Genetic "male pattern" balding, also known as Androgenetic Alopecia is believed to be the primary cause of both male and female hair loss. As much as 90% of balding can be contributed to this condition. This problem can be both frightening and embarrassing. Baldness can also contribute to feelings of low self-esteem and a look of premature aging.

Scientists have found that this type of baldness is caused by certain hormones working together over a period of time in conjunction with hair follicles that have a predisposed genetic vulnerability to their effects (meaning you were born with a lack of resistance to baldness).

Everyone, men and women included, produce to varying degrees the predominantly male hormones: testosterone, androsteinedione, and dihydrotestosterone, which is also known as DHT. The actual hair follicles, as well as the sebaceous (oil-producing) glands, tend to contain high levels of an enzyme called 5-alpha-reductase. This enzyme converts testosterone into DHT. Eventually, these susceptible hair follicles become weakened as the hormone DHT binds with their receptor sites. Hair loss of this type may begin as early as the late teens or early twenties and early warning signs are thinning of the hair shaft (the actual diameter of the individual hair) and losing more than 20 to 100 hairs per day, which is the usual amount.

One type of drug that has shown promise as a follicular enhancement therapy for its ability to retard the production of DHT is Propecia. So far studies have suggested that it can be helpful in slowing down, stopping or even in some cases, reversing hair loss when it is used in the early stages of hair loss.

On a healthy scalp hair has a natural growth cycle ranging somewhere between 3 and 8 years. This cycle consists of three stages, anagen-the growth phase, catagen-the transitional and resting phase and telogen which is the final phase when the hair falls out as a new hair begins and the cycle starts all over again. For a person with a genetic predisposition to balding each new growth cycle becomes shorter and the new hair that is formed is thinner. Nobody goes bald overnight, but often they do wake up one morning wondering what kind of hair replacement can benefit them.

The remaining 10% of hair loss can be contributed to a number of factors including improper nutrition (vitamin and mineral deficiencies) stress, natural aging, impaired thyroid function, hormone imbalances, chemotherapy and the use of various prescription drugs.

There are also many different types of follicular enhancement therapies which can be chosen based on the cause and amount of current hair loss. Treatments range from drugs to various shampoos or topical lotions, hair replacement systems and several different types of surgery.

Only by becoming an educated consumer will you be able to choose the type of follicular enhancement therapies that will suit your hair replacement needs.