Hair Thinning Men

Norwood scale of male pattern baldness

Hair thinning and hair loss in men is primarily dependent on genetics. Men with hair thinning have a genetic predisposition to elevated levels of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the androgen that causes hair loss. DHT causes the miniaturization of hairs until finally the follicle is unable to produce hair. The gene may be inherited from the father or mother’s side of the family, or both. In the United States, male pattern baldness affects about 40 million men, 25 percent of men begin thinning or balding by the age of 30, and over 60% begin thinning or balding by age 60. Most men experience some kind of recession at the hairline forming a classic “widower’s peak” where the frontal hair is lower than the sides which are receding. Hair thinning patterns are depicted by the Norwood Scale, which shows the degrees of hair loss experienced by men.