It is not known what causes male pattern baldness, but it tends to run in families and occurs mostly in men. Heredity is a factor, with the genes being passed down from both parents, not just from the mother as it once was supposed. Anxiety, heavy shampooing, or an excess of male ~hormones~ does not influence whether or not baldness will occur. Several products whose manufacturers claim to prevent baldness, such as those that contain lanolin, |vitamins|, or even wheat germ oil, prove harmless, neither preventing baldness or encouraging hair growth.
A prescription drug originally used to counteract high blood pressure seems to stimulate hair growth. Minoxidil is now available in a 2 percent solution specifically as a hair restorer. The studies that have been conducted by the manufacturer, however, have targeted men between the ages of eighteen and forty-nine. And the results of its use affects only the crown of the head; a receding hairline or baldness at the temples is rarely restored. Also, only a very small percentage of the men who used the product twice daily for a year showed any new hair growth. A very large majority showed little or no hair growth.
Use of Minoxidil seems to have no serious side effects, but again, this was a test population of healthy and relatively young males. Older men, especially those with cardiovascular disease, might be in danger of experiencing serious side effects. It is absolutely not recommended for use by pregnant women. It is suggested anyone who uses this drug should check with their doctor after a month's use with a follow-up examination six months later. It is also been shown that, in order for Minoxidil to be of any benefit, continuous use twice a day is necessary. If use of the drug is discontinued, any new hair growth may vanish, and the benefits are greatly reduced if it is used less than twice a day. Although long-term side effects are not yet known, severe itching can result from using Minoxidil.
Other conditions can encourage baldness, and are usually reversible: crash dieting, an overdose of vitamin A, and radiation and chemotherapy treatments. Once these conditions are removed, hair growth will usually resume and use of Minoxidil is of no consequence. Also, women tend to lose some hair as they age, and a few women experience overall thinning of hair all over the head during pregnancy.
