Columbus Dispatch: Male Pattern Baldness

It's a battle many have waged for years, and eventually, lose. That battle to keep your hair. For men, there are many options out there to help. Everything from creams to transplants. Some will do what they can, and spend what it takes to avoid being follically challenged.

But some doctors say the stigma that can come with losing your hair has lessened a bit, and fewer patients are coming in looking for drastic solutions.

"By the age of 30, about 30 percent of men have male pattern baldness; by age 50, about 50 percent join the club. And by age 70, 80 percent of men have some sort of baldness," said Dr. Matthew Kunar of OhioHealth Primary Care Physicians in Dublin.

Sometimes what is happening on top has nothing to do with you, but who came before you.

Men who have a father who is bald or balding are five times more likely to go bald than men whose fathers have a full head of hair, Dr. Kunar told JoAnne Viviano of the Columbus Dispatch. "Another factor is the amount of dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, circulating in one's body, the DHT binds to receptors in hair follicles and leads to baldness," Kunar added.

Dr. Kunar says that some men have embraced the baldness and started shaving their heads, adding that complaints and questions in his practice have declined over the past 10 years.

For those that still want to put up a fight, experts say there are over the counter options, prescription options and then surgical options that can be quite a bit more costly.

There have been questions about male pattern baldness and a possible link to health concerns.

Dr. Kunar told the Columbus Dispatch that the association of some studies is loose, adding, "men who are concerned about their health should talk to their doctors."

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