Signs of Hair Loss in Men

Most men will face hair loss in their lifetimes, some more than others. Hair tends to recede at the sides or crown first, or in patches. Age and genes from your mother's side have a lot to do with the onset of alopecia, or baldness.
Every month hair grows about half an inch, with each hair growing for two to six years before falling out and new hair typically taking its place. An average of 50 to 100 hairs fall out each day, but if you seem to be losing hair faster than it grows back, you may have androgenetic alopecia -- hair loss in men.

Causes

• There are about 100,000 hair follicles on the scalp, with each one holding a hair. Baldness can happen when some of these follicles shrink over the years, resulting in baby-fine hair that doesn't grow as long as usual. In the end, the follicle shrinks so much that no hair grows from it.
  Thinning hair may be related to male hormones, genes or even stress. Though science has tried to get to the root the causes of baldness in men, the problem is still not fully understood.

Symptoms

• For most men, hair starts to fall out at the sides of the head above the temples or at the crown. The hair growing back tends to be shorter and finer than previous hair and eventually stops growing back altogether. These are the typical male-baldness patterns associated with aging and genes.
  When hair falls out or thins in patches, accompanied by itching, flaking, redness, or scaling of the skin, this can be caused by a fungal infection.
  Certain medication, such as blood thinners and antidepressants, may also cause hair thinning and hair loss.

Diagnosing

• The usual diagnosis for male baldness is the pattern of hair loss as observed by a physician. If other conditions are present such as pain or skin lesions, a biopsy may be taken since a medical disorder could be the cause of hair loss. In this instance the scalp would be tested as opposed to the hair since hair analysis is usually conducted in cases of suspected lead poisoning.

Non-Medical Treatment

• Some men don't care whether they're balding and choose to not seek treatment for it. Others may find it embarrassing and a sign that they're no longer youthful and prefer finding solutions. The easiest and least expensive method of hiding hair loss is to get a different hairstyle---usually a perm to curl the hair and make it look fuller or the often-seen "comb-over."
  Men who want a more natural look may purchase a hairpiece, though these have their problems as they tend to fall off during rigorous activity and shouldn't be worn during swimming or showering.

Medical Treatment

• Drugs that have been shown to slow hair loss in men or potentially grow back new hair are Rogaine, Propecia and Proscar.
  Rogaine, also known as Minoxidil, comes in a liquid solution that is applied directly to the scalp. Hair loss is usually slowed, and new hair may grow back.
  With Propecia and Proscar, also known as Finasteride, a hormone-inhibiting pill is taken. When the male hormone dihydrotestosterone is blocked, hair loss is slowed, although new hair doesn't usually grow in areas that are already bald.
  The problem with both of these drugs is they must be used consistently, or hair loss returns.
  Hair plugs are another alternative to thinning hair. Small pieces of hair and scalp are taken from areas where hair is thickest and transplanted into balding sections. This procedure is costly, though the end results are permanent and usually very effective.