Male pattern baldness can affect the confidence of men in many ways, here our resident hair loss expert, Spencer Stevenson shares his experiences and advice on the subject.
You know the James Bond movie Skyfall? Well, I’d love to see a James Bond epic called Hairfall. Yes indeed, why not a bald Bond? He’s ‘the man’ in so many ways and would help make every man facing male pattern baldness feel better about themselves.
The storyline could be about a dastardly hairless dude with the power to turn every man in the world bald via some depraved biological weapon. Oh, the havoc it would wreak upon the earth! Men everywhere would be at panic stations.
It would be up to James Bond to put down his martini, climb into his Aston Martin and pursue the evil one, while MI5 sets about developing the antidote to the secret toxin. Sure, this is the stuff of nightmares but I’m here to tell you that every man who notices his increasingly sparse head of hair secretly wishes for a hero to save the day. You may feel alone, isolated and trapped, as if no one in the world is going through what you are.
Real world hair loss
Dramatics aside, The American Hair Loss Association states that hair loss is a fact of life for about 85% of men who’ve reached 50 years of age. For some unlucky guys, it’s been happening since they were the tender age of just 21. So you see, it’s not really an old guy’s ailment. Much of it is what’s known as male pattern baldness, but there are myriad other reasons why your hair could fall out:
- Medical conditions like lupus, anaemia, diabetes and thyroid disease.
- Infections including fungal infections like ringworm.
- Skin conditions such as alopecia, follicle infection, psoriasis, seborrheic dermatitis, and sunburn.
- Cancer treatments.
- Nutrient deficiencies (low iron, low protein, bulimia, anorexia, malnutrition) and nutrient oversupply (too much vitamin A or selenium).
- Hormonal disorders involving the thyroid or pituitary glands.
- Hair products and treatments like hot oils, dyes and other chemicals.
- Stress such as over-work, money worries, relationship problems or even chronic or acute illnesses.
- Medication usage, for instance, some antidepressants and anticonvulsants, retinoids, ACE inhibitors, anticoagulants and beta blockers.
- Drug abuse such as anabolic steroids.
What does male pattern baldness look like?
If you want a proper male pattern baldness diagnosis, you can go and see a hair loss expert. But for starters, there are ways you can check for yourself using the Norwood Scale.
Male pattern baldness can affect the confidence of men in many ways, here our resident hair loss expert, Spencer Stevenson shares his experiences and advice on the subject.
You know the James Bond movie Skyfall? Well, I’d love to see a James Bond epic called Hairfall. Yes indeed, why not a bald Bond? He’s ‘the man’ in so many ways and would help make every man facing male pattern baldness feel better about themselves.
The storyline could be about a dastardly hairless dude with the power to turn every man in the world bald via some depraved biological weapon. Oh, the havoc it would wreak upon the earth! Men everywhere would be at panic stations.
It would be up to James Bond to put down his martini, climb into his Aston Martin and pursue the evil one, while MI5 sets about developing the antidote to the secret toxin. Sure, this is the stuff of nightmares but I’m here to tell you that every man who notices his increasingly sparse head of hair secretly wishes for a hero to save the day. You may feel alone, isolated and trapped, as if no one in the world is going through what you are.
Real world hair loss
Dramatics aside, The American Hair Loss Association states that hair loss is a fact of life for about 85% of men who’ve reached 50 years of age. For some unlucky guys, it’s been happening since they were the tender age of just 21. So you see, it’s not really an old guy’s ailment. Much of it is what’s known as male pattern baldness, but there are myriad other reasons why your hair could fall out:
- Medical conditions like lupus, anaemia, diabetes and thyroid disease.
- Infections including fungal infections like ringworm.
- Skin conditions such as alopecia, follicle infection, psoriasis, seborrheic dermatitis, and sunburn.
- Cancer treatments.
- Nutrient deficiencies (low iron, low protein, bulimia, anorexia, malnutrition) and nutrient oversupply (too much vitamin A or selenium).
- Hormonal disorders involving the thyroid or pituitary glands.
- Hair products and treatments like hot oils, dyes and other chemicals.
- Stress such as over-work, money worries, relationship problems or even chronic or acute illnesses.
- Medication usage, for instance, some antidepressants and anticonvulsants, retinoids, ACE inhibitors, anticoagulants and beta blockers.
- Drug abuse such as anabolic steroids.
What does male pattern baldness look like?
If you want a proper male pattern baldness diagnosis, you can go and see a hair loss expert. But for starters, there are ways you can check for yourself using the Norwood Scale.
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