Androgenic Alopecia - Treatment and Symptoms

Androgenetic alopecia is a common disease of hair loss between men and women which is characterised by progressive, patterned hair loss from the scalp. In androgenic alopecia the hair loss occurs slowly over years. It can start anytime after age twenty. There is usually a family history of hair loss. In women, the hair slowly becomes thin throughout the scalp and bald spots usually do not occur. Men first develop hair loss at the temples, followed by an enlarging bald spot on top of the head.

In women, androgenic alopecia progresses as a generalized thinning of the hair all over the crown and top areas of the head whereas in men hair is lost in a well-defined pattern, beginning above both temples. Over time, the hairline recedes to form a characteristic "M" shape. Hair also thins at the crown (near the top of the head), often progressing to partial or complete baldness. Among American women, some twenty million cases of androgenic alopecia are reported and mens approximately forty million men in America alone.In women it rarely leads to total baldness.

Treatment of Androgenic Alopecia

• Rogaine (minoxidil) is a medicine used to treat high blood pressure which when applied to the skin causes hair growth in some individuals. One out of ten people who use Rogaine will grow hair. Rogaine will slow the rate of hair loss in five out of ten patients who use it. The other four out of ten are wasting their money.
• Finasteride is given orally and is a 5 alpha-reductase type 2 inhibitor. It is not an antiandrogen only for men purpose..
• Many people have achieved success with natural alternatives such as Provillus and other hair loss treatments.
• Hair transplants are another option for treating androgenic alopecia. Plugs of hair are removed surgically from areas with plenty of hair and implanted in the areas with little hair.
• Some people can benefit from scalp reduction. This is a surgical procedure in which the bald area is cut out.
• Propecia is a new medication taken by mouth which treats androgenic alopecia.

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