How to combat hair loss and male pattern baldness
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Boffins at the University of Pennsylvania believe a stem cell problem may be the cause of men going bald.
Their study found that bald men have fewer advanced stem cells crucial to new hair growth in their scalp than hirsute men. The researchers believe that stimulating stem cells in the scalp could be the key to finally finding a cure for baldness.
Although no cure for hair loss currently exists, there are steps men can take to slow the inevitable process. RALPH takes a deeper look at the causes of male pattern baldness and gets some expert advice on how to combat the problem.
An awful inevitability
Michael Palmer will never forget a particular visit to the hairdressers just over five years ago. "I'd been going to the same guy for years but this time, as he was combing my hair ready to cut it, he casually mentioned that I was getting a bit thin on top," remembers the 32-year-old accountant. "I was stunned, then he very helpfully showed me and he was right. It was appalling."
For most men there is awful inevitability about male pattern baldness (MPB) or androgenetic alopecia, as it's known by experts. Even our own heir to the throne seems to have less hair the closer he gets to the throne.
Like a hereditary monarchy, MPB follows a consistent pattern – progressing around the head with loss or thinning beginning at the front hairline or temples and progressing back towards the base of the skull.
Running in the family
The bad news is that at the moment there is no way to prevent this kind of baldness and that re-growth, even with drugs, is pretty rare. Worse still, scientists still aren't sure of its exact causes. However, most agree that MPB or androgenetic alopecia has both hormonal and genetic influences.
The theory that you can tell your propensity to lose your thatch by examining the baldness at your maternal grandfather has largely been discredited.
Look for instance of baldness in older men in your family, it will give you some idea how likely you are to face hair loss in the future.
That said, looking at the instances of baldness amongst the male members of both sides of your family more generally will give you some idea of how likely and when you are going to tread the well-trodden path as well.
On average we lose somewhere between 20 and 100 hairs a day but these are easily replaced – at least until the balding process starts. Some men start losing their hair in their teens, while most of us will have suffered some form of hair loss by our 60s.
If your hair loss is very sudden and unexpected, experts recommend you visit your GP, as this could be indicative of a physical illness or even extreme stress.
Even when the hair loss is clearly a natural part of the aging process the health service recommends that men who are very distressed by it should consider talking to a counsellor.
Hormones
Although most of its causes are still a mystery, what is known about MPB is that, thanks to various hormones and enzymes, hair follicles around the scalp follow a sequence – growth, resting and shedding.
The most important hormones for hair growth and loss are testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) a derivative of testosterone.
While most causes of male pattern baldness remain a mystery, we do know that the hormones testosterone and dihydrotestosterone influence hair growth and loss.
Testosterone and DHT are responsible for the increased hair growth amongst men in puberty but they're also responsible, it's thought, for the shrinking of hair follicles later in life. DHT in particular is the main culprit for MPB.
When men go bald, whatever their age, it's because for a number of reasons, most of them genetic, the DHT starts to damage their hair follicles, shrinking them so that they are no longer able to produce hair.
It's thought that this inability of the hair follicle to cope with DHT is passed down through DNA from father to son, and so on.
Steps to combat hair loss
The bad news is that there is no 'cure' for baldness yet. There are, however, a number of ways in which you can slow the process. The two most effective treatments for male-pattern baldness are minoxidil and finasteride.
Minoxidil is the generic name for a lotion that you rub on your scalp every day. Regaine is the best known brand. The Regain website also has some useful advice generally on hair loss.
According to research amongst users, the balding process slows in about 50% of men who use minoxidil products, and 15% of users will even experience hair re-growth. However, about a third of men don't see any change to their hair loss. Side effects are uncommon. It's not cheap, though – a six-month supply can cost around $120.
Products containing minoxidil and finasteride are recognised as the most effective treatments for hair loss.
Finasteride, which again comes in various branded products, is taken in tablet form and is only available to men. It works by preventing testosterone being converted to DHT.
About 80 percent of men who take finasteride see improvements. Side effects are uncommon, although about two percent of men who use it experience a loss of sex drive. Again, be prepared to make an investment in your locks – finasteride costs about $140 for a three-month pack.
Both finasteride and minoxidil normally require six to 12 months of use before any effects are seen, and the balding process will normally resume if you stop taking them.
Smaller steps
There are some much smaller but easy and practical steps you can take, says hairdresser and men's grooming expert Jason Shankey. "Keeping your hair short will make it look fuller, with more volume – longer hair naturally appears thinner, especially on men," he says. "And wash it too. This will help the shafts of hair to look thicker."
Finally, hair transplants are becoming increasingly sophisticated. In some cases these can involve taking one hair at a time from around the neck and transplanting it on to the bald patches of the scalp.
Hair transplants are just one of many sophisticated modern methods of combating male pattern baldness.
The toupé or hair piece might provoke a snigger but according to George Theurer of A&A Studios, things have moved on.
"Many of them are very convincing these days and there are all kinds of new developments," he says. "We're doing a lot at the moment with hair pieces that are semi-permanent such as Cyberhair, a new product from Japan. It's made of a fibre that simulates real hair, particularly men's hair. It retains its shape and colour. You come in and have these kinds of products removed, rejuvenated and put back every six weeks or so."
Costs can be around $1,530 for Cyberhair while transplants are $5,000 and above.
Some doctors and researchers believe that in the next few years they will find a safe and effective way to encourage substantial re-growth and even prevent baldness, without messing around with hormones, too much.
In the meantime, the best philosophy seems to be to grin and bear it.
Have you tried to combat hair loss? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
