Pattern hair loss: What causes it? How can it be treated?

Baldness or “Alopecia” is a common condition, it has many types and causes, but the most common type is pattern hair loss, which is what will be addressed here. Hair loss has a lot of psychological impact on affected individuals, especially when it occurs at a young age. A common misconception is that every old person suffers from baldness which is false, hair loss does NOT only occur with age. Another misconception is that shampoo causes hair loss, which is just a myth. when you wash your hair, you’re just washing off already dislodged hair.

Pattern hair loss occurs in both males and females, but it’s more common in males. You might ask what is the cause of pattern hair loss?  The cause of it is a combination of hair follicles being more sensitized to androgens, and androgens’ effect on them. It occurs at any time in genetically predisposed people after puberty, however it’s usually fully expressed in 40’s. There’s a lot of frustration with progressive hair loss, so before you pull out your hair out of frustration, there are a few options for the treatment of such a condition. The easiest would be to just wear a hairpiece, however if treatment using medications is preferred minoxidil and finasteride can be used. There’s also the option of getting a hair transplant where androgen-insensitive hair is taken and implanted into the scalp.

Finally, pattern hair loss is common and there are a lot of misconceptions associated with it. It has a psychological impact on those who suffer from it. It can be treated using both medical and surgical methods.

Written by: Khalid Al Dakheel, Medical Student @ KSU

Reference: Fitzpatrick Color Atlas and Synopsis of Clinical

Dermatology