Androgenetic Alopecia (common baldness)

Alopecia (al-o-PEE-sha) is the medical term for excessive hair loss or baldness in an
area of the body where hair is normally present. Usually, it refers to scalp hair.
Androgenetic alopecia, also called male type or female pattern baldness, is a common
dermatological condition that is estimated to affect up to 60% of men during their lifetime.
This condition also occurs in approximately 30% of women. In both sexes, the cause is
a complex mix of inherited and hormonal factors.

The adult human body averages some five million hairs, of which approximately 100,000
are located on the scalp* the actual numbers of hairs vary according to the individua's race
and hair color. For example, blondes typically have more head hair (about 120,000 strands)
than persons with brown or black hair (about 100,000), or redheads (about 80,000).

Like skin cells, hair grows and is shed regularly. Shedding up to 100 hairs per day is
considered normal. The average rate of growth is about 1/2 inch per month. As a rule, hair
grows best between the ages of 15 to 30, then declines sharply between 50 and 60. Of the
sexes, women's hair generally grows faster than men's.

An estimated 50 million men and 30 million women in North America experience excessive
hair loss or thinning hair related to androgenetic alopecia.? This makes the condition the
largest single-type of recognizable alopecia affecting both men and women.

Following the onset of androgenetic alopecia, shafts of hair become increasingly shorter,
thinner and lighter or even transparent in color. Eventually, the hair follicles are no longer
capable of producing new hair.

The actual rate of hair shedding is hastened by three primary factors: age, hereditary, and
increased levels of the male hormone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT) within the hair follicle.
DHT is a highly active form of testosterone that influences many aspects of behavior, from
sex drive to aggression.

Most cases of permanent hair loss in males and females result from common baldness,
also know as pattern baldness, or by its scientific name, androgenetic alopecia
(pronounced: "al-o-PEE-sha").

In women, it is characterized by general thinning with moderate loss of hair at the hair-line
and crown.

In men, it is characterized by a receding hair-line with moderate to extensive loss at the
crown.

Shedding 100 hairs each day is considered normal.

The rate of shedding with androgenetic alopecia is increased by three primary factors:
advancing age, an inherited tendency to bald early and high levels of the male hormone
dihydrotestosterone (DHT) within the hair follicle.

Although no cure is available for excessive hair loss, existing medical treatment options include:

ElectroTrichoGenesis or ETG: uses a low intensity electrostatic field to stimulate hair growth.

Minoxidil: a drug marketed under the trade name Rogaine.

Finasteride: a drug marketed under the name Propecia.

Surgical procedures such as transplantation, grafts and scalp reduction.

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* University of British Columbia Hair Research and Treatment Centre.
* American Academy of Dermatology.