Background: Few studies have quantified the psychosocial effects of hair loss using standardized instruments in men not seeking treatment for hair loss. Objective: Examine self-perception of hair loss and its effects on men from the community. Methods: Men 18–50 years of age recruited without regard to hair loss, from households near Dayton, Ohio, completed a questionnaire assessing self-perception of hair loss, satisfaction with hair appearance, hair-loss-specific effects and general health status. Results: Men with greater hair loss had more bother, concern about getting older, perceived noticeability to others and greater dissatisfaction with their hair appearance than men with less hair loss. These effects decreased with age for men with hair loss, but regardless of age, perceived noticeability of hair loss increased monotonically with degree of hair loss. Conclusions: Men with greater hair loss report more negative effects due to their hair loss across all age groups, but the effects were more pronounced in younger men.
Introduction: The genetic basis of androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is well accepted in the medical community and among the general population. However, rigorous studies investigating the familial basis of AGA are lacking. The purpose of the current study was to explore the relationship between family history and expression of AGA in a sample of men from the general community. Methods: Hair loss was assessed by an independent observer trained by an expert dermatologist using the Norwood/Hamilton classification scale and a 7-point global description of hair loss. Men were classified into two groups, one as having little or no hair loss and the other having hair loss. The family history of hair loss in parents and grandparents was assessed by subject self-report. Results: Adjusting for age, men whose fathers had hair loss were 2.5 times as likely to have had some level of hair loss compared to men whose fathers had no hair loss (95% CI: 1.3–4.9). Likewise, men whose fathers had hair loss were twice as likely to have hair loss than men whose fathers had no hair loss even after adjusting for age (OR = 2.1, 95% CI: 1.2–3.7 and OR = 2.5, 95% CI: 1.4–4.7 for Norwood/Hamilton and global description of hair loss assessments, respectively). Conclusion: Results suggest that the probability of male pattern hair loss is dependent on family history and age. Hair loss in a man’s father also appears to play an important role in increasing a man’s risk of hair loss, either in conjunction with a history of hair loss in the mother or hair loss in the maternal grandfather.
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