Androgenetic Alopecia or Pattern Baldness

What is Androgenetic Alopecia?

It is a form of hair loss which is seen both in men and women. In men, this condition is called male-pattern baldness. Baldness in men is more well-defined in comparison to women. In men, starting above the temples, the hairline starts receding eventually, causing partial or complete baldness. While in women, it causes thinning of the hairs, and rarely leads to complete baldness.

Androgenetic alopecia is caused due to prolonged effect of androgen on the hair follicles. In some cases it might also be due to other factors like seasonal changes, malnutrition, anemia, etc.

Symptoms

The possible symptoms of the disease are:

  • Gradual recession of frontal hairline in men.
  • Bi-temporal recession of hair in women.
  • Increased hair fall.
  • Thinning of the hair.

 

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Causes

There are multiple reasons for hair loss. These are:

  • Hormonal changes after menopause in women.
  • Hormonal imbalance in women such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
  • Stress during pregnancy can also lead to partial hair loss (bald patches).
  • Birth control pills can affect hair quality in women.
  • In men, baldness may be associated with medical conditions including heart diseases, prostate enlargement, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, etc. 
  • Excessive smoking.
  • Poor diet.

 

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Risks

Major risk factors are:

  • Excessive smoking.
  • Stress.
  • People above the age of 50 are more prone to losing hair.
  • Malnutrition.
  • Family history.

 

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Prevention

Following measures can be adopted to prevent the condition:

  • Adopting a healthy lifestyle.
  • Quitting smoking.

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How is it treated?

At Medanta, our specialists may employ various methods to treat androgenetic alopecia:

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  • Surgical transplantation

    It is the traditional and more popular form of therapy. Surgically, hair transplantation is done by harvesting hair from the donor’s scalp through follicular unit strip surgery (FUSS), or follicular unit extraction (FUE). This is a safe procedure and gives natural looking hair.

     

  • Low-level light therapy

    |It is a laser therapy that is believed to facilitate cellular respiration, which leads to increased ATP (adenosine triphosphate) production in the cells. It is a new treatment approved by FDA.

  • Medical Procedure

    Conventional treatment for hair loss involves drug treatment. There are many drugs like minoxidil, finasteride, available to treat receding hair.

When do I contact the doctor?

Hair loss and thinning of hair is not a serious issue, but if the problem increases with time leading to recession of hairline, you should immediately consult a doctor.

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