Nowadays no one argues about the fact that restoring the hair lost by androgenetic alopecia is only possible with hair transplantation. That’s why this method has become so widely used in practice.
Male type hair loss – Androgenetic alopecia (see Norwood Classification) is very common in 30-70% of different age groups and population. In recent years this pathology has become more common and younger. Androgenetic alopecia is identified in females as well.
Male hormones testosterone and dihydrotestosterone’s harmful influence on the hair follicles, situated in forehead and top of head (androgen-depended areas), is considered as the cause of developing this condition. These hormones are called androgens (this form of alopecia got its name this way). Androgen sensitive follicles decrease in size gradually with the influence of androgens, they lose the ability to form healthy hair, atrophy and get absorbed.
NORWOOD CLASSIFICATION OF ANDROGENIC ALOPECIA
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That is why the medication treatment for Androgenetic alopecia has no results as hair can’t grow without follicles and the follicles have minimized and absorbed.
General clinical symptoms of Androgenetic alopecia are:
In androgen dependent area:
- Lightening the hair color – hypopigmentation.
- Thinning hairs – miniaturization.
- Slowed hair growth.
- In frequent cases the process is accompanied by excessive oiliness – seborrhea.
Although all the males are characterized with hormonal base, hair loss is exposed only in the individuals, who are genetically prone to hair loss.
At the same time, in case of androgenetic alopecia, some hair is always remained in the area of back of head and temples. The thong is that the follicles situated in these areas have no receptors to testosterone, that’s why they remain resistant against hair loss factor and they are also called permanent hair. Hair transplantation involves transplanting exactly these hair follicles into balding areas.
Hair follicles, situated in donor areas (back of head and temples) maintain their normal anatomic-physiological features almost during the whole human life. The fact that all bald men still have hair on the back and sides of head is the proof of this.
After being transplanted, these follicles remain their morphological and physiological features, they continue functioning normally and healthy, normal hair grows out of them, which never falls. Exactly this theory became the base for Hair Transplantation Theory and it was called Donor Dominance Phenomenon by Norman Orentreich (1959).
Thus the only effective way to solve androgenic alopecia problem is redistribution of genetically healthy hair follicles or own hair transplantation.
