Male and Female Pattern Baldness

Male Pattern Baldness
Male pattern baldness is a very prevalent type of hair loss and develops in majority of males at a certain stage in life. Men with male pattern baldness will usually have between fifteen to twenty five years before going bald; however, there are rare cases that will only take five years before going bald.

Male pattern baldness generally begins with a recession of the hairline in the front beginning at the top of the head and on the temples moving toward the back of the scalp. This occurs together with the thinning of the hair on top of the head. A bald patch will eventually develop in the middle area of the scalp. The receding hairline and the bald patch in the middle will gradually grow until joining together. A rim of varying size may be left along the back and side areas of the scalp; however, the rim may also thin and leave some men with male pattern baldness completely without hair.

About 95% of all cases of male pattern baldness are attributed to androgenetic alopecia. Occurring more frequently in men than in women, androgenetic alopecia affects approximately 40 million men in the United States alone. About 25% of this number begins losing their hair at 30. Male hormones known as testosterone are also a factor in male pattern baldness. Testosterone is converted into dihydrotestosterone which, for some unclear reason, affects hair follicles causing them to shrink. Genetics are also involved in the occurrence of male pattern baldness.

Hair loss due to male pattern baldness is permanent and there is no form of prevention as of the moment.

Female Pattern Baldness
Females also have a form of hair loss known as female pattern baldness. Women generally have hair loss that occur in multiple patterns and may not be as recognizable as the hair loss pattern in men. The hair on female scalp normally starts aging when an individual reaches a minimum age of 50. Female pattern baldness does not have an obvious genetic connection.

Female pattern baldness can also begin when an individual is in her late teens or early twenties. This can occur in women who experienced puberty earlier than their peers. This type of hair loss may progress into more severe stages if left untreated.

In majority of cases, hair loss in females can be treated effectively. For women who are worried about their loss of hair, consulting a specialist may be needed to get a proper diagnosis of the causes and type of hair loss.

Self diagnosis for female pattern baldness is not very effective as women have less noticeable patterns of baldness. One of the most probably cause of female baldness is androgenetic alopecia; however, women who experience hair thinning due to this condition do not experience true baldness as with men.

Female androgenetic alopecia can come in varying types of patterns:

Subtle thinning of hair throughout the scalp; with more obvious thinning near the back
Suble thinning of hair throughout the entire scalp with a more obvious thinning near the front
Subtle thinning of hair throughout the entire scalp with an obvious thinning near the front, sometimes reaching the hairline