Androgenetic alopecia (male pattern hair loss) in the United States: What treatments should primary care providers recommend?

摘要

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA), also known as male pattern hair loss, affects up to 96% of Caucasian men, although the true prevalence is not known (Pray, 2008). It is characterized by a gradual thinning of the hair along frontal and parietal areas in an M-shaped pattern, followed by central vertex, or top of the head, hair loss (Pray, 2008). AGA is associated with low self-esteem, depression, and dissatisfaction with body appearance (Mounsey & Reed, 2009). In a multinational study investigating men with male pattern hair loss, 96% of participants across the United States, France, Germany, Spain, Japan, and Korea aged 25-49 years reported they were at least somewhat concerned about their hair loss, and 75% were concerned to extremely concerned (Cash, 2009). Only 16% of men reported not having attempted any treatment, while 34% of men had attempted one or two prior treatments, 24% reported three or four, and 26% indicated five or more self-treatments (Cash, 2009).