Attitudes of Men with Androgenetic Alopecia to Sun Protection

The study aimed to evaluate the solar protection behavior of male patients suffering from severe androgenetic alopecia (AGA) without a previous diagnosis of actinic keratoses or epitheliomas. The study was conducted in a tertiary teaching hospital in northern Spain and included 50 male patients suffering from severe frontal and vertex AGA. Only five out of 50 patients (10%) were concerned about the importance of regular photoprotection of the bald areas of their scalp and used hats or suncreams regularly. None of the 35 patients below the age of 46 years reported using regular photoprotection on their scalp. The study suggests that physicians should stress the possibility that AGA represents a precancerous situation and preventative measures must be specifically advocated.