Male pattern baldness, also known as androgenetic alopecia, affects more than 85% of all men as they grow older. Your hair progressively thins as you age, eventually leading to complete hair loss or baldness. This phenomenon, however, may sometimes occur in some men when they are as young as in their 20s.
Male pattern baldness can luckily be slowed down or even stopped. Besides using medications such as Finasteride, there are several other methods you can use in your fight against hair loss. Here are 5 of the best ones.
1. Understand the causes of male hair loss
Hair loss in men can be caused by a variety of factors. A deep understanding of what is causing your own hair loss is the most important first step that you need to take towards finding a solution for it. Here are a few causes and their solutions:
- Androgenetic alopecia occurs later in life due to natural occurring changing hormone levels. The likelihood of this may also be compounded by genetic factors. Treatments include medications such as Finasteride, shampoo treatments, transplantation and laser therapies.
- Stress, which can increase testosterone and DHT levels causing hair loss. Managing the factors that cause you stress will often yield visible results in such cases.
- Some medications may lead to hair loss. Consult your doctor about your prescription.
- Poor diet can also cause hair loss. Iron deficiency, excess vitamin A, lack of vitamin C and lack of Zinc can all lead to hair loss. Eat a healthy diet.
- Smoking leads to poor blood circulation, which reduces blood flow to the scalp causing hair thinning and eventual loss. Stop smoking.
2. Keep your scalp healthyย
A clean, healthy scalp ensures that your hair has the right environment to facilitate healthy growth. Use a simple, gentle shampoo and scrub your scalp well to remove any dirt and debris, exfoliating the skin. Giving yourself a regular five-minute scalp massage in the morning also increases blood flow to the scalp and promotes healthy hair growth.
3. Watch your styling
When styling your hair, make sure you do not damage your it through excessive combing. The less combing you do the less thinning will occur, making your hair look thicker for longer. Whenever you can, keep your hair short and cropped, longer on top and shorter on the side. This style draws the viewer’s eyes away from your thinning hair if it is occurring around the edges.
4. Proper nutrition
As stated earlier, a poor diet can be an underlying cause of hair loss. A good combination of vitamins, minerals and proteins will often yield positive results. Hair and nails, being non-essential body parts, often exhibit the first signs of a poor diet because they usually receive nutrients last. So if you have thinning hair and brittle nails, it is highly likely that your diet is to blame. Correcting this by getting the proper nutrition will likely result in a thicker and fuller head of hair.
5. Medical solutions
This measure should be a last resort when nothing else works. Here are your options:
- Drugs like minoxidil and Finasteride. Minoxidil is applied directly to the scalp, while Finasteride is an oral treatment that blocks the formation of DHT hormone in the scalp, therefore working from the inside out to slow down the progression of balding.
- Hair transplantation involves taking hair from one part of the head and transplanting it onto the scalp. This type of surgery can be done in two ways: a strip of skin may be harvested from one part of the head and grafted to the balding area, or individual hairs may be transplanted.
Final thoughts
A healthy diet along with a healthy hair routine can go a long way in slowing down or even preventing male hair loss. If that does not work, medication options are available to help you combat male pattern baldness. You can check out your medication options at Oxford Online Pharmacy. If all else fails, perhaps it is time to consider getting a wig or just shaving everything off and owning your new look.
Leave a Comment