What is pattern baldness? This term indicates the condition of baldness in men and may also be a common form of hair loss in women. Men and women experience baldness in different patterns.

Hair Loss Pattern in Men vs. Women

Androgenetic alopecia, or hair loss, in men occurs in a well-defined pattern. The hairline usually starts receding above both temples of their head and form an “M” shape after some time. Hair loss in men also takes place at the crown of the head, resulting in either partial or complete vertex baldness.

In women, total baldness resulting from androgeneric alopecia is rare. This is due to the fact that their hair merely thins all over the top of the head, and female hairlines do not recede.

Androgenetic Alopecia from Genetic Factors

Genes may also influence Androgenetic alopecia, modifying the magnitude of the hair follicle’s response in circulating androgens. Men or women who have weak generic predispositions may start losing hair in their teens. They may lose hair only until their 40’s or 50’s. Less than 15% of men may not experience baldness by the age of 70.

According to research, the genes inherited from both parents play important roles in this disease. Fathers, mothers and grandparents who had experienced hair loss may pass it on to their descendants. On the other hand, androgen receptors (AR) are X chromosome linked and they can correlate with baldness. In women’s case, X-linked genes can come from either her father or mother or both.

Androgen receptors could allow one's body to respond appropriately to dihydrotestosterone and other androgens. Variations in the AR genes can produce increased activity of androgen receptors in hair follicles. However, it is still unknown how these genetic changes could strengthen the risk of hair loss for both men and women.

Other Names for Androgenetic Alopecia

Androgenetic alopecia may also be referred to as "Pattern Hair Loss" and "Pattern Balding," its most common layman’s versions. The reason why the disease is also called such is because it follows a characteristic pattern in an affected person. These names may not exactly define the disease but they are so far the broadest in orientation and scope which best fit the description of the disease.

What This Site Wants To Do For You

The main objective of this site is to inform people about the facts of pattern hair loss (i.e. pattern baldness) in men and women. Some of the physicians around and the people who are most affected by the disease consider it to be pathologic while the rest consider it as a normal part of aging.

So which is it? Some degree of balding (especially bi-temporal hair loss) is present among 50 percent of aging men. On the other hand, same number of women is affected by some degree of thinning after menopause. However, a myriad of genetic and hormonal factors may trigger an early onset of pattern balding, indicating an almost certainly pathologic nature.

Do Same Cellular Mechanisms Result to Androgenetic Alopecia in Men and Women?

It was assumed that both conditions of male pattern baldness and female pattern baldness were caused by the same cellular mechanisms. This is despite of the phenotypic and age-related differences in clinical presentation. However, it is recently becoming evident that there are two subsets of female pattern hair loss. One is directly under the control of androgens, as it is with men, and the other is more clearly distinct. It is believed that this occurring second mechanism in women is protective in nature.

Androgenetic alopecia, in both men in women involves a complex steroid metabolism. The hair loss mechanism is well studied in men and the fact that androgens have been found to be the real source of the problem gives justice to the disease’s name.