What is Male Pattern Baldness?
Male Pattern Baldness or androgenetic alopecia is the main reason men experience their hair falling out. It is an inherited condition that gradually affects most of the male population by the age of fifty. More specifically, a small percentage of men have thinning hair by the age of 21 and by 35, 75% of all men develop hair loss to some extent.
Male Pattern Baldness is an inherited condition related to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a product of testosterone, which is a male sex hormone. As men grow older, the hair follicles on certain parts of their head, which are more sensitive to DHT, begin to shrink. The result is thinner hair or the disappearance of hair in those areas.
Despite the fact that male pattern baldness is a condition that naturally occurs to most men and does not affect in any other way men’s bodies physically, it may negatively affect their self-esteem and therefore cause stress and depression.
Treatments Available
Thankfully, in the past decade science has found ways to treat the condition or at least delay it. Hair restoration can be achieved with varying success with the use of drugs (Finasteride, Minoxidil) and with Ηair Implants. These treatments deal with male pattern baldness in completely different ways. Therefore, if you are seeking treatment, you should be fully aware of what each of them can do for you and what the benefits and drawbacks for each are.
Finasteride, is a pill that lowers the amount of DHT on the scalp, if taken every day. The extent to which it affects men varies. In the majority of men, it stops hair loss and about 60% experience increase of hair growth. However, it causes sexual dysfunction in a large percentage of the men tacking it, but that tends to disappear when they stop using the drug. This also means a relapse in hair loss however, so it is not a permanent solution.
A less aggressive hair loss treatment for men is Minoxidil. It is a solution applied directly to the scalp which slows the progression of hair falling out. Minoxidil does not affect DHT, which is responsible for hair loss and therefore its results are not permanent.
It does however have some unpleasant side-effects. These include can be as mild as scalp itching, flaking and irritation to more severe such as weight gain, rapid heartbeat, chest pain and light-headedness.
Hair Transplant Methods
A more drastic way to achieve hair restoration is with the use of hair implants. These implants are usually plugs of hair from areas where hair continues to grow (usually called the “donor area” found round the side of the head), transplanted to areas affected by male pattern baldness. This treatment is more expensive than the aforementioned drugs.
Negative side effects depend on the type of treatment, (FUT, FUE, DHI) however we recommend the FUE procedure because it is the most successful and the results are found to be both permanent and aesthetically pleasing.
Another type of hair implants are those made of artificial fibers, but doctors don’t recommend them as much as transplants because the rate of infection is higher. Nevertheless, some men prefer them because they are cheaper.
Finally, suturing hair pieces to balding areas is not recommended by doctors, because it offers no real solution to the problem and, furthermore, irritates the skin and in severe cases causes scars and infections.
We generally advise that a consultation with a doctor is best if you are looking at going down the path of taking hair loss drugs that are mentioned above. If you would like a FREE consultation with a specialist in the hair transplant procedure, simply click on the button and fill out the form provided.
Patient Testimonials
Aside from achieving fantastic results, we believe that keeping in touch with our patients before, during and after their hair transplantation procedure is paramount – it helps to keep our patients feeling calm and in control. We’re always on hand to provide guidance, support and aftercare advice. Time and again, our patients tell us that this is what sets us apart from other clinics.
You can read our great reviews of FUE hair transplants over on Google and TrustPilot
Louis Robson8 June 2023Great service and advice would dr Mumir was brilliant and full of great advice
John P Ronan30 March 2022Very few can deliver a professional service whilst ensuring that all clients receive first -class personalised treatment, turning what can be a daunting experience into something of relative ease. Both Kevin, Dr Karla, and their surgical team certainly did this (and then some!) Once my mind was made up to have hair loss treatment, I was keen to get my transplant done asap. Kevin exceeded all my expectations with this - it’s hard to believe that my journey from first consultation to surgery happened in the space of one month. Efficiency did not stop there - on the day of surgery, my transplant was completed in less than 6 hours, all the while ensuring that I was comfortable and pain-free. Security is the best word that comes to mind to describe Dr Karla’s care -you know you’re in experienced hands! Now I can look forward to the results over the next few months, with the added peace of mind that the Harley Street Clinic team are only a phone call or email away to address any concerns. They will be the first name I will recommend to anyone looking for effective hair loss treatment, and I hope to make use of their service again in the future should I need it.
anees haseem27 March 2022Dr karla is an excellent Dr gives out great advice and is so friendly I have enjoyed meeting the team overall kind and friendly team 10/10
Matty B1 March 2022I got a hair transplant and PRP for my hair. Im 19 years old and it’s the best decision I made so far. Manchester hair transplant clinic have been amazing. They were brilliant at welcoming me into getting a hair transplant and amazing at doing the job right. I will defiantly be going to them later on in my life if/when another is needed due to my age. I would highly recommend their service to anyone interested 😊
Bharat Bapodra10 February 2022I was quite scared before going into surgery, but Dr kalra reassured me the procedures were straight forward and easy going. And he was amazing and so were the team. Everyone was polite and professional and I will recommend this team to anybody else :)
Mark A31 January 2022Massive Thankyou to all the team . After months of indecision as to wether to have a hair transplant or not ,i finally made the decision to make that first call,im so glad i did,im so pleased i went with Dr Khalra and his team. I first spoke to Kevin he come across as a very honest and genuine guy who was certainly very knowledgable about all the procedure ,after speaking to him i decided that these were the people i wanted to go with. On the day of the procedure i was very nervous,but on meeting Dr Kalra and his team i was immediately put at ease ,he was very reassuring and such a lovely friendly guy as was his team,It was all very proffesionally done in a lovely clean and modern clinic in Bury. Throughout the day i felt i was in really good hands with Dr Khalra and his team Naz and Raz ( hope ive spelt it right). Im now 7weeks into my Fue hair transplant and looking forward to the coming months to see the results . Ive no hesitation in recommending Dr Khalra Kevin and the team ,they are definitely the right people to go to if you are considering having a procedure done . Again i cant thank you enough . Mark..
Rhys Jones24 January 2022Great experience, Kevin walked me through every step of the process beforehand and helped with any questions I had along the way. Dr. Kalra and the team looked after me on the day which went great. Thanks guys for your help, amazing experience.
Martin Nikolli21 January 2022Was good job from Dr Kalra and the staff were very nice This experience was better than i was thinking about hair transplant And thanks to Kevin 👍
Ynit Star21 January 2022
