Hairloss, balding; these are different terms, all meant to name one of the biggest problems of men (and in some cases women) of our days. Although the problem isn’t a new one, there are more and more studies conducted in this area these days. One of the reasons of hairloss is miniaturization. This process has a direct hormonal pathway with a genetic origin.
The term ‘miniaturization’ refers to the process through which the hair is progressively thinning. The condition is also known as androgenic alopecia or pattern hair thinning. Through this condition the follicles that have been producing healthy hair start producing thinner, shorter and more brittle hair. This is how hairloss appears. According to certain studies, about 95% of hairloss cases are due to hair thinning.
The studies have shown that there are three main reasons of follicle miniaturization. The first one is the genetic predisposition. This means that the gene might be coming from one side of the family or both. The second factor is the presence of dihydrotestosterne that is also known as DHT. Some of the follicles might be more sensitive and so a high level of DHT will affect them. This is known to be the most important hairloss hormone. The third factor is a natural one: aging.
At the moment there are two different treatments that seem to be working to a certain extent. One of them is minoxidil. This is an over-the-counter treatment that has been approved by the FDA and it has been used since the 1990s. The other treatment is finasteride that is a prescription treatment accepted by the FDA and it is said to be working in case of male balding.
Although there is a variety of a different kind of medication available, in some cases the only permanent solution is hair transplant.
