Androgenetic Alopecia

There are various forms of alopecia, the most common being androgenetic alopecia (AGA), which affects millions of men and women. Hair loss for both men and women may begin as early as adolescence but can start even in later decades of life. Hair loss severity in women is usually much less than in men.38 In men with AGA, one of the earliest findings is an increase in the percentage of hairs in a telogen phase of the hair cycle, so that initial hair loss may appear indistinguishable from a telogen effluvium. As in men, AGA in women can be psychologically devastating to accept, leading to overall less body-image satisfaction and making it difficult to cope and retain integrity of personality functioning.7 Androgenetic alopecia has been reported to be a polygenic autosomal trait that is believed to involve several genes18 for both men and women.