Ask Doctor is a new feature on www.qwenu.com where you can ask health, wellness and lifestyle questions to be answered by experts without a fee. Specialists will answer to their best of abilities for free. You will also able to read health and wellness articles such as below.

Why do men go bald?

Balding is said to occur when you lose hair. In men, this is very common and may affect up to 50% of adults. The ones who are not affected often consider themselves lucky. However, hope is not lost for those who have lost their full head of hair (pun intended). First, where does hair come from? Hair follicles are the sites in the skin where hair arises. It is interesting to know that humans have all their hair follicles complete at birth. That is why sometimes when you see newborns that have full hair at birth.

Balding can occur in the front, in the crown (center, or as we used to call it in primary school, the ogo area) or if you are double unlucky, you can have both. The exact cause is thought to be from genetics and hormones that your body make including testosterone. If your father is/was bald, there is a very good chance that you will be bald too. However, sometimes you have brothers from the same father, one being bald, and the other having full hair. The timing at which balding starts also varies, some are born bald, some start in their teenage years, but for most, by their 30s, visible patterns of balding can be observed when the scalp is examined closely. However, if you lose a lot of hair very fast (over a few months), it may be a sign of a serious medical illness and you should probably see your doctor immediately.

How can balding be treated?

Many people who have started balding don’t realize that they can treat themselves even before seeing an expert. However, certain treatment options require the help of a doctor. There are medical, surgical, and cosmetic options which include:

a) Rogaine: This can actually be obtained without a prescription in well-stocked pharmacies. If you have relatives living overseas this would make a good Christmas gift for you. The important thing to know about Rogaine is that it promotes hair growth via the scalp. So it is actually a scalp treatment. It comes in two concentrations

(i) 2% liquid

(ii) 5% liquid or foam.

People who have used Rogaine say that for men, the 5% may be more effective. The package actually states that it is for central baldness (i.e. crown), not for baldness that starts from the front. The downside of Rogaine is that you must use it for at least 6 months before you can even know if it is working or not. One packet can range anywhere from ₦15,000 to 50,000 (depending on size, and concentration). But it doesn’t end here, once you start it you must continue indefinitely otherwise, any benefits you got initially would be lost when you discontinue it. So make sure you can afford this before you start, otherwise, it would be a waste of your time (please don’t ask me how long a packet lasts for because I haven’t used it before oh!). Best results are seen if you use it early in the balding process. It is quite safe. There are also other medical therapies that are not included in this summary, but they typically require expert consultation.

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