Losing your hair isn’t unusual. About one third of men get some form of hair loss before the age of 30.
On the plus side, there are medications that can help. Talk to us to get expert advice and order hair loss treatment online.
Male pattern hair loss is balding amongst men. It’s not always easy to identify at first, but early signs include a receding hairline, where hair starts to disappear at the temples of your head, producing a hairline that’s shaped like an ‘M’.
Another sign of it is crown hair loss, where your hair begins to thin at the crown (just off the top of your head). The thinning here leaves a bald spot.
In the areas where your hair is getting thinner, you may also notice that individual strands of hair are more fragile, and they don’t grow as quickly as hair in areas that are less affected.
If you find that you’re losing a lot of hair after you’ve showered on a towel, or on a comb, this can point towards male pattern hair loss. And if the hair on the sides or the back of your head is not affected, but you’re losing hair on top of your head, this can be an early indication of male pattern hair loss too. This is because hair on the sides and back of your head is not as sensitive to the hormone DHT.
With male pattern hair loss, some men are more sensitive than others to DHT (or dihydrotestosterone, which is a type of testosterone in the body). This sensitivity causes hair follicles to shrink, and stops men from growing new hair. It also reduces the lifespan of hair follicles, meaning that you lose hair more often, and at a faster rate.
So you lose hair more quickly, but the hair is also replaced more slowly, and it doesn’t grow back as rapidly.
Male pattern hair loss is very common. It can start to affect men as early as their teenage years, and between 30 and 50% of men will have it by the age of 50.
If male pattern hair loss runs in your family, you’re also more likely to get it. It tends to be hereditary.
How we source info.
When we present you with stats, data, opinion or a consensus, we’ll tell you where this came from. And we’ll only present data as clinically reliable if it’s come from a reputable source, such as a state or government-funded health body, a peer-reviewed medical journal, or a recognised analytics or data body. Read more in our editorial policy.
Certain types of hair loss (or alopecia), like male pattern baldness or male pattern hair loss are permanent, while other forms of hair loss are only temporary.
An illness, stress, treatment for cancer, weight loss and iron deficiency can all trigger more short-term hair loss, but it tends to grow back or stop shedding once you recover, and usually doesn’t require treatment.
But given the long-term nature of male pattern hair loss, treatment is often needed to help stop any further hair loss, or to help hair grow back.
There’s no ‘cure’ as such, but hair loss products like Propecia, Finasteride and Regaine can stop further hair loss where treatment is required, and cause hair regrowth, in many cases. If you continue to use them longer term, they will keep doing as they should.
Hair transplants are available for men with certain types of hair loss, but this is a surgical procedure carried out under local anaesthetic. If you’re browsing the internet for clinics that perform hair transplants, make sure that they’re registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
How we source info.
When we present you with stats, data, opinion or a consensus, we’ll tell you where this came from. And we’ll only present data as clinically reliable if it’s come from a reputable source, such as a state or government-funded health body, a peer-reviewed medical journal, or a recognised analytics or data body. Read more in our editorial policy.
How we source info.
When we present you with stats, data, opinion or a consensus, we’ll tell you where this came from. And we’ll only present data as clinically reliable if it’s come from a reputable source, such as a state or government-funded health body, a peer-reviewed medical journal, or a recognised analytics or data body. Read more in our editorial policy.
Cranwell, W. and Sinclair, R. (2016). Male Androgenetic Alopecia. Nih.gov.
McClellan, K.J. and Markham, A. (1999). Finasteride. Drugs, 57(1), pp.111–126. Accessed 18 Aug. 2021
Shanshanwal, S. and Dhurat, R. (2017). Superiority of dutasteride over finasteride in hair regrowth and reversal of miniaturization in men with androgenetic alopecia: A randomized controlled open-label, evaluator-blinded study. Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology, and Leprology, 83(1), p.47.
Regaine for Men Extra Strength Scalp Solution 5% w/v Cutaneous Solution - Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) - (emc). [Accessed 18 Aug. 2021].
Malkud, S. (2015). Telogen Effluvium: A Review. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND DIAGNOSTIC RESEARCH.
Generic version of Propecia. Daily tablet that stops hair loss and encourages hair growth.
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All the info related to hair loss you could ever need.
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There are a lot of different hair-loss treatment options, but not all of them will be available everywhere, and some are only available on prescription. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that the best hair loss treatment is prescription-only.
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