Male Pattern Baldness :: essays research papers

Male Pattern Baldness   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Androgenic alopecia or male pattern baldness is a typical pattern of hair loss in men, which is for the most part caused by a single dominant autosomal gene. Other factors include the male hormone androgen, age, and genetic predisposition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Each month the scalp hair grows at an average rate of half an inch. Every hair has an approximate lifetime of four to seven years, which after this it falls out and is replaced by a new hair. For the most part, 15% of hair is growing, while the 85% of the hair rest. This wide spread disease effects about 2/3 of the worlds male population at some point or another. Generally, hair loss begins to start around the age of 30 at the temples. Never the less, the condition is more of a psychological problem than a medical.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The condition androgenic alopecia is the result of the androgen on the hair follicles that have genetic receptor sites, in other words male pattern baldness is resulted by the presence of endocrine hormones (like testosterone) on the hair follicle (which is where the hair is produced) that have genetic receptor sites.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Male pattern baldness usually is a symmetrical disease, so if there is a non-symmetrical area of baldness, it is not the cause of androgenic alopecia. The typical pattern begins of occur at the hairline, then over time forms an “M';. The crown also begins to become thinner, as does the existing hair. Eventually, the “m'; meets the thinned crown and forms the most common bald shape, the horseshoe. Currently, there are no treatments for male pattern baldness, so the condition is permanent.