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What you are facing is male pattern baldness and alopecia. This is a problem that many men face and is a consequence of one's hormonal destiny. This condition is not even necessarily hereditary, so that is not a correct angle to look at when trying to understand the problem. To a large part, there is very little that one can do to remedy the situation permanently; however, with recent breakthroughs, there are remedies that attack the very basic mechanism of balding that might give you some relief.
You would have probably heard of testosterone. This is the male hormone that is largely secreted by the testes in males. After puberty, this hormone is secreted in abundance and is the positive factor that contributes to hair growth after puberty. Things start to make a slight change after the adolescent years and testosterone starts to be metabolized into another form of the hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). This hormone even exists in hair follicles but when the secretion of this hormone goes into overdrive it causes hair to fall off. This happens in a specific pattern that is called male pattern baldness. There are other factors that cause baldness like the lack of biotin - a vitamin B derivative - but this usually can be compensated by the intake of vitamin B.
Since DHT is the main cause in the case of male pattern balding, it would follow quite logically that you would need to block this hormone in order to rectify your condition. While this works well in theory, there are major ramifications of tampering with the amount of male hormone that is in the body. Some of the effects include the development of breasts and erectile dysfunction. Scientists have however isolated one substance that is able to combat DHT, with a minimum number of side effects. This substance is called finasteride. Finasteride is a synthetically produced antiandrogen that works by blocking the conversion of testosterone to DHT. The drug was initially created to treat prostrate cancer but in the tests of the drug, it was found that it also caused the growth of hair, reversing the effects of male pattern baldness. It is now an approved drug and doctors do prescribe this to treat hair loss in men. Again, though the results of this drug are positive, there are dangers that accompany the use of this drug namely, the development of breast tissue and erectile dysfunction. Fortunately, this drug does not stay in the system for too long and as soon as its use is stopped, the side effects start to reverse.
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