Hair Loss Facts

Male Pattern Baldness:

On average, there are 90,000 to 150,000 hairs on the scalp. The hairs grow from roots called follicles. Blood vessels at the base of each follicle provide nourishment vital for hair and hair growth. Hair growth in each root occurs in a cycle independent of each other.

At any time about 90 percent of the hairs on the scalp are in the growth phase, while the other 10 percent are in the resting phase. The growth phase can last an average of up to five years, after which the follicle goes into a resting phase, which can last upto four months. At the end of this phase, the hair falls out and is replaced by a new hair. This is all a perfectly normal part of the growth cycle.

In fact, on a typical day, up to 150 hairs can be lost. Baldness occurs when hair is lost at an unusually high rate and hair replacement occurs at an unusually slow rate and/or when normal hairs are replaced by weaker, smaller ones.

What is Male Pattern Baldness?

Almost all cases of hair loss is the result of Male pattern baldness (or androgenetic alopecia). Male pattern baldness occurs much more frequently in men than in women. Even in mild cases It affects roughly 50 million men in the United States. Balding may begin at any age after puberty.

While some types of hair loss is reversible, male pattern baldness tends to be permanent. It occurs in a very typical pattern on the scalp. Hair loss usually begins at the temples and at the top of the head toward the back, causing a receding hairline and a bald spot. Sometimes progressing further until the two sections become joined,leaving a horseshoe pattern on the sides and back of the head.
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