Even Celebrities Have A Bad Hair (Loss) Day

A receding hairline or the arrival of a bald patch can have a dramatic effect on men's confidence and self-image.

Feb 2011

There is a lot of media at the moment around hair transplantation and what men can do if they are going a bit thin, with more and more celebrities accepting, talking about or hiding their hair loss problems and solutions.

Although hair loss in men is one of the most widely accepted forms of hair loss and most common – it is still a problem that causes major anxiety for most men (although the majority wont let on it bothers them!). A receding hairline or the arrival of a bald patch can have a dramatic effect on men's confidence and self-image. It’s something most men secretly 'fear' but hope will never actually occur.

After all, thinning hair and baldness is something that kids use to identify the elderly, despite the fact that the process can begin before 20 years of age!

A good head of hair is associated with youth, virility and attractiveness, so when hair loss occurs it can come as something of a shock.

Many men believe that if their father has a full head of hair, they’ll keep a good head of hair. But genetic hair loss is set by a predisposed combination determined by both sides of your family.

The science behind the loss:

There are a number of different causes of male hair loss, but a condition inherited from either one or both parents is the cause of over 90% of all hair loss in men. It is quickly recognisable because the loss results in a familiar pattern at the crown, front or the entire top of the head.

Androgenetic alopecia (to give its proper title) affects both men and women equally it’s just that it usually manifests itself in men at a younger age, and it is very easy to spot from the ‘male pattern’ of hair loss it takes...thus the name male pattern hair loss.

The problems are enzyme receptors (5-alpha-reductase..or 5AR)at the base of some of the hair bulbs at the top (or Vertex) of the head, these convert testosterone in to a more potent version (dyhydrotesosterone...or DHT for short), this interaction happens over years (if not decades) to thin the hair by making hairs that grow with each hair cycle thinner and finer each time.

There is no such thing as a permanent hair Transplant, as the hairs around the transplanted hair will still be affected by the DHT, it’s important to maintain that hair with the medication I have spoke about, otherwise you’ll end up with no hair apart from the transplanted ones..which would look a little odd!

You are not alone - the celebs and their hair-raising problems:


James Nesbit:

 

James has recently come out and stated that he has had a hair transplant, and why not, this is a clear case of a guy who wants to roll back the years a bit.

The surgery he had would have most likely have been called Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) this is where a strip of hair is taken from the back of the head (and then sutured up so there is only the slightest scar visible) the strip is then quickly dissected into individual hair follicles, which are then distributed where it’s required.

This creates a very natural hair line.
 

 

 

 

 

 

Elton John

 

 

 

Elton has been there and bought the t-shirt when it comes to hair restoration, Elton first had the follicular Plugs which did not look natural at all, they cannot be distributed evenly enough to make a natural hair line, resulting in a ‘Dolls head’ look.

This technique has been refined so they are smaller ‘plugs’ and may be beneficial at the vertex (top) of the scalp, as it is a quick and easy way of gaining hair density.

Elton looks as though he has had those initial plugs removed and redistributed through the ‘FUE’ technique.



 

 

 

 

Chris Evans

Chris has become well known for his battle to save his hair line, for the man who is not yet at the ‘surgery’ stage, there are two options open to him to treat this pharmaceutically, either Minoxidil or Finasteride.

These two medications inhibit the ‘5AR’ enzyme from producing ‘DHT. This stops the retardation of the hair and allows the hair to grow again.



 

 

 

Male Hair Loss - the facts:

Male Pattern hair loss is the cause of hair thinning or loss in 90% of men.

70% of men will experience Male Pattern Balding before the age of 65.

Male Pattern Balding only affects the top, crown and upper sides of the head.

If you are loosing hair from your entire scalp, there may be another reason.

Men do not suffer Male Pattern Balding before puberty.

Male Pattern Balding is not caused by poor scalp circulation.

Male Pattern Balding is caused by dominant genes inherited from either or both parents, but if you are a man your hair loss genetics to tend to ‘lean’ towards your paternal side.

There are effective treatments available for Male Pattern Balding if treated while adequate hair still remains.

Other causes of male hair loss include:

Mineral deficiencies

Under active thyroid
 

Fungal scalp infection

Some prescribed medicines

In summary:

Hats, products or hairstyles have no determination on the amount of hair you will lose!

Medication can’t really help! It can delay a problem but there is no cure, remember your trying to change what is essentially a part of your genetic make-up...it’s like trying to change your eye colour with medication!

Consultant Trichologist Iain Sallis is the only hospital-based trichologist in the UK with seven clinics spanning the country. Treating symptoms and problems such as male and female pattern hair loss, thinning hair, alopecia and many types of scalp conditions, trichologists are hair scientists who work to try and understand the underlying problems causing hair and scalp issues.