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Male pattern baldness
Male pattern baldness
OverviewSymptomsTreatmentPrevention

Male pattern baldness

Alternative Names:
Alopecia in men; Baldness - male; Hair loss in men; Androgenic alopecia in men

Symptoms:
  • thinning or absence hair
  • receding hairline (from the front toward the back over time)
  • thinning of hair
  • loss of hair at the crown of head
  • progression of hair loss in a typical "M"-shaped pattern
    • eventually results in a loss of hair over the top of the head
    • horseshoe ring shape of remaining hair


Signs and tests:

Classic male pattern baldness is usually diagnosed based on the appearance and pattern of the loss of hair. Hair loss that occurs in an atypical manner may be caused by other medical disorders.

A skin biopsy or other procedures may be needed to diagnose other disorders that cause loss of hair.

Hair analysis is not accurate for diagnosing nutritional or similar causes of hair loss. It may reveal substances such as arsenic or lead, however.



Review Date: 5/1/2002
Reviewed By: Michael Lehrer, M.D., Department of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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