The Impact of Androgenic Alopecia on the Quality of Life of Male Individuals: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background Hair plays a significant role in physical appearance and hair loss can profoundly affect self-esteem and mental health. Studies show that people with clinically obvious and undetectable hair loss may have dramatically decreased quality of life (QoL). This study investigated the impact of androgenic alopecia on the quality of life of male individuals in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia and their willingness to seek treatment. Methods In the eastern province of Saudi Arabia, a cross-sectional study was carried out among men identified with androgenic alopecia (AGA). A self-administered survey was disseminated among the patients through social media sites. The questionnaire includes fundamental demographic factors including age, place of residence, level of education, the severity of androgenic alopecia, treatment method, and Skindex-29 to assess the patient's quality of life. Results Four hundred-two male patients out of 717 participants were selected, and 158 (39.3%) were aged between 20 to 29 years old. Satisfaction with treatment medication was reported by 24 (19.5%) out of those who underwent treatment (n=123). Less effectiveness was the most common reason for treatment dissatisfaction (81, 81.8%). The overall mean Skindex-29 score was 23.2 (SD 19.6) out of 100 points. Younger age, suffering hair loss for a shorter duration, undergoing alopecia treatment, being diagnosed with alopecia by a medical doctor, and having a moderate level of AGA were the factors that greatly affected the patient's QoL. Conclusion Consistent with the literature, this study showed that AGA significantly impaired patients' QoL. Among QoL domains, the symptoms domain had a greater effect on patients than the emotions or functional domains. Younger males who were suffering recently from hair loss and were diagnosed with AGA by the medical doctor demonstrated greater QoL impairment than the rest of the patients. A multicenter study may result in a better representation of the impact of QoL in patients with AGA.

Keywords: androgenic alopecia; hair loss; kingdom of saudi arabia (ksa); male patient; male pattern hair loss; psychological impact; quality of life (qol); self-esteem.

Figure 1. The Norwood–Hamilton scale of male pattern baldness.

There are seven groups that make up the usual pattern of hair loss. 'Type I' hair loss refers to the absence of hair loss. 'Type II' refers to frontal hairline regression that is just mild. Type III signifies even more frontal loss and is regarded as "cosmetically significant."  The subgroup of type III known as "III vertex" has severe frontal recession as well as hair loss in the scalp's vertex area. In types IV through VI, the frontal and vertex continue to lose hair, while type VII is the last to retain a considerable volume of hair on the scalp. Reproduced from Norwood, O.T. (1973) Hair Transplant Surgery (1st edition), courtesy of Charles C. Thomas, Publisher, Ltd, Springfield, Illinois, USA (fig001jem).