How do I avoid being bold

How do I avoid balding?

Sun Doc All my uncles are bald, and I’m afraid that I will end up just like them. Is there any way I can avoid going down the same road? Felix

Dear Felix

By age 50, half of all men have some hair loss. Male pattern baldness or androgenic alopecia occurs due to male sex hormones called androgens and also due to genetics, especially if the men on the mother’s side of the family have it. Hair has a growth cycle, and when the cycle ends, the hair falls off, and new hair starts to grow from the hair follicle.

Androgens have many functions in the body, and one of them is regulating hair growth. With male pattern baldness, the hair follicle shrinks, and produces hair that is shorter and finer/thinner, and eventually, no more hair grows. The thinning and balding may be on the sides or on the top of the head, and it may be limited to a particular area or spread to include the whole head.

There is no way to effectively prevent male pattern baldness, though you may be able to delay it a bit by managing stress. Stress usually increases the levels of the androgen hormones that contribute to baldness. Once it starts to happen, the best thing is to just accept it. If you have a skillful barber, he can come up with creative hairstyles to make your hair look thicker and fuller, and to hide the hair loss. Some medications like minoxidil cream can slow down hair loss and stimulate the growth of new hair.

Finasteride tablets, which block the androgen hormones, also slow down the hair loss. Both of these medications should be prescribed by and monitored by a doctor, because they can have severe side effects. It takes between three months to one year for the effects of the medications to be seen. Hair transplants can also be done, transferring hair from the areas with active growth and planting it in the areas with hair loss. This however, comes with the risk of scarring and infection at the site. To avoid these risks, some men opt to use wigs or weaves to cover up the hair loss. Good luck. SUN DOCTOR THIS WEEK: Dr Spasoje Radovanovic, Derma Plus Clinic Send your medical questions to [email protected] or [email protected] for absolutely free expert advice.