Patterned baldness

Patterned Baldness is prevalent in both and women, but is much rarer for women. Patterned baldness can make a man go totally bald when left unattended.

In male pattern baldness the tendency is to lose hair on the sides, front and top of the head. A bald spot in the crown could also grow outwards, though this is usually not the first place that hair loss starts.
The most common cause of baldness in men is Androgenetic Alopecia (AGA), also called Male Pattern Baldness.

AGA is characterized by more than normal amounts of DiHydrotestoterone (DHT) in the scalp. An enzyme known as 5 alpha reductase, that occurs naturally in the body, combines with testosterone and the result is a more powerful androgen (male hormone) known as DHT. DHT has very few purposes after the embryonic stage in development and so, with nothing else to do, it binds to hair follicles and prevents them from growing.

Patterned baldness in women is characterized by a general thinning of hair, but does not affect the front hairline and rarely results in total baldness as it does to their male counterparts. Female pattern balding is not very common, but can be severely psychologically damaging when it occurs.

In most cases of baldness the hair loss and thinning of hair in women can be attributed to illness, medication, malnutrition, anemia and hormonal changes during menopause.

In the case of men, most  bald or balding individuals are victims of AGA or male pattern balding. It is a progressive condition and has the potential to make one go completely bald.