Many men experience hair loss as they grow older. The American Hair Loss Association reports that 85 percent of men will experience some hair loss by age 50. It says 95 percent of men who lose hair do so because of male pattern baldness, a hereditary condition that usually begins with a receding hairline and loss of hair from the top of the head.
Hormonal Influence
Androgenetic allopecia, the medical name for male pattern baldness, occurs in men who have a genetic predisposition towards baldness. According the Follicle.com, an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone, causing some hair follicles to become less active. These follicles eventually cease to produce hair, leading to baldness.
Rate of Growth
Mayo Clinic reports that hair normally grows about ½ inch per month. Each hair strand grows two to three years before it falls out, to be replaced by another one. Most people lose between 50 and 100 hairs every day. You don't notice most of this loss because new hairs grow to replace the ones that fall out. When the hair follicles fail to produce new hair, you'll first notice thinning, then bald spots.
Other Causes
Thyroid disorders, taking certain medications, stress, chemotherapy or an injury that damages the hair follicles can also lead to hair loss. Alopecia areata, an autoimmune disorder of unknown origin, also causes hair loss in men and women. Some hair loss, such as that caused by stress or chemotherapy, is temporary. When the stress resides, the chemotherapy stops or the medical condition is corrected, your hair grows back.
Heredity
If the men on either your mother's or your father's side of the family lose their hair as they get older, you will have a greater genetic propensity to go bald yourself. Heredity also predicts your age when you begin to lose your hair and the pattern your baldness will take.
Heart Disease
A study published in 2000 in the Annals of Internal Medicine showed a link between male pattern baldness and increased risk for heart disease. The study followed more than 22,000 male physicians for 11 years and found that men with some hair loss had a greater risk of coronary heart disease---as much as 36 percent greater for men who were completely bald compared to men who maintained a full head of hair. If the men also had hypertension, their risk further increased.
Solutions
Surgical methods of addressing hair loss involve either hair transplants or scalp reduction. In a hair transplant, a surgeon transfers hair-growing follicles to bald areas on the scalp. In scalp reduction, the surgeon removes balding portions of the scalp and stretches hairy sections of scalp to fill in the gaps. Or balding men can choose from several pharmaceutical solutions, including minoxidil, finasteride or steroids.
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