Male Baldness: At What Age Do Men Go Bald?

For millions of men, the disturbing question, “When will I go bald?” often dominates their minds, usually while facing the mirror in the morning.

Losing one’s hair is always a shock, linked in our minds with the years that pass by so quickly. But we should always remember that it is a quite common phenomenon among men even of relatively young age: it is estimated that several millions of men each year go bald, irrespective of age, race or background.

The reason for that pertains to men’s DNA: who and when is going to lose his hair is largely depended on his genes; that does not necessarily mean, however, that you are to go bald at the exact same age that your father did. Several factors, such as anxiety, health problems, way of life (for example tobacco has been identified as a major hair loss generative cause) and drug use affect your chances of losing your hair.

A research presented in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggested a ground-breaking method of treating baldness in men: growing hair in the laboratory. According to scientists, hair loss treatment and various hair transplants methods actually just decelerate the whole procedure, while their innovative method can in fact generate hair using the man’s tissue.

 

Still, in case you keep pondering on the causes and ways your body loses its hair, we can provide you with some short yet concise answers.

 

When does baldness appear?

Actually, each man could be a different case. Baldness can start appearing at any given age, in most cases some years after the end of puberty. In general, chances of hair loss are directly linked to man’s aging process, but it may become visible quite early in a young man’s life: according to experts, risk of going bald in your 20s is estimated to 20 %, 30 % in your 30s and so forth. The American Hair Loss Association stated that by the age of mid 30s, 33 % of male population will suffer from some form of hair loss, while until reaching 50, a spectacular 85 % will surely have thinner hair.

 

How do we lose our hair?

Regarding men, the so – called “male pattern baldness” consists the most frequent form of hair loss, according to experts. Hair loss is usually first noticed around the temples and the head’s crown. In course of time, the hair at the temple area will keep on retreating, usually forming an isolated patch of hair just above your forehead and an ever increasing “naked-skin” area at the top of your head. Eventually, the front hair loss meets its “ally” in the back, thus creating a bald area that dominates the whole head.

 

What generates baldness?

In males, baldness is usually set off by DHT (the acronym of dihydrotestosterone). DHT is actually an androgen hormone that results from the breakdown of testosterone and has been proven to minimize hair follicles, thus triggering hair loss.

Am I in danger of losing my hair?

Because of genes we have inherited from both our parents, our hair has a tendency of thinning some time after adolescence. Does that mean that, since your grandfather or father lost their hair in their mid forties, you have undoubtedly inherited the gene that causes baldness? According to several experts, there is only one sure way to know, and that is by having a specific DNA test. Such tests can easily reveal whether you face a great chance of going bald or not.

Genes are not the only culprit

Except for DNA, other factors such as intense anxiety, advanced age, drug use, scalp inflammations, bad diet habits, use of tobacco and poor sleep can trigger or accelerate hair loss.

 

Is there a way to avoid it?  

There are several ways of decelerating hair loss, like dietary supplements or low level laser treatments, but all these methods do not eliminate the problem. Generally, hair transplants consist the most effective and enduring way of restoring hair follicles.

 

Do not make the following mistakes

One major mistake men do, according to experts, is failing to notice the initial signs of baldness. Studies have shown that an astounding 50 % of lost hair falls before most men even notice it. Thus, if baldness looms over you, seek the advice of your doctor or a physician at a trustworthy hair transplant clinic: they are fully specialized in diagnosing, treating and monitoring hair loss and growth.