Men and women alike associate a good hair day with feeling in control and also confident, therefore it comes as no surprise that a 2013 survey found that a third of men said that hair loss was affecting their confidence.
From the 1500 men who were randomly surveyed, 629 had already suffered some degree of hair loss. One third of these men admitted their confidence had taken a hit, and more than one third of participants felt hair envy of other men with a full head of hair.
Thirteen percent of participants felt that the initial discovery of hair loss affected their relationships and three percent even felt they temporarily lost their sanity.
Why do men lose their hair?
Male pattern baldness affects up to two thirds of men and is the leading cause of hair loss, it can be characterised by a receding hair line or thinning hair from the crown of the head. This condition, also known as androgenic alopecia, is inherited but can also be caused by a change in hormones.
Each hair strand sits in a hair follicle, with age the follicle shrinks and the hair appears finer and will not grow as long. Eventually, the follicle will stop growing new hair. Surprisingly, the follicle does stay alive which suggests that there could be some way to regrow hair.
Hair loss solutions
Although male pattern baldness is not considered a medical disorder, it can affect patient’s self-esteem and confidence due to the unexpected change in appearance. Currently there is no cure for this hair loss, medicines are available which can delay hair fall and encourage hair growth but progressed male pattern baldness cannot be easily reversed without medical intervention.
However there are solutions to the hair loss such as;
- Minoxidil, a topical treatment which can slow down hair loss and promote some regrowth when hair is beginning to thin out.
- Hair transplants, a surgical technique which moves hair follicles to fill out bald patches on the scalp.
- Scalp Micro Pigmentation (SMP), a procedure which can conceal baldness by depositing pigments on the scalp which replicates the look of a real shaven head.
- Wigs and hair pieces, a head covering made from either human or synthetic hair to give a natural look.
