Androgenic Alopecia is a hair loss condition that the majority of men suffer from over their life time, it is also known as Male Pattern Baldness or MPB. The cause is considered to be due to testosterone and 5 Alpha Reductase combining to create DHT or Dihydrotestosterone, attaches itself to the base of the follicular unit and begins to miniaturise the follicle.
Over time the hair shaft grown becomes finer in size, weaker in texture and colour until eventually the follicular unit stops producing new hairs. Generally MPB starts along the hair line and temporal recession, gradually making the hair line recede back; although on some occasions the hair line may stay relatively intact and the crown or vertex opens more aggressively. The Norwood Scale was developed to categorise the pattern of hair loss, from NW2 being minor temporal hair loss to NW7 being progressive hair loss, basically leaving only a band of hair around the sides and back of the scalp.
Androgenic Alopecia can also occur with women, known as female pattern baldness and categorised using the Ludwig Scale. The pattern of loss is generally different to MPB with diffused thinning without a hair line recession.
Other forms of hair loss are Alopecia areata, Traction Alopecia, Alopecia universalis, Trichotillomania, Telogen effluvium
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