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Written by CBS4 special projects producer Libby Smith
Reporting
Dr. Dave Hnida
BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4) ― Genetic testing is an easy way to peek into the future; a simple cheek swab can tell you a lot about what’s in store for your health.

There is a broad spectrum of genetic tests on the market, and a new one is offering to make baldness less of a guessing game.

“I’ll be slightly depressed if I find out that I’m going to lose all my hair, but I’ll get over it,” said Mike Heath, a senior at University of Colorado at Boulder.

Heath and his friend, Myles Raymond, agreed to take the HairDx test for baldness. As engineering students, both young men have their minds on mechanics rather than genetics. But even in their early twenties, Heath and Raymond are good candidates for the test.

Both have full heads of hair now, but they both also have a family history of hair loss.

“Both my uncles on my father’s side are bald or going bald, but my dad’s not at all,” Heath explained.

“My dad and grandpa,” Raymond added.

With DNA from a simple cheek swab, Heath and Raymond will find out if they have a genetic variant that causes hair loss.

The HairDx test is fairly simple. It tests just one gene. Mmale patterned baldness is more complicated.

“There are very likely others and we just don’t know which ones they are yet,” said Dr. Theresa Pacheco, a dermatologist at the University of Colorado Denver, School of Medicine.

She sees the test as a tool that can lead to early treatment.

“Some of the treatments are to prevent existing hair from falling out, so it would make sense that you would want to know early and treat early,” Pacheco added.

The tests done on Heath and Raymond both came back with the same results — high risk. That means that both men have a 60 percent chance of going bald. But the test results also say that this is not a guarantee that they’ll go bald, but it does give them a place to start.

Additional Resources

    * For more information on the HairDx test log on to hairdx.com.

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