Many men experience hair loss sooner or later. The percentage increases with age, but 20% of people in their twenties are already experiencing thinning hair or receding hairlines. Eventually, even 70% of men will have to deal with it. So you're certainly not the only one, but that doesn't make it any less annoying. The good news: in many cases you can do something about it! On this page, we would like to tell you more about it.
The cause of hair loss in men is primarily genetic, but other factors contribute as well
Many men experience hair loss sooner or later. The percentage increases with age, but 20% of people in their twenties are already experiencing thinning hair or receding hairlines. Eventually, even 70% of men will have to deal with it. So you're certainly not the only one, but that doesn't make it any less annoying. The good news: in many cases you can do something about it! On this page, we would like to tell you more about it.
The cause of hair loss in men is primarily genetic, but other factors contribute as well
A man loses about 100 head hairs per day. If more hairs fall out structurally than grow back, or if the hairs do not grow back as quickly or as fully, the hair becomes thinner.
Hair loss is not noticeable until later on. Only when 50-70% of the hair is gone does the thinning of the hair become noticeable.
It is important to start treatment for hair loss quickly. The more advanced hair loss is, the greater the effects need to be to get a satisfactory end result. So the best time to start treatment is always: now.
The facts
20%
of all men at age 20 already suffer from hair loss
50%
of men suffer from some degree of hair loss or baldness by the age of 50. custom-science
90%
of male pattern baldness is hereditary
The most common form of hair loss
By far, the most common form of hair loss among men is Alopecia Androgenetica. This form of hair loss is also often called male pattern baldness. This form of hair loss is an ongoing process. If there is a hereditary predisposition, hair follicles become damaged by the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT). This process, in addition to heredity, is influenced by age and hormonal balance.
This hair loss among men has a recognizable pattern. Hereditary hair loss is manifested at the inlets and on the crown. The hair here becomes thinner. The hairline recedes and gradually the hair on the entire top becomes thinner. What remains is a wreath of hair on the sides and back of the head. There are individual differences, though, sometimes the hair loss focuses only on the crown or on the inlets.
Other types of male hair loss
There are other forms of hair loss. The most important are Alopecia Areata (patchy baldness) and Telogen Effluvium (sudden diffuse hair loss). These conditions can suddenly lead to severe (localized) hair loss. Fortunately, it is usually temporary. Treatment can reduce the severity and speed up recovery.
Male hereditary hair loss
Recognizable by:
Hair loss at inlets
Hair loss on crown
Retreating hairline
Hereditary hair loss is recognized by the familiar pattern of thinning hair at the inlets and/or crown. Among most men, it begins between the ages of 20 and 40.
Hereditary predisposition determines how sensitive the hair follicles are to the DHT hormone. DHT attaches itself to the hair follicle, reducing blood flow and damaging the hair follicle. This shortens the growth phase of the hair follicle from 3 to 5 years to just a few months. The resting phase in which no hair grows from the hair follicle actually becomes longer. There is therefore less hair growing on the scalp. The hair that does grow is increasingly thinner and smaller. Without treatment, these negative effects accumulate over the years.
A treatment protects the hair follicles from the DHT hormone. And it stimulates growth, in part by extending the growth phase. This creates fuller and thicker hair again.
This type of hair loss often occurs very suddenly and also recovers by itself most of the time
Alopecia Areata is a type of hair loss that is most likely caused by an autoimmune disease and is also known as 'area-specific baldness'. It often begins with completely bald patches on the head that are round or oval. These spots also tend to appear comparatively very quickly over a short period of time.
Alopecia Areata comes in different degrees, it can be a small bald spot in the beard, but you can also suffer from several larger bald spots on the head. These spots can sometimes also spread over the rest of the body, for example to the eyebrows, eyelashes or arms.
Alopecia Areata often occurs very suddenly in a particular place on the head and can vary from half a centimetre in diameter to a bald spot of several centimetres in diameter.
Hair loss with Alopecia Areata is often temporary, so the hair grows back on its own for most people. Unfortunately, the duration can vary quite a bit and new bald patches may appear each time.
Many hair growth stimulating products are not specifically formulated for Alopecia Areata, but appear to be able to help improve and accelerate hair growth.
Bald spots almost never appear on the head, the hair just gets thinner and thinner
In some cases, a (chronic) illness, excessive stress or medication can lead to hair loss. For example, thyroid problems cause hair loss in many cases. Some medications also have the side effect of causing hair loss or thinning hair.
The fact that men lose hair is mainly genetic. The cause is a sensitivity to the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which is a by-product of testosterone. It causes hair follicles to shrink. Over time, these affected hair follicles shrink and produce thinner, shorter hairs until they stop growing altogether.
Androgenetic alopecia is the main cause of hair loss in men and is largely caused by genetic factors and sensitivity to the hormone DHT.
Other causes include: alopecia areata, stress, illness, medication use, telogen effluvium, scalp problems, old age and nutritional deficiencies.
There are several hair loss treatments available. You can fight it with lotions, shampoos, supplements and laser therapy. You can also camouflage your thinner hair with hair fibres or colour sprays.
Starting treatment early can prevent the worst. If you catch it in time - even before you have lost a lot of hair - you have a good chance of keeping your hair. It is important to be realistic, though. If your hair loss is hereditary, this will always be a factor in your hair loss.
