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Baldness: Pattern Baldness
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Baldness is the state of lacking hair where it often grows, on the head. The most common form of baldness is a progressive hair thinning condition called androgenic alopecia or ' male pattern baldness.' Do natrual supplements have a role to play in treating male or female baldness? See hair for a review.
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What is Baldness - Baldness is the lack of hair where it would normaly grow, especially on the head. The most common form of baldness is called: Male Pattern and Female Pattern Baldness.
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Male Pattern Baldness is genetic and accounts for most baldness in men. Women are affected genetically too. All those affected inherit a tendency to store an excessive amount of the male hormone, testosterone in the scalp. As the individual grows through childhood, adolescence and then into adulthood, the body goes through a biological change. During this time, testosterone mixes with the enzyme, 5 Alpha Reductase and Androgens, and then converts to Dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is toxic and forms a waxy-like gel or blanket around the bulb area, which can begin to constrict the blood supply.
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Baldness Treatments range from the medicinal to the surgical. FDA- approved medications like Rogaine and Propecia can provide effective short-term relief from baldness and have been a popular baldness remedy for years. Rogaine is a topical solution that has proven to be one of many effective baldness treatments in that it helps follicle regrowth but works for only about 60% of all patients. Propecia, on the other hand, is very effective in stemming existing hair loss but is most powerful when used in the early stages of male-pattern hair loss and baldness. Unfortunately both medications are temporary in nature, as results cease once use of the medication has been discontinued.
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Baldness occurs when hair falls out but new hair does not grow in its place. The cause of the failure to grow new hair in female pattern baldness is not well understood, but it is associated with genetic predisposition, aging, and levels of endocrine hormones (particularly androgens, the male sex hormones).
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The Wnt study may lead to new and effective baldness treatments, but it's important to temper any enthusiasm. There's a still a significant gap to bridge between regenerating follicles in mice and wiping out male pattern baldness in humans, and gene therapies have generated excitement before. In January 1998, scientists at Columbia University announced they had made the first discovery of a gene partially responsible for baldness. They called the gene "hairless" because it was associated with a specific form of severe inherited baldness. The leader of the research group said at the time that their discovery may lead to new therapies for hair loss and baldness within five years [Source: Science Daily]. While those therapies haven't materialized, the study marked an important shift from looking at hormones to examining genes as the primary factor in hair loss.
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Pattern Baldness