Male baldness is an extremely common problem affecting hundreds of thousand of males. Some males are having baldness as early as in their 20’s. The incidence increases as they get older, around 40% of males in their 40’s and around 50% in their 50’s. Hair lost may be permanent.

According to a research, 77 % affected males think it makes them look older, 48% think it makes them look unattractive, 25% think it lowers their overall confidence, and 13% think they job prospect is worse because of this.

Cause of Male Baldness

There is a heavy genetic component, either from the father’s or the mother’s side. The level of a male hormone called Dihydro-testosterone (DHT) in the scalp has increased many folds, or that the hair follicles are more sensitive to a normal level of DHT. DHT will decrease the growth phase of the hair growth cycle, and the amount of hair lost per day will be more than normal.

Signs

The hair will gradually become thinner and sparse. Firstly it is the angle of the forehead being affected. The hairline recedes when more hair has fallen off, and later the hairline becomes M-shaped. Then the hair in the centre of the scalp follows, and slowly it becomes bald. At the last stage, the front and the centre merge together, leaving only the hair at the sides and the back of the scalp.

However, some people have the hair loss starting in the centre first, without losing hair at the forehead corners. When Androgenic Alopecia happens in the females, they will only have thinning in the centre too through out the whole process. In males, the degree of hair loss is staged using the Hamilton-Norwood Grades, while that in the females is staged using the Ludwig Classification.

Hamilton-Norwood Grades 1 to 8

Ludwig Classification Stages 1 to 3