The Truth About Hair Loss

Losing your hair can be quite traumatic for a man. Not everyone suits the skinhead look, and sometimes you feel like a hairstyle can define you, making you stand out from the crowd.

Why Do We Go Bald? Ever since Biblical times, men have been balding. It’s nothing new, but it still comes as a shock to us. There are many different factors that can contribute to hair loss, but the most common by far is hereditary baldness; this is responsible for 95% of cases. Also referred to as “male pattern baldness”, 40% of guys under the age of 35 are affected by this, so if you feel that you’re too young to be thinning on top, you’re not alone. The simple science of it is that your hair follicles shrink due to your body’s hormones, making it more difficult for your hair to grow. Luckily for us, there are some ways we can fight back!

How Does it Happen? An adult male has approximately 100,000 strands of hair on his head. It’s normal to shed anywhere from 40 to 120 of these per day – there’s no reason to panic if you notice some come loose in the shower; it happens to everybody, even men with a ripe mane such as comedian Russell Brand. Hair growth happens in a cycle made up of three stages; the first ‘growing’ stage is called ‘Anagen’. Then there’s a transitional period called ‘Catagen’, and finally a resting stage called ‘Telogen’. When it gets to the end of this last phase, a new, young hair pushes through and forces out the less supple old one. When male pattern baldness develops, the resting phase becomes longer and the growing phase gets shorter; this makes your hair thinner, weaker and shorter.

How to Fight it Let me tell you now, a comb over always has and always will look ridiculous, and a hairpiece is rarely convincing. You’ll never pull a gorgeous Kings Cross Escort looking like that! Fortunately, if it is hereditary, it’s usually treatable. Forget the old wives tales; standing on your head for hours on end isn’t going to help anyone. Doing a quick search online will show you how many different options there are, but be wary. Most of these won’t work at all and are just ploys to get your hard earned cash. Read reviews or speak to your pharmacist to find tried and tested products, and see if any of these work for you. There are some products containing ‘Minoxidil’, which is believed by scientists to encourage blood flow to your hair follicles. Give it a go – you’ve got no hair to lose!