We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: losing your hair sucks. It directly impacts the way you look, therefore changing the way you feel about yourself. We know that losing your hair is pretty rough, it can end up affecting your personal relationships and even your professional life.

But why do men start losing their hair? Are all cases of hair loss the same? Or is there a type of hair loss that is more common than other ones? If that’s the case, what causes it?

Well, answering those questions, not all cases are the same, and yes, there’s a culprit that’s way more common than the rest when it comes to losing your hair:

Male pattern baldness.

If there’s one type of hair loss that sucks the most, it’s gotta be male pattern baldness. Now you may be wondering why that is, and to put it simply, because it’s the most common cause of hair loss.

Yup, male pattern baldness, also known as male-pattern hair loss (MPHL), is responsible for hair loss in half of the male population above 50 years of age. In fact, it’s so common that it also affects a quarter of the female population over 50 years of age, a condition known as female-pattern hair loss (FPHL).

So, now that we’ve established how common male pattern baldness is, let's actually define what it is:

Male pattern baldness is a type of hair loss defined by loss of hair on the top and front of the scalp. It usually presents itself as a receding hairline. Little by little, the hairline starts moving backwards in an “M” shaped pattern.

Classic male pattern baldness starts above the temples, and as it progresses, the hair on the front and top of your head becomes thinner, shorter and finer. This type of hair loss usually leaves a “U” shaped pattern of hair around the sides and the back of the head, a rim of hair also known as “Hippocratic wreath”. It’s important to note that male pattern baldness rarely leads to full blown baldness, as it usually stops at the top of the head.

But what exactly causes male pattern baldness? Well, that's kind of a tricky question.

Because balding is multifactorial, meaning it can be caused by a bunch of different factors. The causes of male pattern baldness come down to a mix of two things, your genes, and certain male sex hormones.

Through tons of research, some evidence has been found that suggest that having a family with a history of baldness can cause male pattern baldness. A sort of genetic predisposition, if you will.

That, along with male sex hormones called androgens (a hormone responsible for regulating hair growth) are believed to be the main causes of male pattern baldness.

Wondering what happens in your scalp when you start developing male pattern baldness?

What happens is that the growth cycle of each individual hair starts to weaken, which leads to shrunken hair follicles (the little “hole” or cavity each hair strands pops out from), which leads to shorter and finer strands of hair, which eventually leads to, you guessed it, male pattern baldness.

But here’s the crazy part: the hair follicles remain alive even after the growth cycle of hair ends, which suggests that growing new hair isn’t totally out of the question. As least on paper, that is.

So, after all is said and done, who is at risk of developing a case of male pattern baldness?

The older you get the higher the chances become when it comes to losing your hair to male pattern baldness, but there have been cases of people suffering from this type of baldness in their teens. Again, genetics play a huge role here, the more relatives you have with male pattern baldness, the higher the risk of developing a case of it yourself. The risk is even higher if the relatives come from the maternal side of the family.

So what can you do about it? Does it all come down to winning the genetic lottery and that’s it? Join us at a later blog post entry where we’ll discuss the solutions and methods to deal with or prevent male pattern baldness!

But for now, know that custom hair pieces for men are the fastest and best solution around when it comes to dealing with male pattern baldness. They come in a multitude of models and options, but your best bet is a top-of-head hair piece, as they are specially designed to cover up bald spots on the top of the head.

Got any other question for us? Feel free to give us a call at our toll-free number 1-800-756-8585. We’ll be more than happy to help you with any other burning questions or doubts you might have about male pattern baldness or any other topic related to hair loss!