How To Prevent Balding In Men Before It Starts - MensXP.com

Once you've hit your late thirties, there's no looking back for your hairline. It keeps receding and the hair thinning continues.

The hair is no longer as lush and thick as it used to be and there's hardly any hope for the future. Experiencing hair loss in the twenties is not uncommon either. 

We'd suggest you stop or at least work towards minimizing the hair loss before it starts taking a hit on the confidence level.

Table of Contents

The Main Causes Of Balding In Men

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While the reason behind hair loss can be multiple, one of the most common balding causes is androgenetic alopecia, which is known as male pattern baldness. It is a hereditary condition triggered by a genetic sensitivity to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) which is present in the male hormone testosterone.

The DHT attacks the hair follicles, which causes them to shrink. It ultimately leads to poor hair quality, or the follicles stop growing hair entirely. Balding symptoms in men can be in the form of patches or, at times, results in complete loss of hair.

Androgenetic alopecia is not the sole cause of hair loss in men. There can be multiple balding causes that ultimately result in the loss of hair. Some examples include:

Medications and drugs

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Hair fall can be a side effect of certain drugs. If an individual is on medications for cardiac issues, cancer, high blood pressure, or gout, they may have a higher chance of experiencing hair loss.

In the case of terminal illnesses, such as cancer, radiation and chemotherapy can cause hair fall in patients.

Diseases and infections

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Some health ailments or infections, such as fever or flu, can cause the hair to fall out. Liver ailments have an adverse impact on a person's hair and can result in hair fall. In some rare cases, ringworm infections cause baldness as well. However, the hair grows back automatically after the infection abates.

Stress

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Intense emotional stress or pressure can also result in hair loss in some instances. Again, an individual may experience hair growth once the stress factors are no longer there. 

Hair treatments

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Subjecting the hair to multiple treatments like – bleaching, dying or perming can affect the hair roots. The chemicals in these procedures harm the hair follicles, leaving them weak and damaged.

Additionally, the excessive heat used in hairstyling can make the hair brittle, even if one takes necessary precautions. The heat can also damage the texture of the hair permanently. Accumulation of hair products, too, can result in hair loss.

Temporary conditions such as traction alopecia

Additionally, there is also a condition called traction alopecia. It is a health condition resulting in hair loss because of how an individual styles their hair. Wearing tight buns, ponytails or braids for an extended period can result in this condition.

This condition is temporary and easily reversible. One can easily decrease hair loss within a few weeks by trying loose ponytails and lightly braided hair. 

Signs and symptoms of balding

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Hair loss is painless, so it may be tricky for an individual to tell when the balding symptoms start appearing. However, like every health issue, baldness in men also has some tell-tale signs, which one often fails to notice.

If one can detect the signs right on time, one can successfully reverse the process to an extent. Or, in some cases, slow it down as much as possible. Most of the time, a person can correctly detect the symptoms without expert advice.

So, what are the most common signs and symptoms of baldness in men?

• There are several balding symptoms; the most visible sign is the receding hairline, which forms an M-shape. It expands over time as it makes further inroads inside the scalp.
• A bald patch on the crown of the head is also quite common. Slowly the bald area increases in size as a person starts to lose more hair. 
• Men may start experiencing hair thinning in all areas of their heads. The overall density of the hair may begin to decrease. They may notice the parting of their hair becoming wider over time. Or the back of the head has less hair than before.
• Most hair loss takes place over a long period in a gradual manner. Although there are some extreme cases where clumps of hair start to fall out every time a person combs their hair or touches it. It happens mostly when hair loss is a side effect of hair treatments or health-related issues. Only in such cases will an individual notice rapid hair loss.

Balding treatments that one can opt for

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One can opt for certain home remedies when experiencing hair loss in the early stages. These balding treatments are extremely easy. It can help slow down the process of balding to a certain degree. This article will list a few before moving on to medical advice or professional treatment options available for a person experiencing baldness.

Using mild shampoos

There is sulphate in most of the shampoos that people use. This component is necessary since it helps to strip the hair of oil, grease and dirt. However, excessive sulphate content can leave the hair dry and damaged. Hence, professionals advise people to use shampoos with low sulphate content that are more gentle on their hair.

Regular scalp massage

Oil massages are very common in all households; it has a very positive impact on the health of a person's hair. Scalp massaging is one of the many balding treatments that has proved effective in many cases.

Massaging the scalp with the fingertips improves blood circulation. The hair quality stays healthy when the hair follicles have a good blood supply.

Not combing wet hair

When the hair is wet, it is also very weak. Combing the wet hair can cause it to break very easily and fall out.

Overall health quality improvement

One should exercise daily for 20 minutes and engage in physical activities because exercising promotes blood circulation and lowers stress. As mentioned previously, stress is one of the factors that cause hair loss.

By quitting smoking

If a person is a frequent smoker, they must let go of it. Smoking reduces the blood flow to the scalp, which directly impacts the hair's health.

Medical consultation

Now, before turning to medical treatments for balding, one must consult a practitioner. Only a qualified medical practitioner can help one choose an option that would be right for them.

Vitamins E and B promote blood circulation and help with hair growth. They are usually unavailable over the counter, and a doctor's prescription is necessary.

Medicines like Finasteride slows down hair loss and is often given when alopecia is the cause of hair fall. However, the baldness returns when the patient discontinues the medicine. 

Injecting PRP or Platelet-rich plasma into the scalp. It helps with promoting hair growth.

The last resort is a hair transplant. In this case, a professional transfers bulbs of healthy hair into the areas of the head experiencing hair loss. In most cases, if the follicles are still active, new and healthy hair starts growing from the bald spots.

The bottom line

As already mentioned, baldness is a common issue affecting thousands of Indians. And if an individual feels their condition is affecting their self-image, there are multiple ways in which they can reverse or improve it. Whether they choose to treat it or not is entirely up to them. The ultimate goal is to cultivate a healthy sense of self-confidence.

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