Over the years, it's common for men to begin to experience hair loss as part of the process of aging. This thinning naturally happens with older age for males, though it could be other disorders causing a symptom that resembles male pattern baldness. While the only way to know for sure is to see a doctor, in most cases, the bald head that comes with age is nothing to worry about.
Androgenic alopecia is more commonly called male pattern baldness. Over the course of a lifetime, it affects 70% or more of all men. The pattern referred to is a thinning at the temples and at the top of the scalp in a circular shape that spreads outward. This can lead to varying degrees of baldness for different people, up to and including total baldness.
The triggers for androgenic alopecia are the male sex hormones. Those who suffer this type of baldness do so due to a genetic sensitivity to dihydrotestosterone, or DHT. The follicles on the scalp react to DHT by shrinking over time, making it impossible to continue to produce hairs of the same strength and thickness of years past. Eventually, many stop producing all together.
The process of going bald starts long before it begins to show on the head. Follicles that are sensitive to DHT are exposed to the hormone for many years before they are unable to produce any longer. That stretch of time offers a large window for the process to be slowed with medications to suppress certain hormones or treatments to stimulate growth in areas flagging follicles. After consulting with a doctor, some men may choose one or both of these methods, or instead, opt to try one of several transplant techniques available. These techniques usually use the patient's own hair to fill in bald and thin areas in hopes that new growth will take hold.
Not all males choose to seek the help of a doctor to combat male pattern baldness. Rather, some choose to be proud and live with the loss as it naturally happens. Others find humor as it grows more in some places, but not on the head at all. Many shave their scalps bare at the first signs of shedding. While there are options available in the forms of medications to stimulate growth and transplants, it's also an option to let nature take its course as we age.