Alopecia is not a disease. The numbers are quite not encouraging. 30% of men find themselves bald at the age of 30. A decade later 50% already have alopecia. In women, the rates are similar, but we talk about thin hair.


On the average there are 100 000 - 150,000 hairs a man. It turns out that on the average, a man loses 100 hairs a day while producing 100 others. Some people have a deficit, they lose 100 and grow less and that's what makes them bold. In women it is mainly for reasons of lack of iron, glands problem and stress.

Male baldness, also called Androgenetic Alopecia, is hair loss resulting from a combination of factors of heredity and hormonal effects.


The main culprit is the typical male baldness is the 5 alpha - reductase enzyme . Its hyperactivity brings an increase in level of the  Dihydrotestosterone hormone (DHT), which shortens the hair growth phase and causes degeneration of the hair follicle which results in thin, short and lighter hair, until it totally drops out  and not being replaced by new hair.


High levels of testosterone, DHT or low levels of iron, vitamin B12 and zinc can cause hair loss as well, although these cases are very rare in men.


There are various reasons for hair loss among which the major are:

- Androgenetic alopecia - the reason for 95% of the cases, usually occurs in men, but
  can also occur in women, especially during menopause. Androgenetic alopecia has a
  genetic characteristics.

- Iron deficiency - a common cause of thinning hair, although that does not cause hair
  loss.

- Under or over-activity of the thyroid gland that causes hair loss in specific places like
  the front or sides of the scalp.


There are two drugs that are recommended for stopping the dropout rate - Minoxidil (which began as a remedy for hypertension treatment) and Propecia (originally used to treat prostate enlargement).

The Minoxidila, that comes in the form of a solution is spread on the balding area twice a day. It turns out that it stops hair loss of only about 40% of users and very rarely helps in growing new hair.

Propecia comes in the form of tablets that should be taken once a day. About 90% of users succeed in stopping baldness and for about 60% of users are growing new hairs, but there is a side effect - about 1% percent of Propecia users report decrease in libido.


In both cases the drawbacks are the price and persistence.


There are also the naturopathic treatments such as dietary supplements and herbs that lower the DHT hormone level and apparently do not cause any side effects. The best known of these is the research proven SAW PALMETTO which affects the 5 alpha - reductase enzyme. Matching an herbal formula can help preventing hair loss and hair growth.


There is always the option of surgery, hair transplant, if you have a few thousand extra dollars in your wallet. The transplanted hairs are taken from the rear of the recipient (otherwise the body reject them), implanted using a needle and tweezers. The procedure is done under local anesthesia.


The entire procedure takes about three hours, during which hair bands are taken from the hinterland, separated and then implanted, one by one. In such a transplant procedure there are about 3,000 hairs implanted.


Unfortunately, success is not guaranteed at all and in severe cases the patient will have to undergo several transplants. The preliminary results will be seen only after three months, and only after a year the final results will show.