Prevalence Hair loss among men is one of the frustrating situations that occur as you age. The loss may not be noticed as first, but once thinning or a receding hairline becomes visible, a significant amount of hair has fallen. It is insidious and surreptitious! While some men embrace the blad style, others feel that the loss hinders their looks and makes them appear older. By the time you are 50 about 85% of your peers have thinning of hair. In extreme situations, some men start to lose hair before they turn 21. In the United States alone, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), male pattern baldness, or androgenic alopecia, affects an estimated 50 million men and 30 million women. Hair growth cycle Underneath you scalp, the skin covering of your head, you have around 150,000 hair follicles. It is from these follicles that new hairs grow and sprout. At any one time 80-90% of your hairs are in the anagen, or growing phase. Throughout the hair life cycle, your hairs are in various stages of growth and shedding. The four stages of hair growth are: 1. Anagen (Growing Phase) The anagen phase usually lasts from 2 to 7 years and the length of this phase determines the length of your hair.

Genetics The AR gene makes the receptor on hair follicles that interact with testosterone and DHT. If your receptors are particularly sensitive, they are more easily triggered by even small amounts of DHT and hair loss inevitably occurs more easily as a result. Other genes may also play a part. Age, stress, and other factors can influence whether you experience hair loss or not. But genes play a significant role, and men who have close male relatives with MPB have a much higher risk of developing MPB themselves. Testosterone Testosterone exists in your body in different forms. There is “free” testosterone that is not bound to proteins in your body. This is the form of testosterone most available to act within your body. Testosterone can also be bound to albumin, a protein in your blood. Most testosterone is bound to sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) protein and is not active. If you have a low level of SHBG, you may have a high level of free testosterone in your bloodstream. Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is made from testosterone by an enzyme which is called 5-alpha reductase. DHT is five times more potent than testosterone. It is found in your skin, hair follicles, and prostate.

Minoxidil (Rogaine or Regaine) Action The active ingredient of Rogaine or Regaine is minoxidil. It is the only over-the-counter drug clinically proven to help prevent further hair loss. Minoxidil works by helping the blood flow to the hair follicles which increases follicular size and hair shaft diameter. This stimulates and prolongs hair growth. Rogaine was discovered during clinical trials for the treatment of  high blood pressure wherein participants in the study were noted to have regrown hair after Minoxidil was given to them for some time. Minoxidil increases blood flow which stimulates hair follicles, promoting hair regrowth in 4 ways:   Reverses miniaturisation of follicles   Increases blood flow around follicles   Stimulates follicle movement from resting to hair growth phase   Extends each follicle’s growth phase Form and dosage Minoxidil is a topical hair restoration agent that is marketed in the U.S. under the brand name Rogaine . It is available in 2% and 5% solutions; the 5% solution is approved for use only by men in the U.S.  Another form is the Topical Foam 5%. Topical dosage (2% minoxidil topical solution) Adult men and women Apply 1 ml twice daily topically to area where hair growth is desired.

Eating nutritious foods and a balanced diet Salmon Hair is a protein fiber, like your nails, which means that you need to eat protein to grow new strands and keep the existing ones strong. Protein is also required to produce keratin, a key structural component of hair. To achieve all of these, a smart choice is marine-based protein, like salmon, which has been shown to boost the health of your hair because of the omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins that it contains. Honey When used as a topical treatment, honey can improve the look of your thinning hair. In a study of patients experiencing seborrheic dermatitis, which manifests in scaling, itching, and hair loss, those who applied a solution of 90% honey and 10% water on their scalp every other day for 4 weeks reported a significant improvement in hair loss at the end of the study.   Nuts and seeds Some of the most promising research on reversing hair loss was released in January 2015 in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology . Subjects in the study received a nutritional supplement containing omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids and antioxidants for 6 months.  The results were overwhelmingly positive: after 6 months, 90% of the subjects reported a reduction in hair loss, 86% reported an improvement in hair growth, and 87% reported thicker hair.