The term “common baldness” refers to ‘male-pattern baldness’ or ‘permanent pattern baldness.’ and the most common type of hair loss in men is male-pattern baldness. This type if hair loss is usually inherited from father to son. Those men who begin losing their hair at an early stage will usually develop a more extensive baldness whilst they are quite young. Hair loss in male-pattern baldness frequently results in the man’s hair line receding before baldness appears at crown of the head. In women, female-pattern baldness is where the hair becomes thin over the whole of their scalp.
The causes of common baldness are not completely known even though it accounts for the hair loss in a high proportion of men and women (90%).
It is believed that contributing factors are age, hormones and hereditary factors. For this reason, hairloss that is a result of common baldness is likely to be permanent.
In this day and age where we place a lot of importance on looks, especially good skin and glossy hair, losing hair can be a very stressful and traumatic experience. Many people will go to extreme lengths, trying so-called “miracle remedies” in order to reverse the thinning/balding/hairloss experience.
It is quite common to lose around 50 to 100 strands of hair daily. These hairs get replaced but as you get older, this natural re-growth process slows down and in some cases, can stop completely. It is at this stage that thinning occurs, often you notice this first and as time goes on and more hair is shed but not getting replaced, the thinned hair starts to turn into baldness.
Just like the skin and nails, hair goes through a cycle of rest and growth, so excessive hair loss can occur any time if this cycle is disturbed by illness, stress etc.
There may be ways to treat certain types of hair loss. Your doctor may ask you specific questions concerning your diet, medication you are taking and whether or not you have suffered a recent illness. He will also ask you how you care for your hair. If you are a woman, he will also ask you about your menstrual cycle, menopause or pregnancies. You will also receive an examination which will try to ascertain the cause of your hair loss. Blood tests and biopsies of the scalp may also be required to establish the cause of your problem.
Specific treatments may be available, depending on what type of hair loss you have suffered. If your doctor believes a medicine is causing you to lose your hair, he will try to prescribe a different type of medication. Recognising and treating illness and infections can also help the hair loss to stop. Hair loss may well also be prevented by correcting hormonal balances in the body.
Certain medications might help slow down the development of common baldness, such as Minixidil. This is available without prescription and can be applied to the scalp. It can be effective for both men and women. Finasteride is available via prescription only and comes in pill form. However this is only available for men. You may have to wait up to six months before you can see if the medicines are working.
There are alternative methods which can be tried if medication is not available for the type of hair loss you have. Try experimenting with different hairstyles, wigs, hairpieces, hair weaves or hair replacement (artificial). They are very natural looking nowadays and can be very effective.
