Youre losing Your Hair And Freaking Out?

by Niall Roche

In male pattern baldness (the most common type) the most commonly accepted explanation is that this condition is caused by higher than normal levels of testosterone in an adults body. Not only is there an elevated level of this male hormone but unfortunately the body also has an allergic reaction to this increased hormone activity. The end result? Your hair begins to fall out. The actual process is where testosterone is converted to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and this is then responsible for the hairloss itself.

If a hair follice remains inactive (not producing any hair) for a long enough time it will eventually lose the ability to produce hair altogether and effectively die. How long this does take? Claims range from anywhere from 5 to 25 years. Hairloss and hair replacement are relatively new branches of cosmetic medicine so some of the facts still arent quite clear and research continues.

Are there any other causes for male pattern baldness? Poor circulation of blood to the scalp has been blamed for many years. In this proposed cause the lack of bloodflow to the scalp prevents the hair being 'fed' properly and this in turn leads to hairloss. Poor circulation may be a contributing factor in that the DHT levels in the scalp tissue might be lowered by adequate blood supply to the surrounding scalp tissue but this is an educated guess at best. Some people have proposed standing on your head to stop hairloss - if it was that easy nobody would be bald!

Once you get outside the boundaries of modern medicine then youll hear some really crazy theories. One guy has even claimed that hairloss is caused by excessive hair growth on the chest, arms and legs of men. The idea here is that by plucking these hairs out (ouch!) that you can then regrow some of the hair on your head. It takes all sorts doesnt it?

Are there any treatments available for male pattern baldness? Yes, yes and yes. There are hundreds (if not thousands) of hairloss pills, cures and remedies on the market today. Very, very few of them are scientifically proven though. Save yourself a lot of money and just stick to those treatments which have proven results in the past and present - specifically Rogaine (Minoxidil), Propecia and Dutasteride. These are FTC approved and have had clinical trials to back up their claims - very few other hairloss products can make this claim.

Alternative therapies such as aromatherapy can be used along with the above treatments for a more holistic approach to treating your problem. Just ensure that you allow time between each therapy - dont just pile everything onto your scalp in one go.

There is no shortage of hairloss treatments at all. If anything there are too many of them and very few of them are actually proven to work. Be careful when youre spending those hard earned dollars and always ask to see actual photographic proof of how effective any given treatment, lotion or pill is.

Losing your hair and starting to panic? There are answers! Visit TheHairlossGuide where you find out more about hair loss control and male baldness patterns.