5 Ways to Deal with Male Pattern Baldness

[By Corey Hudson]

When men start to lose their hair, the experience can be nothing short of devastating. Traditionally, we have come to associate a full head of hair with strength, youth and virility. Although most men shedding more than a few strands of hair too soon, too quickly aren’t likely to discuss their emotional reaction to hair loss openly, it’s there; ranging from simple frustration and social withdrawal to loss of self-worth, depression and even suicide. Besides the impact on one’s physical appearance, hair loss is very much about losing control and the undeniable passage of time and aging. As New York Times contributing editor, Daniel J. nailed it succinctly with words, “Losing your hair is a little bit like a girlfriend who’s sort of drifting away, and you’re clinging to her as she goes off and sees other people. … It gets worse and worse. So it’s better to take some sort of pre-emptive move.” Confront your fears with these 5 suggested tips to deal with a thinning crown or receding hairline, and you should find it easier to live with male pattern baldness.

Let it go

I’m not talking about Britney’s by now infamous meltdown in 2007, but shaving one’s head can be a liberating experience to embrace your male pattern baldness. Instead of holding on to your remaining hairs and painstakingly arranging them into ridiculous looking patterns in desperate attempts to hide your growing bald pate, let it go and take them all off. More actors, musicians, athletes and other cultural icons are dealing with their hair loss by embracing it and there is little stigma attached to having a shaved head. You know that moment before you take a plunge in the pool? It’s usual to be scared, anxious and overcome with anticipation, but once you gather up enough courage to jump, all those fears would dissolve and the swim can be extremely delightful!

Shaving one’s head can help boost and restore confidence and steps can be taken to further improve one’s appearance with a shaved head. This would include working out to build up an impressive physique, dressing well in colours to match your eyes and skin tone, and even trying out different facial hair patterns which you have previously overlooked.

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Rub a dub dub

From beer and whiskey to mustard oil and expensive Chinese herbs, every imaginable product has found its way onto the heads of balding men in an attempt to stimulate hair growth or to prevent further loss. There are probably as many desperate home remedies as there are receding hairlines and if any of them really worked, it would be prime-time, head-line news. For all the seemingly infinite hair tonics touted to slow or reverse baldness, Minoxidil is the only FDA approved topical medication that can be rubbed into the scalp once or twice daily to tackle male pattern hair loss.  Acting much like a “follicle fertilizer”, Minoxidil acts as a vasodilator that keeps hair in the growing phase longer and can increase the diameter of those downy miniaturized hairs as well. Available in 2%, 5% or in combination hair preparations such as the SW1 HAIR RECOVERY Strengthening & Rejuvenating Serum, an advanced hair tonic with the follicle stimulating trio of Minoxidil 5%, Ginkgo Biloba and Vitamin B6, aimed to provide total “tricho-juvenation” for both sexes.When used religiously as instructed, it will help to improve fine or thinning hair while helping to prevent hair loss. Hair Rescue & Recovery’s state-of-the-art ingredients help to strengthen damaged hair, build body, help increase diameter of the hair shaft and encourage new hair growth so hair is healthy, shiny and thicker. 35% of men are able to slow or halt hair loss with Minoxidil and 10% reported regrowth, usually in the crown area.

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The magic pill

We are talking about Propecia aka Finasteride, a prescriptive medication that treats male pattern hair loss by acting as a dihydrotestosterone (DHT) antagonist. Male pattern hair loss occurs in men who are genetically susceptible to the hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) which affects hair on the vertex and anterior mid scalp area. Hair follicles over these areas undergo a process known as ‘miniaturization’ and start to shrink in diameter and potential length until they eventually disappear. For some unknown reason, hair on the back and sides of the scalp is not affected by DHT and thus often referred to as ‘permanent’ hair. Propecia blocks the formation of DHT which appears to inhibit further shrinking of affected hair follicles leading to either regrowth or no further hair loss. As with Minoxidil, the effects are only appreciable with continuous usage and taken in early stage. Besides, Propecia is also not without its side effects, the most disturbing being those that affect sexual performance. These include decreased libido, difficulty in achieving erection and a reduction in the amount of semen produced. Though reversible, it seems like an unworthy trade-off of one problem with another, widely believed to be way under reported at 2% due to the embarrassing nature of such complaints.

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Scalp micropigmentation

Scalp micropigmentation or SMP is a process that uses microneedles to “tattoo” pigment into the scalp. It creates the appearance of tiny hair follicles to restore the look of a fuller head of hair, replicating your natural hair follicles to simulate“strengthening” and “increased density” to thinning areas. During the treatment, micro needles are used to layer pigment dots on your scalp in a process that resembles getting a tattoo, albeit a highly-technical and specialized process performed by trained technicians. The tiny “dots” of pigment, placed in the dermal layer of skin, create the illusion of a full head of shaved hair.A tiny wound is created in the skin when each dot is applied. A scab heals over the wound and eventually falls away, taking some of the implanted pigment with it. Furthermore, the immune system attacks the pigments, causing them to shrink. This gradual “fading” of the dots varies from person to person but necessitates the need for multiple sessions to get the required pigment shade. Patient’s satisfaction is highly dependable on the skills and expertise of the provider.

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Make it last

Gaining momentum as an effective treatment of hair loss is laser therapy. The FDA approved Revage 670 Laser is widely recognized as the gold standard, providing a viable non-surgical option to rejuvenate thinning scalps and receding hairlines. With a total of 30 laser diodes, Revage provides critical coherent beams of laser light in a hood that goes over the scalp to ensure optimum laser energy contact, with maximum stimulation of each hair follicle at a much higher level than that provided by hand-held lasers of lesser make. Revage is safe and painless with absolutely no downtime. It works by thickening fine, miniaturized hair so besides male pattern baldness, Revage is highly suitable for women with diffuse thinning or general weakening of their crowning glory.

“Studies have shown that Revage produces an 85% success rate in halting hair loss with an almost 40% of increased fullness reported.” Says Dr. Chua Han Boon, senior medical consultant from the SW1 Clinic, a one stop destination for medical spa, cosmetics dermatology and aesthetics surgery in Singapore. “Therefore, this treatment targets not only current hair thinning, but is useful to help prevent further hair loss.”

Revage can be done as a standalone treatment, but for a lusher, fuller head of hair, it is best paired with Revitascalp, a holistic ‘hair-cial’ that support healthy hair growth with vitamin B3 (niacin), vitamin E and a hefty shot of Minoxidil in the Keramax Scalp Program, specially put together by the hair specialists from the SW1 Clinic to help restore your crown to its former glory.

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