Hair loss is non-discriminatory when it comes to age, race and gender, but baldness on the other hand is largely a male dominated sector.
With the right approach it can, however, be possible for men to prevent baldness and even re-grow hair where there is advanced hair loss just take a look at our hair loss success stories but the key to getting the best results is knowledge: knowing what causes baldness and which treatments are best suited to you.
Male pattern baldness is the most common reason why men lose hair and there are two ways it can present itself. Some men start out with a receding hairline and a bald spot at their crown until eventually the two areas meet and only a rim of hair around the back and sides of the scalp is left. Others may simply notice thinning hair on the crown, or diffusely spread over the scalp. Both patterns are caused by the same mechanism, but it’s genetics that determine which hair follicles are prone to the effects of hair loss.
Male pattern baldness is caused by a genetic sensitivity to dihydrotestosterone, or DHT (a converted form of testosterone), which binds to the hair follicles from crown to hairline and temples, causing them to shrink until eventually they stop producing hair. This displays outwardly as increasingly thinning hair and/or receding at the temples.
Testosterone levels are normal in balding men and although it’s not clear why, the follicles in these areas along the top of the scalp tend to be more susceptible to the effects of DHT than those located around the back and sides of the head, or any other hair-bearing area on the body for that matter.
Hair loss can occur at any age and some men may start to notice a little thinning or receding as early as puberty. Generally though, roughly half of all men will have experienced male pattern baldness by the time they’re 50 and as much as 80% of men in their late 70’s will have had hair loss.
Male pattern baldness is by far the most common condition that the Belgravia Centre deals with. Using a recommended course of clinically proven hair loss treatments and, where appropriate, supplementary hair growth supporting products, most men will experience hair loss stabilisation and can also experience varying degrees of hair re-growth in a reasonably short period of time, depending on how advanced their hair loss was when treatment was first started. You can see examples of men who have used our tailored treatment courses and their results in the dedicated Male Pattern Hair Loss Treatment Success Stories gallery.
View Success Stories
Preventing baldness from the root source requires a suppression of DHT. Finasteride 1mg is a daily tablet that’s clinically proven to inhibit the formation of DHT without affecting testosterone levels. The hair follicles can then effectively get back to the business of normal hair growth without their regular life-cycle being hindered genetically by follicular miniaturisation.
Finasteride 1mg can sometimes generate new hair growth but the most effective treatment for this purpose is high strength minoxidil. It’s a vasodilator which means it stimulates blood flow to the hair follicles, relaxes the tissues surrounding the follicle, opens up potassium channels and allows the delivery of essential nutrients to the follicles to encourage continued hair growth.
This is a topical treatment, applied directly to the scalp once or twice a day as directed, which comes in a number of formulations. Belgravia specialists believe it to be the most effective treatment for re-growth and maintenance of the hairline, particularly at the temple area - a notoriously stubborn and otherwise hard-to-treat area.
After treating thousands of cases of hair loss over more than two decades, The Belgravia Centre has found there are many ways to bolster hair loss treatment courses and always tailor the programme to suit the individual. This may involve incorporating a number of hair growth supporting products alongside the clinically-proven treatments.
Examples of these include the HairMax LaserBand, a wearable, low-power laser therapy (LLLT) device which uses medical-grade lasers (41 beams in the LaserBand 41 model and 82 beams in the LaserBand 82 model) to stimulate hair follicles at a cellular level. They are cleared by the FDA for safety and efficacy - for use by both men and women - and claim a 93% success rate. Additionally, highly-targeted food supplements like Hair Vitalics for Men which contain a considered blend of key vitamins, minerals, amino acids and botanical extracts including biotin, zinc and selenium for the maintenance of normal healthy hair growth can be beneficial.
These adjunct products are minimally effective if used individually to prevent hair loss, but when used alongside either or both of the established treatments outlined above, they can provide the back-up to help target hair loss from every angle, and keep the hair and scalp in prime condition for optimal hair growth.
The gradual onset of baldness is one of the most common occurrences in men and a normal part of the ageing process. For some men, baldness is not a big issue and no treatment is wanted or needed. A lot of men who are losing hair or are left with a rim of hair around the sides and back of the scalp will prefer to shave it all off and adopt the bald look.
Hair transplants are usually not suitable for men who are completely bald. To perform a transplant, the surgeon must be able to extract hair follicles that are still active and can produce hair. Anyone considering a hair transplant is advised to try clinically proven hair loss treatments for at least six months first.
Wigs and hairpieces are a dying solution for balding men who are looking for ways to prevent hair loss now rather than deal with baldness later. However, they’re still an effective option for those who have exhausted other means of treatment and have very little to no hair.
Concealing products can also be used to hide hair loss on a temporary basis, but there must be at least some hair there to start with otherwise the products either cannot work or the results can look unnatural.
The Belgravia Centre is a world-renowned group of a hair loss clinic in Central London, UK. If you are worried about hair loss you can arrange a free consultation with a hair loss expert or complete our Online Consultation from anywhere in the world for home-use treatment.
View our Hair Loss Success Stories, which includes the world's largest gallery of hair growth photos and demonstrates the level of success that so many of Belgravia's patients achieve.