Androgenetic Alopecia: A Plain-English Guide to Pattern Hair Loss

What androgenetic alopecia means

Androgenetic alopecia is the medical term commonly used for male and female pattern hair loss. Susceptible follicles gradually miniaturise: each cycle can produce a finer, shorter hair until density becomes visibly reduced. DHT is an important driver, particularly in male pattern hair loss. Understand DHT and follicle miniaturisation →

What does it look like in men?

Men commonly notice a receding hairline, thinning at the temples, reduced crown density, or a combination. Progression is usually gradual. A sudden handful of hair, isolated smooth patches, inflammation or scarring points away from a simple pattern and should be assessed.

What does it look like in women?

Women more often notice a widening part or diffuse loss of density through the central scalp while the front hairline remains relatively preserved. An expert committee notes that female pattern hair loss can occur without biochemical androgen excess, so the appearance alone should not be treated as proof of a hormone disorder. Read the committee report →

Read the dedicated women’s guide →

How is it diagnosed?

Diagnosis is clinical. A dermatologist may consider the distribution, rate of change, family history, scalp examination and other symptoms, and may use trichoscopy or tests when another cause is possible. This page—and Luxuel’s assessment quiz—cannot diagnose it.

Where does low-level laser therapy fit?

Randomised sham-controlled studies and meta-analyses have evaluated low-level laser therapy in adults with androgenetic alopecia. A 2019 meta-analysis covering 11 randomised comparisons found higher hair density with LLLT than sham across men and women, while noting heterogeneity between studies. Read the PubMed abstract →

This is category-level evidence. It does not mean every device has been clinically tested, or that an individual will see a particular change.

Is earlier thinning different from a fully bare area?

Yes. Light therapy is intended to support follicles that still function. It cannot recreate a follicle that is no longer viable. That makes an honest assessment of stage important and is also why transplantation and LLLT do different jobs. Compare a laser cap with hair transplantation →

When should I see a clinician first?

Arrange an assessment when hair loss is sudden, patchy, painful, inflamed, scarring, accompanied by eyebrow or body-hair loss, or associated with menstrual, hormonal or systemic changes. A clinician should also guide any pharmaceutical decision.

The useful distinction

Androgenetic alopecia is the condition for which the laser-cap evidence is most relevant. That does not turn a cap into a diagnosis or make it appropriate for every thinning pattern. Establishing the likely cause comes first; choosing among non-invasive devices, medicines and surgery comes after.

Take the non-diagnostic hair-loss assessment → · Read the realistic timeline →

Not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The clinical studies referenced evaluated low-level laser therapy as a category and do not represent clinical testing of this specific product. Individual results vary and depend on consistent use over time. The FDA 510(k) clearance (K261253) is held by the manufacturer.