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Medicines offer hope for regrowth of hair: By Aliki Nassoufis.

BERLIN — First the forehead gets higher, then a spot at the back of the head clears — hair loss is for many men the worst thing they could possibly suffer as they get older.

While balding men used to place their hopes in all kinds of remedies or attempt to conceal the areas with hair pieces, effective hair growth medications have been available for years. But they can’t guarantee the return of a full head of hair.

There are good reasons for the anxiety men feel when their hair starts to fall out.

“Studies show that to other people, bald men appear to be an average of three to four years older than they actually are,” said Ronald Henss of Saarbruecken.

“They also are perceived as less stylish than men with a full head of hair. In the eyes of many beholders, a bald head means the loss of attractiveness. One small comfort: “Most people think of bald-headed men as family men and faithful husbands,” said Henss.

The likelihood of hair loss increases with age. By their 80th birthday about 80 percent of men are affected, said dermatologist Natalie Garcia Bartels of a center’s of excellence for hair at Berlin’s Charity Hospital. Up to 100 individual hairs fall out per day from a normal head. Anything over that is considered hair loss.

“Mostly it is congenital hair loss — the so-called androgenic alopecia or male-pattern baldness, which can begin in men from age 20,” said Garcia Bartels. It appears gradually as a receding hairline from the lateral sides of the forehead or hair loss as a bald patch at the top of the head that works its way gradually toward the front. “Many men are left with only a ring of hair around the lower part of their head.”

Hair loss is set off by a hormone in the scalp. An enzyme causes testosterone to be transformed into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which is believed to be the primary contributing factor in most cases of male pattern baldness. The hair follicle develops a deep sensitivity to DHT, which initiates a process of follicular miniaturization. This progressively decreases the width of the hair shaft until the scalp hair resembles peach fuzz or goes away completely.

“The result is more hair than normal is lost. Why this happens to some men and not others has not yet been researched,” said endocrinologist Gerd Hofmann of Munich.

There are other types of hair loss, but they occur less frequently. When circular patches of hair fall out, for example, the cause typically is an autoimmune disease that sets in rapidly, said Garcia Bartels. Sometimes hair loss is attributed to an internal disease of the thyroid or a low level of iron in the blood.

There are remedies available to stop hair loss caused by male pattern baldness and possibly even to reactivate the still existing hair follicles. The effectiveness of the remedies in fact has been documented in studies. Remedies with the effective ingredient finasterid, used in high doses to treat the prostate gland. It blocks the enzyme that converts testosterone into the hair follicle-damaging DHT.

Finasterid can be obtained through a prescription and it is in the form of a tablet taken daily.

“If the treatment is stopped, the hair loss as a rule will start again,” said Garcia Bartels. The price of the drug for a three-month supply is high. Somewhat more economical is Minoxidil, which is a lotion that must be applied to the scalp twice a day. Originally developed as a blood pressure medication, Minoxidil was found to have the side effect of hair growth.

Minoxidil’s success rate is however lower: while hair loss is stopped in 80 percent of the people who use finasterid, the rate is 70 percent among people who apply Minoxidil. Additionally, 70 to 80 percent of finasterid users experience hair regrowth. This is true for 50 to 60 percent of Minoxidil users.

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

Transplants may be your solution: By Ng Wan Chin.

BALDING can be a traumatic experience for anyone, but especially so for the young.

Take Mr Bernard Chua, who started experiencing thinning and dropping hair from the age of 14.

By the time he was doing his national service, he spent most of his time wearing a cap to hide the shiny spot on the top of his head.

Said Mr Chua, a songwriter, now 29: ‘I was going from doctor to doctor, spending lots of money to try and get a solution.’

But the doctors said there was nothing he could do because it was hereditary. His father is also bald.

Until he happened to meet Dr Eileen Tan at Changi General Hospital a few years ago for an acne problem.

‘She told me a little about hair transplants and I researched it,’ he said.

It was expensive, but ‘I saw it as my last chance to help myself’.
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Last month, he went for a hair transplant procedure which took about nine hours at Dr Tan’s Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre clinic.

Dr Tan, a consultant dermatologist and hair transplant surgeon, used follicular unit extraction (FUE), a minimally invasive procedure for performing follicular unit hair transplantation on Mr Chua.

It is unlike the traditional follicular unit transplant procedure where a strip of donor tissue is removed and dissected under magnification.

The FUE procedure uses a small punch to extract each follicular unit one by one. The 1mm-hole left behind after the follicle is extracted then heals over the following week.

‘The patient ends up with hundreds of small round white scars, which are normally not detectable once the patient’s hair grows out,’ said Dr Tan.

The donor areas usually come from the back and sides of the scalp that are genetically programmed to grow for life. The follicles are transplanted one by one into the affected areas.

They will take root, and after a short resting period, will grow and keep on growing, said Dr Tan.

As hair growth is a very slow process, the transplanted hair growth become obvious only from the fourth or fifth month after the procedure and will grow about 1cm per month.
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This procedure is also effective for hair loss due to scars from radiotherapy, infections or scalp disease. It can also grow sideburns, eyebrows, chest and pubic hairs.

‘I have done it for patients who were born with asymmetrical eyebrows,’ said Dr Tan.

Mr Chua, who paid about $17,000 for his transplant, is still waiting to see results.

‘I hope it will be better than what I currently have and I won’t have to hide my hair loss anymore,’ he said.

FUE is generally twice as expensive as the traditional method. Depending on how severe the hair loss is, the cost starts from $5,000 to $6,000 per area of transplantation, said Dr Tan.

Hair transplantation has caught on here, especially in the last two years.

‘When I first came back from overseas training and was at CGH, we were doing five cases a month. Now we do about two cases a week,’ she said.

According to Dr R Sundarason, a plastic, cosmetic and hair transplant surgeon, FUE is time-consuming and costly compared to the traditional method.
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He said: ‘Depending on the surgeon’s skill, the follicles are more likely to be damaged with the FUE method. I think the percentage of successful follicle extraction is low.’

To Dr Tan, success depends on the skills of the surgeon and FUE simply offers patients another option if they do not want to have strip scars.

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

I have been suffering from male pattern hair loss for the past 12 years.

“I have been suffering from male pattern hair loss for the past 12 years. But it wasn’t until about 18 months ago when I literally stumbled on to The Hair Centre’s website that I actually now know how you inherit genetic hair loss and how it develops. When I first visited the site I was impressed by the technical back up and that I could speak directly to a qualified professional (from the privacy of my own home and without embarrassment). I was given a clear and honest explanation of the symptoms and how the treatments can help to combat these symptoms. Having tried other GP prescribed medication and over the counter remedies from Boots and many other chemists, even a Chinese Herbalist, with mixed results. I was naturally enthusiastic about something new. The knowledge of the trichologists and the staff online at The Hair Centre some of whom are speaking from personal experience alongside a scientific background, gives you confidence from the start.

After only 4 months I saw new baby re-growth, I was sprouting new hair, I believe as a direct result of the combination of the treatment and the stress free approach.

18 months into my treatments and products now, I have a couple of areas where I am still obviously thinner and my scalp is still visible, but on the whole my existing and remaining hair is substantially thicker and healthier, and I know that the deterioration has stopped and my genetic hair loss pattern is now under control, thanks to The Hair Centre’s products I am very happy with my new appearance.

I’d recommend the treatment to anyone with hair concerns. All aspects of The Hair Centre are professional friendly and best of all effective.”

Why not call 0207 976 6868 and speak to one of our trichologist who will be happy to help and advise you.

Your initial consultation and assessment are free. So why not take advantage of our expertise and get the facts so that you can make an informed decision on what is best for the future of your hair today.

                   Take control of your hair loss so that it does not control your life.

However, not all cases are treatable. But with early diagnosis and treatment you will give yourself and us the best possible chance to help you.

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