this awesome blog post until now? Well, good news. There are some treatments out there that do work. Some of them are easy and inexpensive, and then there are those that are pretty invasive and extremely expensive. Let’s start with the easy and inexpensive.
1. Change up the hairstyle. I know this is not the BEST answer, but it’s an option. Get creative! It’s been shown that if you color your hair, it actually thickens the hair and makes the thinning look less obvious.
2. Wigs, toupees, hair pieces are options that work. There has been a lot of progress in this department. It’s not as bad as you’re picturing in your head right now.
3. Weaves. Check out the link. You’ll be blown away.
4. Medication. Minoxidil (Rogaine) and Finasteride (Propecia) are two medications approved by the FDA in the treatment of male pattern baldness and have been shown to cause hair regrowth. However, when you stop these medications, the hair loss will return. It takes about 3 months to 1 year to notice the effects. Most practitioners will suggest stopping if after 1 year you’ve not noticed any new hair growth. Plus, there are side effects to consider, i.e. breast cancer.
5. Hair transplants are expensive, but they do work. They work by removing healthy hair from areas of the scalp that have active hair growth and then transplanting them into the thinning areas. This will require multiple treatments. There’s also a risk for scarring and infection. Otherwise, it looks great and it’s a permanent situation.
6. Last but not least, you can just shave it all off and go Goldberg style. I see more and more men with shaved heads these days. It looks good. Grow out the goatee and there you go. I’ve even heard some women say they like it, “it looks tough.”
One last thing
Male pattern baldness is a serious issue. Some men suffer emotionally from it, although they may never admit it. If this is the case for you, it’s important that you get a handle on that. It can lead to severe self-esteem issues that can cause problems in other areas of your life and even lead to depression. Some counseling might be in order. It’s not the end of the world friends. There plenty of options out there these days.
Something really cool is coming around the bend hopefully within the next decade. They’ve actually figured out how to CLONE hair follicles. They can actually clone 10,000 hair follicles from one single strand. Unfortunately they only survive for about 2 weeks for now. The cure is right around the corner though. So stay strong and keep the faith! Lastly, male pattern baldness is considered an early clinical indicator of risks associated with some other health issues, like benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), heart disease and even prostate cancer. Again, talk to your doctor about your concerns before things get a little hairy. If you are concerned with lost or thinning hair, we would love the opportunity to assist you. Just click on “Book Appointment” above for a free 15 minute tele-consult with one of our providers. We perform a comprehensive lab analysis and afterward, we review those results with you in the comfort of your own home. After a comprehensive assessment, we will discuss treatment options and then when we together make the decision on the right treatments for you, your treatments will be mailed to your address.
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Thanks again for reading!
Michael Ward, APRN, AGACNP-BC
Co-founder and Chief Clinical Officer at Next Level TRT
