Hair Care Tips

Few fears strike at the hearts of men more than the prospect of going bald, and there are many unproven treatments that prey on this insecurity. Male pattern baldness, or androgenic alopecia, is the most common form of hair loss and is caused by an inherited sensitivity on the scalp to certain normally occurring hormones called androgens. By the age of 30, about one-third of males show signs of baldness, and by 50 half are affected.

So what can you do? Of all the available treatments, only two have been shown to have any effect. These are finasteride (trade name Propecia), which is a drug available on prescription, and the over-the-counter lotion called minoxidil (trade name Regaine). Both can delay loss, or even stimulate some regrowth in some circumstances, but are by no means universal cures. For a start they are most effective in the early stages of hair loss. “If you hardly have any hair left on the scalp, you can’t grow it back, so don’t bother,” says Dr John Gray of the Institute of Trichologists.

To work, they must also be taken for some time – between four months and a year – and if you stop the treatment any effects reverse. There are side effects. For example, about 2% of finasteride users experience decreased libido or reduced ejaculatory volume.

A more expensive long-term option is transplant surgery. Plugs of skin containing 3-6 hair follicles or just one hair are transferred from the back or side of the head to the scalp, where they will continue to grow unaffected by androgens. If you want to try this route, it’s essential first to consult a registered trichologist (see Taking It Further). Sessions over several years may be necessary, and these may cost up to £10,000.

You can take a few precautions to prevent hair loss being exacerbated by other factors. Wash your hair daily to keep the scalp in good condition and avoid using hair dryers – they can damage the scalp.

1 How hair loss occurs

Each of the 100,000 hairs on your head grows in a 2-5 year cycle, after which it falls out and is replaced. In some men, a genetic sensitivity to androgens (a type of hormone) causes this cycle to shorten. It also reduces the diameter of each replacement hair. The gene responsible for this sensitivity can be inherited from either parent’s side of the family

2 Where loss occurs

Hair loss usually begins in the front temporal areas, progressing to the crown. The rate of loss varies between people, and the process can take from 5 to 25 years. As part of normal growth cycles, we lose around 100 hairs a day naturally.

Source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article1937082.ece 

Luke Turowski wasn't ready to go bald yet.

The 25-year-old, who co-owns a construction business with his father in Michigan, guessed it might happen to him one day given his family history--just not at the age of 20.

Turowski tried shaving his head for a couple of years. But he didn't like the idea of wearing the look in his wedding pictures some day. When he finally let his locks grow again, he decided to do something.

"To me, going bald is aging," he says.

In Pictures: Best Baldness Busters

Whether it's a matter of wanting to look young, feel confident or simply have a woman run her fingers through it, many men will go to great lengths to avoid losing their hair.

In a survey of 2,338 men by the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery, more than 1,300 said they'd be willing to give up a personal possession in exchange for more hair. Of that group, 26% said they'd be willing to give up a stereo system, 21% a cellphone, 17% a laptop and 13% a plasma TV.

It's estimated that the U.S. market for hair restoration procedures in 2004 was about $811 million, the vast majority of which was for male patients, according to the ISHRS.

Dr. Jeffrey Epstein, of the Foundation for Hair Restoration, says men unhappy with their receding hair lines basically have two options. They can shave their heads, a la Bruce Willis--a style that makes a statement but takes guts. Or they can seek treatment.

"People that lose their hair are viewed as less powerful and more suspicious," says Epstein, who has surgical and consultation offices in South Florida and New York. "It's also seen as a measure of virility."

The First Step
While androgenetic alopecia, a genetically determined condition that spurs balding, affects roughly 50% of men internationally, it's not the only cause. Before you start trolling the Internet for quick fixes, head to the dermatologist's office to rule out underlying medical problems, suggests Dr. Gene Rubinstein, a clinical instructor at UCLA, who is in private practice at the Dermatology and Laser Centre of Studio City, Calif.

A dermatologist can help you figure out if medications, such as menoxidil, aka Rogaine, or prescription-only propecia, are smart choices. The only two drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treating hair loss, both have been shown as effective in preventing hair loss for as long as they're used and can be taken simultaneously for potentially better results. They can also promote regrowth of hair, albeit typically thin hair, Rubinstein says.

Earlier this year, the FDA also gave clearance to a handheld home medical device called the HairMax LaserComb, which uses a laser's energy to promote hair regrowth. It sells for $395 to $545.

But since men may not want to take a pill every day for the rest of their lives or regularly use a comb, many turn to hair transplantation, says London and New York-based plastic surgeon Dr. Laurence Kirwan.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/

There's a new method of fighting hair loss in men, and it's a laser comb.

The Food And Drug administration has approved a laser comb for restoring hair loss. 

Hair is a universal symbol of youth and vitality, and when it starts to fall out, there are few solutions.

"I didn't know what to do," said Rob Angelino. "I was trying topical stimulants, I was trying different shampoos …

"Angelino's hair was thinning but he didn't want to pay for hair transplants, so a friend told him about a comb that shines with a cold laser light."It beeps every 4 or 5 seconds, and you shift it, and that's how the energy is transferred to the hair," said Dr. Craig Ziering.

Ziering said the laser light stimulates the hair follicles without harming other tissue.

"What happens in genetic hair loss, is you get a miniaturization or shrinking of the actual hair shaft or follicle," Ziering explained.

What these devices try to do is try to stop that and thicken those hair shafts again."Angelino used the comb two to three times a week at home.

After four months, Angelino said he noticed a change."I was very surprised. Those little tiny hairs that are just under the surface of the skin, they had begun sprouting," he said.However, some patients aren't as lucky as he was.

In the latest study done by the company, one-third of the patients failed to notice any hair growth.

The laser comb costs nearly $400.

Source: http://www.nbc5.com/health/13438355/detail.html 

THE BACK FLAPS of men's magazines have touted miracle hair-loss "cures" for decades:

"End baldness now!"

"Grow your hair ... fast!"

"Thinning hair? Try this!"

The newest antidote in the battle against baldness uses lasers - pulses of concentrated light - to regrow and thicken lost or thinning hair.

Unlike the snake oils of years gone by, this treatment may actually work.

"Feel good about your hair again!" proclaims the Web site for the HairMax LaserComb, a relatively simple at-home device purported to stimulate hair growth.

"Thicker, fuller, healthier hair is possible," it asserts.

And it might be. In February, the Food and Drug Administration approved the LaserComb as an effective treatment for hair loss, making it the first nondrug hair-loss treatment approved by the FDA. Until then, Propecia and Rogaine had been the only approved solutions.

The news comes as no surprise to hair-loss clinics across the country, many of which have been using in-office laser therapy for years.

"The fact that the theory has received FDA approval ... that is the beginning of legitimacy in this industry," said Marilyn Wayne, owner of the Hair Solutions hair-loss clinic in Torrance, adding that she's seen laser therapy give full heads of hair to men and women who had been previously thinning.

"Throughout history, there have been an awful lot of people who have touted everything (to treat hair loss) from cow manure on the head to God knows what," she said.

The evidence for the LaserComb is compelling. According to clinical trials, 93 percent of participants using the comb saw an increase in the number of thick hairs, and none reported any serious adverse reactions.

Even without FDA approval, hair-restoration clinics have been using laser machines for more than a decade. In-office treatments use laser "hoods" or "domes," under which patients sit for 30 minutes three times a week.

The in-office treatment costs about $3,000 per year.

Even though the LaserComb, which costs $545, is the only FDA-approved device, the hoods used in physicians' offices use the same technology.

According to Randy Veliky, chief operating officer of HairMax, laser therapy works by stimulating the scalp, thereby increasing circulation to the hair follicles. It also triggers the hair follicles to produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the cells' primary source of energy.

"The laser energy is being converted into ATP just like a plant converts sunlight into energy," Veliky said.

The result, he said, is that weakened hair follicles start growing new hair, and existing hair gets thicker.

It's not exactly a miracle cure, he noted. Laser therapy won't grow a mop of hair on a completely bald head.

"If the scalp gets shiny because it's been dried up, constricted, shrunk - you've gone too far," he said. "If we can catch a hair follicle that has been dormant for a year or two, then we can save it."

But saving hair is a big commitment, and laser treatment - as is also the case with Propecia and Rogaine - must be continued indefinitely.

"If you stop using it, your hair will return to the state that it was in before you started using it," Veliky said. "It's a commitment. ... like brushing your teeth."

To some people, especially women who have fewer options when it comes to hair-loss therapies, keeping the hair on their head is worth the lifetime ritual of either once-a-week laser therapy (treatment is three times a week for the first year; once a week thereafter) or twice-daily Rogaine.

Propecia, generally considered the most effective treatment for men (besides transplants), is not approved for women. In addition, women aren't always good candidates for hair-transplant surgery, since their hair tends to thin all over the scalp, leaving no viable pieces to transplant.

"Women do not deal well with losing their hair," said Wayne, adding that about 60 percent of her clients are female. "It's a constant source of embarrassment."

According to the American Hair Loss Association, at least half of women in the United States will experience some form of hair loss by the time they turn 50.

Many doctors, including Paul Straub of the Straub Medical Center Hair Restoration Clinic in Torrance, wanted FDA approval before incorporating the laser treatment into their programs.

"I've seen a vast number of lotions and potions and nonapproved things come and go," said Straub, who has been treating hair loss since 1972 using surgical procedures and drug therapies. "I personally did not trust (the laser) without testing."

Straub said laser therapy isn't as effective as Propecia or hair-transplant surgery. But it's about as effective as Rogaine, he said, which studies show works well in about 20 percent to 40 percent of users. Still, now that it's approved, he plans on selling the LaserComb as a supplement to other treatments.

"We have to use every available thing we have to help grow the hair," Straub said. "It's not going to be one absolute magic formula."

Source: http://www.presstelegram.com/entertainment/ci_6052494