Male Pattern Baldness – Things You Should Know?
By far the most common cause of male hair loss is Androgenetic Alopecia, commonly referred to as Male Pattern Baldness or MPB. Affecting an estimated 85% of men over the age of 50, Male Pattern Baldness is an inherited condition, usually the result of hormonal imbalances and results in the characteristic receding hairline and visibly thinning hair on the crown of the scalp.
Male Pattern Baldness is usually caused by an androgen, or male hormone called Dihydrotestosterone. Dihydrotestosterone is a form of Testosterone produced by the 5-alpha enzyme and has a particularly debilitating effect on hair follicles. Follicles affected by Dihydrotestosterone have a shorter growth cycle and eventually lose the ability to grow hair altogether.
As more and more hair follicles are affected by the DHT, hair loss becomes noticeable along the hairline, which eventually takes on the “M” shape characteristic of DHT hair loss. Gradually, hair on the crown of the head starts to thin, eventually joining with the receding hairline, leaving a ring of hair around the sides of the head. Some hair usually remains and continues to grow on the sides and back of the head, as hair follicles there are more resistant to DHT damage.
This characteristic pattern of hair loss is where the term Male Pattern Baldness comes from and is a sure indication of DHT damage. Other conditions such as Folliculitis or Alopecia Areata result in other distinct hair loss patterns, so the conditions are difficult to be mis-diagnosed.
Reducing the amount of DHT present around the hair follicles would seem to be the most logical treatment for the condition and this is exactly the tack medical science has taken. Clinical studies into the effectiveness of DHT blockers are numerous and the evidence supporting this route is numerous. The FDA has gone to far as to add one such DHT blocker, Minoxidil, to its list of approved hair regrowth ingredients.
DHT inhibitors also occur in nature. Extracts from the berries of the Saw Palmetto palm for example have been proven to fight DHT production. The extract from the Saw Palmetto berries are rich in Fatty Acids and Phytosterols and are known to reduce the activity of the 5-alpha Reductase enzyme, responsible for the production of DHT. The Fatty Acids in the berries also prevent existing DHT from binding with hair follicles, further reducing hair loss.
Extract from Pumpkin Seeds and Nettle Roots have also demonstrated significant action against the production of DHT. When combined with Saw Palmetto, these naturally occurring DHT blockers make for very effective treatments for the worst effects of male pattern baldness.
To be truly effective a hair regrowth treatment should combine both sides of the hair loss equation, addressing the DHT and also the overall health of the follicles and hair.
To be truly effective, a hair regrowth treatment should start with a proven DHT blocker such as Minoxidil and combine this with effective plant extracts such as Saw Palmetto and Pumpkin Seed Oil, to attack the condition at the root. Dihydrotestosterone. Add vital nutrients such as Vitamins and Minerals and you have an effective treatment for the worst effects of male pattern baldness.
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