With male-pattern baldness, the hair loss is typically the result of a receding hairline as well as baldness on the top of the head.  Women can also develop female-pattern baldness, which is when the hair becomes thin over the scalp.

Doctor Treats Patient for Baldness

An individual’s family doctor may be able to help with this type of baldness.  Sometimes baldness is related to a person’s diet, medications and illness.  Even how well (or not) someone takes care of his or her hair can be related to baldness.  For some women, it can be related to menstrual cycle, pregnancies and menopause.

Some doctors want to do a physical examination in order to look for causes of hair loss.  Blood tests and/or a biopsy may be in order also.  In some cases, with a biopsy, a small sample of cells is taken from the person’s scalp and is looked at underneath a microphone.  Treatment options will vary according to the type of hair loss the person is found to be suffering from.  Some doctors prescribe various medications.  Sometimes the hair loss is due to some type of infection and recognizing this may help to put a halt to the hair loss all together.  Correcting a hormone imbalance may also help prevent further hair loss.

There are many medications, which can help with hair loss. There also medications, which can prevent hair loss or baldness.  Rogaine is a common over-the-counter treatment for hair loss or baldness.  It is available without a doctor’s prescription and is applied directly to the scalp.  Both men and women can use Rogaine.  Propecia is another brand name used to fight hair loss.  This is available by prescription and is only available to men in pill form.  It can take up to six months before a male will notice a difference or be able to tell the difference.

In some cases, adequate treatment is not available. In these types of cases, people will try different hairstyles in order to try to mask the problem. Some people will use wigs or hairpieces.  There are also some natural remedies, which may be very beneficial to some individuals.  If you are concerned about hair loss or don’t know where to turn, make an appointment with your family doctor for further help and information.  Your doctor should be able to help you make necessary lifestyle and dietary changes as well as put you on the right track to the correct over-the-counter or prescription medication to combat your hair loss.  As with any medical condition, dealing with it in the early stages is better than waiting until it gets to be a real problem.  The longer you let it go, the harder the problem is to correct.