December 2021

Over the past 18 months, researchers from the Centre of Appearance Research (CAR) at the University of the West of England have been very busy helping us to look at the impact of hair loss on men as well as their experiences of accessing information and support regarding their hair loss.

A total of 197 men with different types of hair loss completed a survey to help us understand a bit more about what type of information and support men were looking for. An interview study of 18 men with alopecia areata (AA) was then carried out to provide a more in-depth understanding of the personal experiences of men with AA – a topic which is underexplored to date.

Following the surveys and interviews the data was analysed and Alopecia UK has received a report from CAR on the findings. We wanted to provide a brief summary of the findings and to outline our next steps to support men with alopecia.

Summary of findings

• The majority of men accessing support from Alopecia UK had AA. Men with other types of hair loss were not as aware of the charity or the support provided.
• The majority of men surveyed had sought out information on medical treatment and practical strategies on diet and aesthetic techniques.
• Overall men who had accessed resources from Alopecia UK were satisfied but also gave suggestions for improvement to better meet their needs. These suggestions included;
  • Better visual representation
  • Styling tips and aesthetic techniques specifically tailored to men
  • More stories from men on the website
• The psychological impact of AA on men needs to be acknowledged; however, that for some men talking about the emotional impact could be difficult given traditional views of masculinity.

Next steps

We plan to use the findings to tailor the support we offer to men with alopecia. In the first instance, we are keen to increase representation of men across our website and in our blogs and stories.

The psychological impact of alopecia areata on men needs to be better recognised and we are planning to publish these findings in an academic journal to increase awareness amongst the dermatology community as well as other wider opportunities to spread awareness.

If you are interested in helping us provide support for men please get in touch! Whether you are willing to be photographed, or perhaps you would like to share your own story for the website publicly or anonymously – all this helps us to achieve greater male representation.