A baldness cure may not be around the corner, but there are already lots of treatments that are proven to help tackle male pattern baldness. They can't stop baldness at the source, but they can slow and even reverse hair loss.
Finding a Cure for Hair Loss
Currently, we don't have a cure for male pattern baldness. However, medications like finasteride and minoxidil can help you keep the hair you have, and in some cases, potentially regrow some of the hair you've lost due to male pattern baldness.
In August 2021, Pfizer's ritlecitinib showed that it improved scalp hair growth in alopecia patients in a phase IIb/III clinical trial. The big pharma company is planning to file for approval soon and aims to launch the drug by 2025.
The FDA has approved three medications for hair loss: Rogaine (minoxidil), Propecia (finasteride), and Olumiant (baricitinib).23 “These medications work by stimulating new hair growth and slowing or stopping the progression of balding,” says Lindsay Modglin, nurse and clinical research specialist.
A single molecule may hold the key to battling male- and female-pattern hair loss, recent research suggests. In mouse experiments, scientists showed that the molecule, dubbed SCUBE3, could spark hair growth in dormant mouse follicles, and even in human ones that had been grafted onto mice.
"It's genetics, good old-fashioned genetics," said Cole. But scientists have had a hard time pinpointing the precise gene that causes baldness. Scientists found one gene in 2009, but they've had a hard time getting results with various therapies targeted to that gene.
Using two types of embryonic cells, the Japanese team developed hair shafts with almost 100 percent efficiency. The organoids produced fully mature follicles about three millimeters in length after 23 days of culture.
Male pattern baldness tends to develop slowly
While you don't need to treat this type of hair loss, treatment options exist. Treatment can reduce further hair loss, and some men regrow a bit of their hair.
Although hair re-growth may be possible, you should also know when to seek professional help. If the reason for thinning hair is genetics, it will not grow back on its own. To grow back a healthy, full head of hair, you'll need to take action, and that involves reviewing different hair loss options.
Like many celebrities who have had hair transplants, Elon Musk has never actually revealed that he's had a hair transplant. Unfortunately, male pattern baldness doesn't magically reverse itself. Therefore, it's likely he's had a surgical intervention to give him the hairline he sported at the 2022 Met Gala.
As of 2023, current estimates for when there will be successful hair cloning for humans are around 2030-2035; recent advancements in stem cell research/follicle generation mean that balding may be solved in around 10 years.
The X or female chromosome carries the primary baldness gene, and men inherit this X chromosome from their mothers. This makes the hereditary factor around baldness most dominant on your mother's side.
Rinsing your hair with rice water (as in the stuff left over after you boil a pot of rice) can make it grow way faster. Seriously! Japanese women have known this secret for centuries, but we're just now getting the scoop. Rice water can stimulate hair growth, strengthen the strands, and improve scalp health.
Male pattern baldness is a very common condition, affecting up to 1 in every 2 men over 40 years of age. Male pattern baldness is usually hereditary (genetic) and in most cases, it can't be prevented.
There's even some tantalising – albeit controversial – evidence that bald heads may be life-saving. For a long time, the opposite was true. It's long been known that men who can't produce DHT, such as those who have been castrated, have healthy, flowing locks for as long as they live.
About 70% of men will lose hair as they get older. And 25% of bald men see first signs of hair loss before age 21. “Recent advances offer a lot of hope in both treating and preventing different types of baldness,” says dermatologist Amy Kassouf, MD. For example, researchers can now grow hair follicles in a lab.
By the time you turn 30, you have a 25% chance of displaying some balding. By age 50, 50% of men have at least some noticeable hair loss. By age 60, about two-thirds are either bald or have a balding pattern. While hair loss is more common as you get older, it doesn't necessarily make it any easier to accept.
Answer: Your son could inherit the gene for male pattern baldness from his father but whether he eventually goes bald remains to be seen. The father is not always a blueprint for the son's hair mapping and baldness in not inevitable.
Testosterone itself doesn't directly cause hair loss. However, increasing your testosterone levels can also increase your levels of DHT, causing damage to your hair follicles and speeding up the effects of male pattern baldness.
Minoxidil (Rogaine, etc) is FDA approved for ages 18-65
Give it a 'go'. I respond that minoxidil can certainly be helpful but minoxidil is certainly not for everyone. Minoxidil is FDA approved for men and women 18-65 with a type of hair loss known as androgenetic hair loss.
Men have been making the gradual transition from hirsute to hairless for centuries - Hippocrates's 'cure' for baldness reputedly comprised pigeon droppings, horseradish, cumin and nettles - but recent studies suggest that hair loss in men aged between 21 and 30 is now more common than ever.
Which country has the least bald men? According to the same Quora study, China is the country with the least number of bald men. Other countries like Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan, and Malaysia also have a lower prevalence of baldness.
What Country Has the Highest Percentage of Males Who Go Bald? The Czech Republic is the country with the highest percentage of men losing their hair. In the Czech Republic, approximately 43 percent of men have either lost their hair or are losing their hair.
Egypt, 4000 B.C.: Ancient Egyptians rubbed their bald heads with a mixture of dates, dog paws and donkey hooves all ground up together and cooked in oil. Rome, 50 B.C.: A popular treatment among bald Romans involved rubbing myrrh berries into the scalp or, failing that, just opting for a Julius Caesar-style combover.