For many the idea of male pattern baldness in women (androgenetic alopecia, female pattern baldness, pattern baldness) is an obscure subject that only hair loss specialist talk about in the clinic break room over coffee and donuts.
That is until male pattern baldness in women becomes a part of their lives.
Often times the condition is not recognized, and attributed to poor hair care or dieting, which a few simple lifestyle adjustment will correct.
But what happens when despite ones best efforts the balding process continues? This is a question that over 20 million American women and countless numbers worldwide are asking right now.
In this article we will delve into this very common cause of thinning hair in women and provide you with a few suggestions as how to deal with this troubling condition.
Male pattern baldness in women can present itself in a couple of different ways.
First, if you start to notice hair thinning around the back and front of the scalp, it suggests that you probably have form of balding and thinning hair.
Secondarily, if you begin to notice a general thinning of scalp hair that seems to be occurring for no particular reason chances are pretty good that you are in the beginning to mid stages.
The actual cause of male pattern baldness is an accumulation of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) deep within the hair follicle.
This doesn't happen overnight, in fact it is not unusually noticed until the DHT accumulation process has been underway for two hair cycles encompassing 5 to 10 years.
As dihydrotestosterone builds up it causes the pouch like sac called the follicle to shrink, which in turn alters the natural resting and growth phases of hair.
Some follicles will shrink to a point where they die while others are rendered incapable of sustaining new hair growth.
The end result is progressive male pattern baldness in women.
Most experts suggest that confirming the presence of male pattern baldness while ruling out other possible causes is an important next step because of the plethora of possible causes and/or contributing factors.
Now that we know that MPB or androgenetic alopecia is the culprit our next step is to find the best way to treat the condition.
Currently the only FDA approved drug suitable for safe use by women is topical minoxidil.
Minoxidil must be applied twice a day.
Studies suggest it helps re-grow hair in 20 to 40 percent of those who use it.
But it real benefit lies in its ability to slow hair loss in nine out of ten users.
It accomplishes this by enlarging follicles, prolonging the growth phase, and stimulating resting hairs to grow.
What else can I do? There are currently a handful of hair re-growth products specially formulated for male pattern baldness in women which have been proven effective both in blocking harmful hormones and bringing the all important dead hair follicles back to life.
These specially formulated treatments can be used both as a preventative tool, starting before hair loss becomes severe, or after loss of hair has become noticeable.
Whatever the level of balding or thinning you are experiencing these products could be just what is needed to overcome this latest life challenge.