Will I Go Completely Bald with Male AGA?
The first question many men have when they notice a receding hairline in the mirror is if this means they will go completely bald. The answer is that while almost all men are susceptible to androgenetic alopecia (AGA), three other factors play a role in the degree of hair loss a man will experience (if left untreated):(22)
- Age of onset
- Hair loss pattern
- Rate of hair loss
Although all of these factors are highly variable from one man to the next, they are influenced by genetics and are interrelated. Typically the younger the age of onset the faster the hair loss progresses. Most men experiencing male androgenetic alopecia will show a pattern of hair loss over the crown of the head (called the vertex) and in the fronto-temporal region (the facial hairline at the forehead and above the temples), progressing in stages to spreading zones of hair loss from these initial areas.(22)
Only 30% of men will progress to a stage where the majority (or all) of their scalp hair is gone. This means that most men with androgenetic alopecia will not go completely bald—even if the hair loss starts when they are in their twenties.(22)
Will I Lose Other Hair if I Have Male AGA?
In men past puberty, the amount of testosterone circulating throughout the body does not seem to be the determining factor of whether or not AGA will develop. Rather, it is the hormone receptors in the hair follicles themselves which appear to dictate susceptibility or resistance to AGA, with follicles from balding areas having more androgen receptors. This is why, generally speaking, hair in the occipital region of the scalp is less likely to fall out than hair in the crown and frontal areas.(22)
Follicle hormone receptors vary throughout the body as well, and hormones associated with male balding may even stimulate hair growth in certain body areas. For example, men with hairy backs and shoulders often suffer from male AGA. This is because the genes that control hair growth are different in those body regions than for the scalp. However, it should be noted that beard and pubic hair follicles have more androgen receptors than the occipital scalp area.(2, 22)