The London Sunday Times is running a story today titled “The Bald and the Beautuful”:
thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/sty … 317898.ece
In it, editor Micheal Hennegan reports:
“For most people surgery is a last resort. ‘There are two main medications that are formally approved for hair loss, which I would recommend first,’ says Dr Greg Williams, a specialist at the Farjo Hair Institute. ‘Finasteride, trade name Propecia, and minoxidil, trade name Regaine. The earlier you start using them, the better, as both tend to work by holding onto the hair you have, rather than regrowing it, although a small percentage of men using Propecia will see a significant growth.’ Isn’t Propecia the treatment that makes you lose your sex drive? ‘There’s so much scaremongering on the internet,’ says Williams of the side effects, which can see 2 out of 100 men suffer loss of libido.”
Please email both Hennegan and the Farjo institute to let them know the reality behind that so-called “scaremongering.”
Michael Hennegan
Fashion and Lifestyle Editor
London Sunday Times
editorial@fashionmonitor.com
Dr Bessam Farjo
Medical Director
Institute of Trichologists
Farjo Medical Centre
restore@farjo.com
Full story here:
The Sunday Times (London)
September 29, 2013
THE BALD AND THE BEAUTIFUL; YOU DON’T HAVE TO ACCEPT HAIR LOSS – THERE ARE MORE WAYS THAN EVER TO HALT THE RETREAT. MICHAEL HENNEGAN REPORTS
By MICHAEL HENNEGAN
Male hair loss is big business - 6.5m men experience it in Britain alone; 40% of them will have noticeable hair loss by the age of 35 and 65% by the age of 60. According to a survey by the Belgravia Centre, 75% of British men believe that hair loss can’t be prevented, and 87% don’t realise that there are scientifically proven ways to help. They’re wrong. “There’s no reason for a man to go bald these days,” says Style’s resident hair expert, John Vial. “Of course, it’s still happening to us all, but there’s no reason for you not to be able to slow it, or even, in some cases, stop it in its tracks.” And there are now more ways than ever to do just that.
Hair loss - or specifically male-pattern baldness - is essentially caused by an inherited sensitivity to male hormones in the hair follicles; ironically, the more testosterone a man produces, the more likely he will find it has a negative impact on his hair. “The body releases an enzyme called 5-alpha-reductase that converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone, known as DHT,” says the trichologist Philip Kingsley. “This is the most lethal hormone as far as hair is concerned, as it attacks the base of hair follicles.”
Every man starts out with about 100,000-150,000 hairs. Every hair lives for three to six years and every follicle produces about 25 hairs. If your hair is functioning normally, you should keep your hair for about 75 years. “What happens in some men is that DHT speeds up the cycle,” says Ben Greer, UK managing director of Phyto. “The stem cells then start dropping hairs quicker. You need to intervene as early as possible - if you don’t pick it up until later, you’ll only have a set number of cycles left.”
Really, what’s the big deal about hair loss? Why not just shave it all off? It hasn’t done Jason Statham or Bruce Willis any harm, has it? “It all boils down to self-esteem,” says Spencer Stevenson, a leading hair-loss guru known as the “hairline hero” - he even hosts a weekly internet radio show, called the Bald Truth, where listeners call in for advice and vent their follicular frustration. “For me, it was all about my identity. I’d always been known for my hair, and when I started losing it at 21, it affected me in a deep psychological way.” He has since spent £40,000 and had 10 procedures to regain a full barnet, though he points out that hair-transplant procedures have advanced, and he would only need two procedures now (at a cost of £10,000-£15,000) to achieve the same results.
For most people surgery is a last resort. “There are two main medications that are formally approved for hair loss, which I would recommend first,” says Dr Greg Williams, a specialist at the Farjo Hair Institute. “Finasteride, trade name Propecia, and minoxidil, trade name Regaine. The earlier you start using them, the better, as both tend to work by holding onto the hair you have, rather than regrowing it, although a small percentage of men using Propecia will see a significant growth.”
Isn’t Propecia the treatment that makes you lose your sex drive? “There’s so much scaremongering on the internet,” says Williams of the side effects, which can see 2 out of 100 men suffer loss of libido. And, according to the Belgravia Centre, 30% of hair-loss sufferers say they would give up sex if it meant getting their hair back. If you’re tempted, bear in mind that Propecia (which contains a DHT inhibitor, is taken orally and takes six to nine months to take effect) costs about £60 a month, and is only available on prescription.
There are other options. Low-level laser therapy, for instance, “works on what’s called ‘photo-chemistry’”, says Jeff Braile, president of iGrow, a home hair-growth system. “It uses a laser wavelength absorbed into the cell of the hair follicle to initiate a chemical reaction to increase activity.” With frequent treatments - about four times a week for 16 weeks, test results show a 39% increase in terminal hair growth. Meanwhile, Dr Michael Prager, a leading UK-based practitioner, is developing a technique using dermarollers on the hair line. “I’m losing my hair,” he says. “I’ve achieved good results by using this in conjunction with a serum, which puts antioxidants on the follicle. I have regrown some hair.” There is also micro-pigmentation tattooing, to simulate the appearance of head stubble.
For those who want an organic option, there is the Phyto range of products derived from natural ingredients. Phytolium 4 works by stimulating cell longevity with proteins and wild apple (crab apple) stem cells, as well as enzymes to stimulate the area around the follicle to create an environment ripe for growth.
Ultimately, though, it still seems to be a case of the blind leading the bald. “The problem is, we still don’t really know what works best,” says Williams. “You could try a combination of therapies, but then you don’t know which is working. I would suggest Propecia, then minoxidil, and, failing that, light therapy - a step-by-step approach.”
If you are considering a transplant, find a qualified physician from the International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons (www.iahrs.org). Unfortunately, if you’ve already lost it all, then the bad news is that a cure for complete baldness is not yet on the horizon. “I would imagine we’ll have a cure in our children’s generation, or their children’s generation,” says Stevenson. “But one thing is for sure, whoever finds it will end up on the cover of Forbes Magazine.”
FIVE TO TRY AT HOME
IGROW
A try-this-at-home low-level laser therapy unit to boost follicular activity. £485; www.igrowlaser.co.uk fo igro
REDKEN INTRA FORCE
The shampoo stimulates the scalp and claims to produce thicker, fuller hair in 30 days. £20 REGAINE A trade name of minoxidil, which reinvigorates hair follicles to increase in size and regrow thicker over time. £70 for a three-month supply
PHYTO PHYTOLIUM
4 Formulated with plant stem cells, it extends the hair’s life cycle, encourages hair growth and adds density. £45.50
VIVISCAL HAIR FIBERS
Microfibre hair particles that cling to hair to disguise thinning patches - particularly popular with TV types who are going under the lights. £20