Male Pattern Baldness (Androgenetic Alopecia) explained

Male Pattern Baldness ( MPB ) is primarily caused by increased sensitivity in the scalp to male sex hormones ( also known as Androgenic testosterone ) that circulate in the blood.

An enzyme known as 5-Alpha Reductase reacts with testosterone present in the scalp to form a new hormone known as Dihydrotestosterone ( DHT ).

It is this sensitivity to dht that causes some hair follicles to shrink progressively leaving them eventually unable to produce new hair growth. It is usually men aged 20 years+ who may succumb to MPB, with hereditory factors playing a large part in determining susceptibility.

If the gene responsible for hair loss has been inherited, some hair follicles will have a greater number of androgen receptors for DHT to attach to. During the natural hair shedding / regrowth cycle, DHT enters these hair follicles causing them to shrink.

As a result of this action, the new hair produced is finer. This becomes an ongoing process, with each subsequent growth cycle becoming finer and finer until it finally turns into unpigmented vellus hair ( peach fuzz ), resulting in thinning / balding areas on some parts of the scalp.

Only certain areas of the scalp, however, are affected. The progression of MPB is usually always the same. Firstly, the frontal hairline begins to recede, followed by a gradual thinning of the hair around the crown area. As time passes, these receding areas meet which leaves a u - shaped area of hair remaining around the back and sides of the head.

To effectively prevent the development of MPB, it is essential to prohibit the formation of dht in the scalp. This website specialises in products that achieve this aim.