Male pattern baldness is related to your genes and male sex hormones. It usually follows a pattern of receding hairline and hair thinning on the crown. Each strand of hair sits in a tiny hole (cavity) in the skin called a follicle.
Because men are constantly producing testosterone throughout their lives, they are also constantly making DHT, and so it makes them more likely to lose their hair than women, who do not have a similar genetic disposition to hair loss.
As ancient humans spread north, the levels of ultraviolet light decreased… causing vitamin D deficiencies. Some theorize that hair loss would have an evolutionary advantage since having more available skin exposed to the thin sunlight would boost the body's vitamin D production.
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.
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.
Some people who don't lose their hair have low levels of the enzyme that converts testosterone, and so more recently researchers have been seeking ways of blocking the enzyme in others. A treatment called finasteride works on this principle, but it is expensive and needs to be or hair loss begins again.
One popular myth is that hair loss in men is passed down from the mother's side of the family while hair loss in women is passed down from the father's side; however, the truth is that the genes for hair loss and hair loss itself are actually passed down from both sides of the family.
So, for the questions “Do women like bald men?” the overwhelming majority of women gave positive answers. 87.5% of women of different ages and nationalities surveyed find bald men attractive compared to only 12.5% of women, who gave negative answer.
Men with completely bald pates were perceived to be more masculine, dominant, taller and even "about 13%" stronger than those with full heads of hair, according to a US study published in the Social Psychological and Personality Science journal.
Nearly all men have some hair loss by the time they are in their 60s. However, the age the hair loss starts is variable. About three in ten men aged 30 years and half of men aged 50 years have significant balding. A similar condition affects women but in a different pattern.
There are racial differences, however, in the incidence of male pattern baldness. The highest rates are found among Caucasians, followed by Afro-Caribbeans. Chinese and Japanese men have the lowest rates. For some unknown reason, this form of hair loss is does not occur among Native Americans.
Like so many things, it comes down to a mixture of genetics and hormones. We know that at least some of the genes for hairiness are carried on the X chromosome – and the way these genes are expressed varies between different men and ethnic groups – but hairiness also correlates with high testosterone levels.
As our prehistoric ancestors moved north, they lost their skin pigmentation to compensate for the diminishing UVB levels that they found at higher latitude. Baldness would have become an advantage due to the greater capacity to synthesise vitamin D in the skin of the bald pate.
They found the same results: People perceive bald guys as more dominant, confident, stronger, masculine, and – this is interesting – stronger.
Most women find bald men attractive and sexy and recommended men to be proud of being bald. They also accompany the bald look with a nice beard and a fit body. Women find this to be a great way to emphasize the masculine and tough side of a bald guy and create an extremely attractive and charming look.
There are several other causes of hair lossincluding medical illnesses like thyroid, or diabetes; stress, certain medications can cause it too like anti-coagulants, blood thinners, etc, nutritional deficiencies, hormonal imbalance, crash dieting, and oral contraceptives.
The authors concluded: “We found no correlation between the mortality and the extent of graying of the hair or baldness or facial wrinkles in either of the sexes, irrespective of age.
While there is a link between some androgens (male sex hormones) and hair loss, the theory that bald guys have more testosterone and thus lose more hair is false.
Researchers recently polled 1000 women, and 87% provided a positive response about dating a bald man. Only a small minority saw baldness as a negative issue, with most listing other features such as a fit body as a greater indicator of attractiveness.
Benefits of shaving your head
A recent study showed that completely shaven bald men were perceived as more dominant, masculine, confident, and somehow more powerful than men who were showing male pattern baldness but had not shaved their heads completely.
While some men are able to easily accept the loss of their hair, there are others who fall into a spiral of depression and insecurity due to their changed appearance. They often have increased anxiety and despair due to an inability to stop their changing appearance.
It is an established fact that the most common cause of hair loss in men, male pattern baldness, is an inherited condition. However, it may be surprising to hear but just because a father has male pattern baldness, it doesn't necessarily follow that their son definitely will, too.
You'll notice the signs of a receding hairline if your hair begins to thin at the temples, creating a more prominent widow's peak and a hairline that resembles the letter M or a horseshoe. Or your hairline might seem to recede or thin all the way across (Murphrey, 2021).
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. The men who tend to see the best results start treatment soon after noticing hair loss.