alopecia

5 myths about male androgenic alopecia

  1. Androgenic alopecia is caused by stress.

Stress, depression can be a provoking factor for the activation of the alopecia gene. But if there is no genetic predisposition, the consequence of stress is diffuse alopecia, ie hair loss in different areas. This type of alopecia is easily treated, the hair line is restored after eliminating the provoking factor. Androgenetic type of disease is inherited. Stress enhances the action of hormones, accelerates the course of the disease, but is not its main cause.

  1. Frequent combing of hair improves blood.

Stimulation of blood circulation is included in the scheme of treatment of androgenic alopecia. But combing cannot cure or prevent the disease. With androgenic alopecia, blood circulation is improved by applying products applied topically to the scalp (for example, Anaphase Shampoo or Tugain Gel).  Trichologists do not recommend intensive combing of hair if there is a hereditary predisposition to baldness. The comb injures the scalp, pulls out the hair, and it falls out more actively.

  1. The disease appears in adulthood.

Androgenetic alopecia, due to its hereditary etiology, can occur at any age. There is even information about alopecia in children. In men, the first signs of the disease appear during puberty, with the beginning of the production of sex hormones. It occurs at the age of 13-15 years. But hair loss in adolescents is not always associated with androgenic alopecia. Sometimes it is a manifestation of hormonal changes in the body. And as soon as the hormonal background improves (and there is no hereditary predisposition), hair loss stops. If the disease is inherited, then baldness in adolescents is the first signal that it is time to see a trichologist.

  1. High levels of sex hormones are the main cause of hair loss.

Androgenetic alopecia is closely linked to male sex hormones. But the cause of hair loss is the sensitivity of the follicles to hormones, not their large number in the blood. Most often, the elderly suffers from baldness, which has a reduced amount of sex hormones. And young people with high testosterone levels do not have hair loss. Most often, the androgenetic type of the disease is observed in middle-aged men with normal testosterone levels.

  1. A blood test is enough to detect the disease.

This diagnosis cannot be made with a blood test. Blood tests can show the presence of infection in the body, viruses, the amount of testosterone. But these tests do not clearly indicate the presence of androgenic alopecia. One blood test is not enough to diagnose the disease. Scalp and hair examinations are required. To do this, you need to examine the hair shafts under a microscope and perform computer diagnostics to help identify changes in the development of the hair shaft, its thickness and structure. Phototrichogram is also used in the diagnosis.