One of the most common genetic disorders out there, particularly in men, is male pattern baldness AKA Androgenic Alopecia. It affects men of all ages, nationalities, and medical history. It has been proven that nearly one third of all men are going to show signs of balding, or be completely bald, by the time they have their fortieth birthday.
If you think that figure is shocking, do not fret. There are plenty of ways for you to combat male pattern baldness, and even prepare for it before it happens. Hair transplants are tried and true and have given relief to men who have suffered from Androgenic Alopecia.
The truth is this genetic order might not seem like much, unless you are the one suffering from it, or even at risk for suffering from it due to your family history. It can cause damage to self-esteem, withdrawn behaviour, and even in some rare cases full blown depression. Being aware of the best option that is available can help greatly. It is also extremely important to see about getting tested to see if you are at risk, on a genetic level, to suffer from male pattern baldness.
Preventing or reducing hair loss
Believe it or not, there are a whole host of causes that can make a man bald. There are certain “Dos” and “Donts” when you are trying to pinpoint the causes of your thinning or completely missing hair. In order for you to get to the root of the problem you have to be able to step back and examine the situation. Click here to understand what causes baldness in men and how to prevent hair loss.
Hair Transplants
A very common method for dealing with balding is a hair transplant. This particular type of surgery has been around in the western part of the world since as early as the 1950s. The procedure might sound intimidating to someone who has never seen a specialist regarding the issue. The surgeon has dealt with many issues like this in the past, and the risk of serious injury is slim to none.
The way the procedure works involves the surgeon first numbing the scalp to prevent pain for you during the procedure. Once you are properly numbed he or she will go in and remove a small section of skin, usually about three or four inches. This section of skin is put aside and the scalp is sewn back together.
The Grafting Process
Now that the surgeon has a small scalp sample he breaks the piece up to anywhere between 500 all the way up to 2000 grafts. The idea here is to separate the individual hair follicle, or at best keep them in small clusters. The number of grafts that need attached vary greatly depending on the following factors:
- Hair type (thin, average, thick)
- Hair Color
- Space that needs requires attention from the transplant
The surgeon will go through the meticulous process of attaching the grafts to the trouble areas of your head. After that process is done your head is going to be wrapped up for a couple days and your scalp and face is going to be extremely tender and a few days off of work is recommended.
Final Results
The final process of getting a hair transplant occurs a few weeks after the transplant has occurred. In this instance, the transplanted hair will fall out. The good news it, this will stimulate growth of new hair in the same place. Some men have found that they need to repeat this process multiple times to achieve the desired results.
Genetic Testing for Male Pattern Baldness
We offer a test that examines your genotype to establish just how much hair you will have lost by a given time in your life and explain the link between baldness and genes. Click here to read more about it.
You might be surprised to know that there is a test out there that can properly identify whether or not someone has the genetic traits needed to cause male pattern baldness. The truth is, not only is the test very accurate, but the methods for testing and results are advancing rapidly and only getting better and more accurate.
The process to get the sample for the DNA test is simple. A simple mouth swab will do the trick. Once the DNA has been obtained from your doctor they will mail the sample off to be looked at by a team of genetic experts. Essentially, they are looking for two different things in their examination. They want to know if:
- The tested individual has the Androgen Receptor gene, which has been proven to be the main cause of genetic baldness in men.
- If there is a genetic variation on chromosome 20. There is a pinpointed variation found in a staggering 95% of men who suffer from genetic baldness.
Once the results of the test have been obtained the results and mailed back for patient and doctor to review and talk over. If it is shown that you have a strong likelihood of balding due to Androgenic Alopecia your doctor can help you take preventive measures to reduce the damage caused by this genetic disorder.
If you use careful planning and a little research you will find that living with male pattern baldness is not only manageable, but can actually be reversed in some cases. It is important to have your doctor run additional tests and go over your options with you upon receiving the DNA test results.