Male Pattern Baldness: Causes & Homeopathy Treatment

Everybody loses hair, maybe up to 100 strands a day. They fall out, then grow back and the cycle begins again. Eventually, most people notice when they're losing more than before and it's not growing back. Up to 70% of men can have some sort of hair loss in their lifetime. (Source: ScienceDirect) Male pattern hair loss can happen for different reasons. Let’s look at these reasons.

Causes of male pattern baldness

Here are the main factors in which men normally lose their hair:

• Hormones: The chemical imbalance of a hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is a common cause of male pattern baldness . DHT is a chemical derivative of testosterone. It is created when the androgens gets mixed with an enzyme called 5-alpha-reductase. DHT hinders the proper growth of hair follicles. This contributes to the shrinking of the tiny cavities in the skin at the base of hair. These are known as scalp hair follicles.
• Heredity: Several genes are involved depending on differing ages of onset, progression, pattern and severity of hair loss in family members. The susceptibility genes are inherited from both the mother and father.
• Aging: The likelihood of hair loss increases with age. 40% of men have noticeable hair loss by the age of 35 and 65% by the age of 60. (Source: NCBI)
• Stress: Physical or mental stress causes temporary hair loss. This is because the hair follicles enter the telogen phase prematurely. This causes them to stop growing new hair and to shed hair.
• Certain medications: Many medications can cause hair loss. Some medications which might cause hair loss are anti-cancer medications, Epilepsy medications, anti-acne medications, Lipid-lowering drugs (clofibrate, bezafibrate), ACE inhibitors for blood pressure and medications to treat gout.
• Some hairstyles and treatments: Harsh chemical treatments and excessive hairstyling can cause traction alopecia.