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What to do about hair loss by Dr Miriam Stoppard

Dr Miriam Stoppard, Daily Mirror 27/01/2011

One in four men go a bit thin on top in their 20s. If you’re one of them, it can be an ­embarrassing issue.

You may even be considering a treatment for male pattern baldness.

They range from camouflage sprays and drugs to full unit extraction, which involves the painful transplant of single hair follicles to your bald patch and costs anything from £7,000 to £10,000.

A number of celebrities have talked openly of their angst about hair loss, such as John Cleese and cricketers Shane Warne and Graham Gooch.

Actor James Nesbitt (above) had a transplant and said: “It’s changed my life. It’s horrible going bald. Anyone who says it isn’t is lying.”

Whatever stage you are at and whether you are someone who’s open about it or wants to run away and hide, there is good news.

It isn’t that you have lost all your hair follicles from your shiny pate – you have as many hair follicles as the guys with a full head of hair. They have simply gone to sleep.

Scientists think they have found a way of waking up the hair follicles. Wonder of wonders, they’re going to do it through tickling up follicle stem cells to change into progenitor cells, and these could start their hair growing again.

Research reported in the Journal of Clinical Investigation has found that it is possible to switch on genes that will coax stem cells into forming new hair follicles.

We could actually be quite close to identifying treatments that could be topically applied to the scalp to convert stem cells into progenitor cells, which would make large areas of normal hair.

So while you’re waiting for a solution, why don’t you take a leaf out of the book of chef Heston Blumenthal and comedian Harry Hill, and just chill?

Do you have Hair Loss Problems, read our Hair Loss Help

Hair Loss Cure on the Horizon

A hair loss cure could be on the market sooner than we think thanks to a study at the University of Pennsylvania.

The research suggests that one day it may be possible to reverse hair loss without hair transplant surgery.

It seems that stem cells play an important part in the baldness cure.

The study found that stem cells somehow, in some way, become deactivated in some men as they age.  And the researchers feel that they will find a way to reactivate these stem cells in the not to distant future.

Many people in the world don’t see going bald as a problem but for may men the psychological impact of going bald can be devastating.   Going bald is a problem which can cause a tremendous amount of anxiety for men.

Currently there are a few options if you are loosing your hair such as drugs like propecia and rogaine, hair extensions, weaves, and hair transplants.

Approximately two-thirds of men in the US will experience hair loss by the age of 50, and about one quarter of men who suffer from male pattern baldness start going bald before the age of 21.

So for all the bald men out there…What do you think?  Would you undergo a stem cell procedure to get your hair back?

Do you have Hair Loss Problems, read our Hair Loss Help

Loss of crowning glory hurts men

It’s supposed to be a mark of distinction, but going gray appears a big worry for men in Britain today.

Hair color is the No1 appearance concern, with more than half of men worrying about graying hair, according to a poll by market research firm Mintel. Forty-five is the age when panic bites.

“Although gray hair is traditionally seen as a mark of distinction in men, the reality is many are unhappy with their newfound gravitas,” said Mintel boss of beauty research Vivienne Rudd.

“The physical changes associated with aging can act as a catalyst to mid- life crisis, and our research discovered that men become less content with their appearance after the age of 45.”

Hair loss or thinning is the second most common concern, worrying 40 percent of respondents in the survey of 2,000 men.

Unwanted hair (in the nose and ears) bothers 38 percent of them, being overweight 37 percent, and yellowing teeth 30 percent.

Men generally appear to be more accepting than women when it comes to appearance, but at 45 they are increasingly less happy with their looks.

More than a quarter of men aged 45-54 dislike four aspects of their appearance compared to an average of just over one in 10 men overall.

As with all men, hair is the biggest concern for those aged over 45, with more than half of those in the 45-54 group fretting about loss. Graying hair worries 75 percent of men in this group, though fading or thinning hair isn’t the only concern: close to half of them worry about nose or ear hair.

Rudd also notes that working later into life as the population ages brings older men into competition with younger colleagues. “As a result, older people may feel the need to try to maintain appearance and therefore bring a future boost to the male grooming market.”

Despite the high level of concern that many men display about their appearance, as many as 45 percent do not bother with personal-care products, and this rises to over half of those aged between 45 and 54. Just over a third of men use as few such products as possible, and 31 percent have hardly any interest in them.

Older men are far more likely than younger men to regard beauty and care products “as being completely unnecessary and are also less content with the product results,” Rudd said. “The cynicism extends not only to claims that beauty products make but also to a reluctance to try beauty services.” REUTERS

MALE HAIR LOSS

See our ‘Before and After’ Photos

Do you have Hair Loss Problems, read our Hair Loss Help

Scientists Discover Genetic Role In Hair Loss Disorder

Eight genes that underpin hair loss from alopecia areata have been discovered by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center.

The genes identified are already associated with autoimmune disorders including type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. They could be targeted in gene therapy to help the 5.3 million Americans who suffer from hair loss regain their hair.

Vicki Kalabokes, president and CEO of the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, says: “This research is very exciting, as alopecia areata affects a huge number of people worldwide, and there are very few treatments for it — resulting in an enormous unmet medical need. Hair loss is life-altering – sufferers, especially children, experience social stigma. It affects their quality of life and can lead to long-term psychosocial impact.”

The results of the study were published in the July 1 issue of Nature.

Do you have Hair Loss Problems, read our Hair Loss Help

Is my thyroid causing fatigue, hair loss?

Is my thyroid causing fatigue, hair loss?

Asked by Christie, Arizona

“I was diagnosed with a slightly slower thyroid about a year ago when I was on the Atkins diet. I went off the diet, gained back the weight and now I am having the hardest time losing it again. My hair is half its usual thickness and I am tired all the time. Can this be from my thyroid?”

Conditions Expert
Dr. Otis Brawley
 Chief Medical Officer,
American Cancer Society

Expert answer
Given your symptoms, I am concerned that you might have hypothyroidism. This is a condition in which the thyroid does not secrete enough hormone. I would recommend that you consult an internal medicine specialist or an endocrinologist and discuss your concerns. It is sometimes appropriate to simply monitor a slightly hypoactive thyroid, but most hypoactive thyroids eventually need treatment.

The thyroid gland is located in the front of the neck. It secretes thyroid hormone, which controls our rate of metabolism. Someone who has a hyperactive thyroid has a gland that is secreting too much hormone. They are hyperactive. They will have weight loss. Thinning of hair is common, but hair loss is uncommon. These patients have a faster heart rate and sometimes even a slightly higher temperature and sweating. People with very bad hyperactive thyroids will have a prominent bulging of the eyes and difficulty sleeping. They will initially be treated with beta blockers to slow metabolism and then will be treated with drugs to block thyroid secretion. Radioactive iodine is sometimes given to destroy the hyperactive thyroid. Surgical removal is also sometimes a treatment option.

People who have no thyroid gland or hypoactive thyroids (thyroids that produce too little thyroid hormone) have a generalized slowing of the metabolic processes. They are fatigued, can have slow movement and slow speech. They have a slow heart rate, are cold intolerant, can have constipation and often have weight gain. These patients have skin that is cool and pale because of decreased blood flow. Hair may be coarse. Hair loss is common, and the nails become brittle. Anemia is also common. The voice can deepen.

Hypothyroidism is common in adults and is usually due to an autoimmune disorder in which the patient’s immune system damages or destroys the thyroid. Iodine deficiency is a common cause of hypothyroidism in some countries in which foods are not fortified with iodine. A few people have hypothyroidism because of ingestion of radioactive iodine after nuclear accidents. Radioactive iodine in high dose can destroy the thyroid.

In the U.S. and Western Europe, hypothyroidism may occur in up to one in 25 adults with more than half being unaware that they are hypothyroid. It is often not diagnosed, although the diagnosis can usually be done through some widely available simple blood tests.

Treatment of hypothyroidism involves thyroid replacement through administration of oral medication. Synthetic thyroxine given once a day is the most common replacement drug. It is monitored through blood tests and the proper dose is created for each patient.

Do you have Hair Loss Problems, read our Hair Loss Help