Help Your Partner Deal With Hair Loss

Male pattern hair loss (MPHL) or baldness is such a sensitive subject, many men try to ignore or deny it as long as possible. For some, it is so traumatic it can shake their confidence and undermine their self-esteem, even cause them to question their masculinity. Many men are embarrassed to consult a doctor for fear of seeming vain. For others, it is a signal of lost youth.

For many men, hair loss is so sensitiv it can only be addressed by someone close, someone he trusts completely. That is why your support is so critical. Your partner trusts you, respect your opinion, and knows you have his best interests at heart. Your encouragement could help him get the successfully treatment that can improve his outlook, and yours too.

In males, thinning of hair may begin at any time after puberty and is not unusual by the late teens. The incidence of baldness increases with age as studied. As a rule of thumb 25% of men aged 25, 40% of men aged 40, and 50% of men aged 50 show evidence of MPHL.

The two components of male pattern baldness are bitemporal recession and balding over the vertex (top of the head). Usually the balding starts in the temples and frontal areas and involves the posterior vertex later; occasionally the whole crown is affected by the thinning process from the start. The hair loss process may be gradual and continuous , but is often episodic. As the condition progresses, more of the vertex is involved by the balding process and in the most extreme cases complete balding of the crown can result, with hair remaining only on the back and sides of the scalp.

Five steps to helping him deal with his hair loss

1. Understand MPHL. The more you understand about this medical condition, the easier it will be to help him.
2. Educate. Explain MPHL and that he can see a doctor about medical treatment options.
3. Empathize. He might be experiencing a loss that goes beyond the loss of his hair. Try to understand what he may be feeling and be there to support him.
4. Reassure. Help him understand that it is his choice to seek treatment and that you are 100% behind him. You can encourage him to seek medical advice.
5. Enable. If he does not have a regular doctor, give him the name and phone number of a doctor who can advise him.

Because MPHL is a medical condition, there are available medical treatment options for it. Traditional hair loss treatment options range from hair augmentation and replacement, such as hair weaves and toupees, to topical products which are applied to the scalp. Other used remedies to replace hair loss are hair implants or transplants. Today, there is Propecia (finasteride), the only oral prescription medicine that has been clinically tested and approved by the US food and Drug Administration/Philippine Bureau of Food and Drug to stop MPHL and help increase hair growth. Ask your doctor about it.

Now that you have facts, take the first step. Talk to him. Hundreds of thousands of women have already helped their partners find the solution to hair loss. Encourage him to see his doctor or see a dermatologist and begin treatment. Chances are, he just been waiting for a signal from you. It is a conversation that could make him feel better about himself.

Dr. Jay P. Nuñez is a fellow of the Philippine Dermatological Society.