Impact of androgenetic alopecia on the psychological health of young men

Background: Hair represent an important aspect of an individual s self-image and affect social perceptions about that individual. Hair loss caused by androgenetic alopecia is also known to affect the psychological well-being of an individual but local data in this context is lacking. Aim: To investigate the psychological impact of hair loss among young men in the local population. Design: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, three psychometric scales assessing anxiety, self-esteem and depression were administered to male participants between 20 to 30 years of age (n=90).Participants were grouped into those with mild to moderate hair loss and moderate to severe hair loss using the Norwood-Hamilton scale. Age-matched men without evident hair loss were included as controls. Results: Significantly low self-esteem (p=0.000) and high anxiety levels (p=0.001) were seen in men with hair loss as compared to men who had no hair loss. No difference was observed in terms of depressive symptoms between the control group and the groups of men with hair loss (p=0.084) Conclusions: Young men from the local population affected by hair loss suffer from psychological complications including anxiety and low self-esteem. Psychosocial measures need to be installed to facilitate affected men in overcoming such deficits. Cosmetic treatments may also be used as a remedy for the psychological concern arising due to hair loss. Further research is needed into the factors affecting psychological health of men with hair loss.