The good news is that if you're a man, baldness is something that can be overcome, if you recognize the problem early. Over the last few years the mechanisms of male pattern baldness have been well established by science and there are some excellent hair loss treatments that are now approved by the FDA and which are extremely effective. But if you're a man the most important thing to remember is that hair loss can be treated, but baldness cannot.

Male pattern baldness is by far the most common cause of male hair loss. Men between 20 and 45, 95% of problems with thinning hair are the result of inherited male pattern baldness. Men's pattern baldness is technically called androgenic alopecia. You inherited genes from previous members of your family.

The fact that male hair loss was genetic has been known for a long time however it has not been understood clearly the actual mechanism that causes the hair loss. This si the reason an effective hair loss treatment has not been produced until relatively recently. It was only when the exact mechanism behind male pattern baldness was understood that it was possible to produce a baldness treatment.

The mechanism behind male hair loss which is now understood is this. Those who are genetically predisposed have the male hormone testosterone converted in their bodies into a 2nd hormone called Dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, by enzyme called 5-alpha reductase. It is the DHT that causes the hair loss.

The DHT sticks to the base of hair follicles and, in effect, strangles the hair follicles by limiting the ability of the follicles to take up essential hair nutrients. Because the hair follicles cannot take up sufficient nutrients they thinning and die and there is insufficient reproduction of the hair follicles to replace the dead hair.

It's well known that everyone loses hair everyday. The average person loses around 10,000 hairs everyday which are normally replaced. But those who are genetically predisposed to an excess of DHT find that more hair dies and less grows to replace it resulting in a slow thinning the hair and the development of a bald spot.

Once the mechanism by which this occurred was fully known it was impossible to produce a treatment. One treatment alone has been approved by the FDA has a DHT treatment and it goes by the name of minoxidil. Minoxidil is available under a range of product names. However not all minoxidil products work the same.

I have already mentioned the importance of good nutrition to hair health. Although minoxidil blocks the effects of DHT and this frees up their hair follicles to take a enough nutrients, if there are insufficient nutrients available the hair cannot do this. Minoxidil does not supply the nutrients.

The very best hair loss treatment on the market uses minoxidil to interrupts the operation of DHT but at the same time it also supplies a wide range of essential hair nutrients as oral supplements. This two-edged approach is far more effective and simple minoxidil on its own.

Remember if you're a man hair loss can be reversed however you cannot grow hair on a head that is already bald. The best hair loss treatments work well but you need to act fast.