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Significant hair growth occurred in 53% of the 81 patients completing a 1 year trial of topical minoxidil. The average reduction in the diameter of the balding crown was 3.48 cm for all patients. There were no minoxidil related changes in laboratory tests during the study period. Psychosocial studies of our patients indicate that 95% assessed the effectiveness of topical minoxidil as moderate or excellent. The majority of those participating in the study thought that their personal presentation of self was of equal or greater importance than their work performance. It was concluded that topical minoxidil has the potential to improve male pattern baldness significantly without apparent risk and to be a means by which individual presentation of self may be improved.

Factors important in planning hair transplant surgery are presented. The procedure must be designed for each patient individually. Success with hair transplantation depends upon developing surgical skill and having an appreciation of esthetically pleasing designs.

The need for a widely accepted, accurate, and reproducible standard of classification for male pattern baldness has increased with the advent and increasing popularity of hair transplant surgery. This report establishes such a classification, and reports its use in determining the incidence of male pattern baldness at various ages in 1,000 white adult male subjects. The action of testosterone as an incitant in male pattern baldness is well known, but this study points out the continued effect of time, even in later years. Since most hair transplant surgery is peformed on subjects with male pattern baldness, and because the success of hair transplant surgery is largely dependent on proper patient selection, a complete understanding of male pattern baldness is essential for consistently good results with hair transplantation.

Androgenetic alopecia in the female occurs much more frequently than is generally believed. The condition is still considered infrequent, for it differs, in its clinical picture and in the sequence of events leading to it, from common baldness in men. To facilitate an early diagnosis (desirable in view of the therapeutic possibilities by means of antiandrogens) a classification of the stages of the common form (female type) of androgenetic alopecia in women is presented. The exceptionally observed male type of androgenetic alopecia can be classified according to Hamilton or to the modification of this classification proposed by Ebling & Rook.

Male pattern alopecia can be significantly improved with punch autografts, scalp reductions, and/or hair-bearing flaps. In the authors' experience, the choice of the appropriate surgical modality is expedited by utilizing the classification of baldness coupled with the quality of the donor hair.