Common signs and causes of hair loss in men
With products ranging from shampoos and supplements to laser surgeries, treatments for hair loss in men is a business that’s worth billions, and yet, you can’t help but wonder if these treatments really work. But that’s a story for another day! We would first have to understand the root of it all and figure out the real reason why some men lose hair or why they turn bald.
What causes hair loss in men?
For those who don’t know, hair grows in three phases.
- Anagen: This is the most active phase of hair growth where the hair grows about a cm in length every 28 days and lasts for six years. Sometimes, people complain about their hair not growing beyond a certain point, which happens because they have a short active phase of hair growth.
- Catagen: This is a transitional phase and about 3% of your hairs are generally in this phase at any time. This last for 2-3 weeks, where the growth of the hair stops and separates from the follicle.
- Telogen: This is often called the resting phase and lasts for about 100 days until the hair falls out. This typically accounts for about 6-8 percent of all hairs. Pulling out a hair sometime during this phase would reveal a white material at the root. You’d be surprised to know that about 100 telogen hairs are shed every single day on average.
So what causes hair loss? Well, if the process mentioned above doesn’t quite run its course as intended, for example, if the follicle doesn’t come out of the resting phase, it can lead to hair thinning. Such interruptions in the natural cycle of hair growth can happen due to hormonal imbalance, poor diet, stress, medications, chemical hair treatments, and even heredity or genetics.
Here are some causes of hair loss in more detail.
- Hereditary hair loss: This is one of the prime causes of hair loss in men and can be found in women too. However, no matter whether it develops in a man or woman, the medical term used for it is androgenic alopecia. What does it mean? Well, in simple terms, it means that you might have inherited genes that cause your hair follicles to shrink and stop hair growth. In men, this usually starts with a receding hairline or bald spots.
- Age: You clearly do not need to worry about this because with age, almost everyone starts noticing some hair loss – at least to a certain extent. When you age, the hair follicles stop functioning as they used to, and the hair stops growing, thereby causing the hair to start thinning. Around the same time, the hair starts losing its colour as well.
- Alopecia areata: This is a strange disease where the body’s own immune system starts attacking the hair follicles that hold the hair in place. This leads to hair loss and is usually not limited to the scalp. Due to Alopecia areata, individuals can experience hair loss from anywhere on the body, including eyelashes, eyebrows, inside the nose, and more.
- Stress or other illness: When you are down with an illness or perhaps about to have an operation, you will notice a lot more hairs on your pillow or the comb. This usually happens because of stress and can happen during any difficult phase of your life, such as divorce, the death of a loved one, or anything similar
The key to effective treatment for hair loss is the on-time diagnosis and early treatment
Signs and symptoms of hair loss
- Gradual thinning of hair on top: This is perhaps the most common type of hair loss that you’d typically find in men. In this, the hair typically starts receding from the hairline on the forehead. When it comes to women, it’s typically characterised by broadening of the part of their hair.
- Circular bald spots: Not all people experience gradual thinning of hair. Some lose hair in patchy bald spots on the scalp. The first sign of it is when people start experiencing itchy skin on the scalp before the hair falls out.
- Sudden loss of hair: Believe it or not, but sometimes, a physical or emotional shock can also cause hair loss in men. In fact, stress is a valid reason for hair loss in many individuals around the globe. People have often reported losing hair in tufts while combing, washing hair, or even on a gentle tug. However, this is just temporary thinning.
- Full-body hair loss: You probably know already that some medical treatments, such as chemotherapy, can lead to hair loss in people. However, this is not limited to the scalp alone. Due to such treatments, you can end up losing hair from all over the body. That said, this too is a temporary loss of hair, and it grows back when the treatment ends.
- Patches of scaling: Sometimes, individuals show signs of patches of scaling that even spreads over to the scalp. This is not stress-induced or due to genetics. In fact, it is a sign of ringworm, and the symptom usually includes redness of the scalp, broken hair, and swelling.
Hair Loss Treatments
There are two main treatments for hair loss. Minoxidil a hair shampoo or liquid, known as Regaine can be used and works by improving blood flow to the scalp. Finasteride also know as Propecia is a single daily tablet which works by stopping the conversion of testosterone to a hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is responsible for stopping your hair from growing. Learn more by clicking here./*! elementor – v3.19.0 – 26-02-2024 */<br /><br>.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=”.svg”]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}
Key takeaway
We’ve tried to put together a brief but informative guide on hair loss in men. That said, if you are worried about hair loss, let us assure you that most causes of hair loss can be successfully dealt with. However, the key to effective treatment is the on-time diagnosis and early treatment. Click2Pharmacy is a quality independent pharmacy and a UK Online Clinic known for providing industry-best prescription treatments. Keeping the current COVID situation in mind, they now dispense prescriptions right to your doorstep.
Established back in 2009, Click2Pharmacy has achieved much in the last decade and continues to offer the best treatments ranging from acne problems to hair loss issues and anything and everything in between. We follow a customer-first policy and offer transparent pricing which shows in the positive reviews we’ve amassed over the internet. We offer the best healthcare services at competitive rates. After all, there’s no place better!
Take a look at our hair loss products and orders yours today. The sooner you treat hair loss the better the results
Learn more from the NHS Website
