Kate Middleton pokes fun at Prince William’s hair loss, suggesting a toupee

Canadian pop superstar Justin Bieber once suggested the young royal should probably be taking hair loss medication Propecia, and now Prince William has been on the receiving end of more stick; this time from his wife!

The Duchess of Cambridge teased her husband, The Duke of Cambridge, about his thinning barnet during a trip to the Sydney Royal Easter Show. The royal couple were greeted there by the majority of an estimated crowd of 150,000 people on what was a gloriously sunny day in Sydney.

Touted as an event that “brings the country to the city”, the two-week Sydney Royal Easter Show brings in an incredible 900,000 visitors each year, being a staple in the calendar of farmers, animal lovers, keen gardeners and the general public since its inception back in 1823.

The 31-year-old Prince has mercilessly mocked his 32-year-old wife about her choice of clothes during the visit, choosing to inform Kate she resembled a banana in a yellow dress she was wearing and commented a dazzling green outfit she was sporting looked too bright.

However, Kate soon managed to get her own back as the pair visited the impressive displays of produce, segregated by Australian regions. One exhibitor, Lyn Crejan, 67, was discussing the vast array of fruit and vegetables that were displayed in a colourful design behind her.

The 67-year-old showed the royal couple a tuft of alpaca wool that happened to be a comparable shade of brown to that of William’s hair, Kate duly pounced. The Duchess, wearing a stunning white Zimmermann dress, joked that William should try using the alpaca wool as a wig.

Ms Crejan, who works as a farmer in the settlement of Glenn Innes in New South Wales, said: “The Prince was interested in the alpaca and as I showed it to them the Princess said he should put it on his head.

“She said, ‘you need it more than me’, and pointed to his head and he laughed.”
It recent times at public events, it has been Prince Harry who has subjected Prince William to jibes about his hair loss, although the younger Prince has quietened his stance lately -  possibly after showing signs of hair loss himself.

Harry was photographed in February 2013 whilst on a trip to Lesotho in southern Africa on behalf of his charity, Sentebale, with noticeably thinner hair and his scalp quite visible through his famous ginger locks.

Hair loss is something that has been suffered by many male members of the Royal family, with William and Harry’s father, Prince Charles, also suffering hair loss for many years. In addition, the young royal’s grandfather, Prince Phillip and their uncle, Prince Edward, have lost much of their hair over the years.

The common causes of hair loss explained

Hair loss can be a deeply distressing experience for many people and the cause of a huge loss of self-esteem, even resulting in depression and severely impacting a person’s social life.
Although primarily attributed to men, hair loss can happen to both men and women. Many do not realise, but there are actually around 8 million women in the UK alone who are suffering with some degree as hair loss.

Even celebrities are prone to suffering with hair loss, with Manchester United footballer Wayne Rooney forking out thousands of pounds on multiple hair transplants in the last two years in a rather costly and apparently futile bid to fight his thinning hair.

Medical Specialists Pharmacy have previously looked at some of the best foods for healthy hair, but what a large number of our patients want to know is why they have lost hair in the first place.
Obviously there is a familial aspect when considering causes of hair loss as baldness tends to be hereditary. Looking at parents, grandparents, etc. can usually give you a good idea regarding your chances of keeping hold of a strong and healthy head of hair. You only have to look at Prince William, his father Prince Charles, and Prince William’s grandfather Prince Philip to see how genetics plays its part in hair loss.

In many cases, there are numerous ways to treat male hair loss and female hair loss such as Propecia (for men), Dianette (for women) and Regaine (for men and women), just to name a few.
However, here Medical Specialists list some of the common causes of hair loss:

. Male pattern baldness (MPB)

So common that many would barely bat an eyelid upon seeing a male who is experiencing MPB.  By the age of 60, two thirds of men will have experienced hair loss which is typified by the hair receding at the temples and leaving behind an ‘M’-shaped hairline. Fortunately, topical treatments such as Minoxidil (Regaine) and oral medications such as Finasteride (Propecia) can halt the process and even regrow hair in some cases.

. Physical stress

Physical trauma such as surgery, a car accident or severe illness can cause temporary hair loss. This type of hair loss is known as telogen effluvium and usually involves widespread thinning of the hair on the scalp rather than bald patches. The hair may feel thinner than before but then begin to grow back properly within around six months.

. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

PCOS is a common condition affecting millions of women in the UK and alters the way in which a woman’s ovaries function. The three main features are having high levels of ‘androgens’ (male hormones), ovaries that do not regularly ovulate (release eggs), and cysts that develop within the ovaries.  Just two of these lead to a diagnosis of PCOS. Whilst PCOS can cause facial hair growth, it may also result in thinning hair and hair loss. Many cases of PCOS are treated through birth control pills such as Dianette or Yasmin, both of which block testosterone via its potent anti-androgen. Should you be unable to take birth control pills, you may be prescribed Spironolactone by your doctor.

. Pregnancy

Hair loss related to pregnancy normally occurs after delivery of the baby, instead of during pregnancy. Whilst a woman is pregnant, many hairs enter into a resting phase – part of the normal hair cycle.  The average head can lose around 100 hairs a day, but not all at once, so it is not noticeable. Pregnancy results in your hormones preventing those hairs from falling out, resulting in thicker and fuller hair. However, when the hormones return to normal, the extra hairs will start shedding.  You are not balding – your hair is just beginning the process of getting back to how it was in your pre-pregnancy state. Hair loss during pregnancy is much less common and should be discussed with your doctor as it could be the result of a vitamin or mineral deficiency.

. Lack of protein

Although there is little scientific evidence to definitely state a particular diet has a direct impact on hair growth, it is generally believed that if you are not getting enough protein in your diet, this can be bad for hair growth as hair itself is mostly made of protein. Therefore, a protein deficiency could cause dry or brittle hair, or hair loss in certain cases. Some foods rich in protein which are great for healthy hair include: eggs, nuts, salmon, chicken, whole grains and beans.

. Lack of iron

If you are losing hair, there is a chance you may have an iron deficiency.  Iron helps to create red blood cells and these work at transporting oxygen around the body. If there is not enough oxygen, the hair bulb may be unable to generate new hair cells, resulting in much slower hair growth. Some foods rich in iron which could help against hair loss include: dried fruit, beans, red meat, liver, egg yolks, molluscs, spinach, nuts, dark chocolate, tofu and whole grains.  If you suspect you may be suffering from anaemia and this is causing your hair loss, you should be first diagnosed by your own doctor, who can carry out a simple blood test. Although your iron levels may not be low enough that is deemed anaemic, ferritin levels need to be increased quickly and 72mg of iron is needed for up to 6 months. For a significant number of women, this level of iron intake will not stop the hair loss unless they also take L-lysine plus Vitamin C and B12 to aid absorption of iron. Florisene has been specially developed to provide these nutrients at the specific level, which will overcome this type of hair loss problem(1).

. Lupus

The autoimmune disease Lupus causes the body’s own immune system to attack healthy tissue. The hair loss could be mild and happen whilst shampooing or brushing your hair. If the hair loss is more severe, it may fall out in patches and there is usually a rash that appears on the scalp.
1. J Invest Dermatol. 2003 Nov;121(5):xvii-xviii

Hair loss: A bigger fear than impotence for men

Hair loss and suffering with impotence are probably amongst men’s biggest worries and the cause for a great deal of anxiety.

However, a new study suggests that hair loss could actually surprisingly be a bigger concern to men than their performance in the bedroom. It could be that hair loss degrades confidence to the extent that many men feel this will affect their ability to find a partner in the first place.

The survey of 2,000 males found that an incredible 94% feared going bald, compared to 89% who feared about experiencing erectile dysfunction and losing their ability to perform in the bedroom.
Other things that caused fear for the men survey included going grey, feared by 75% of the men (although becoming a ‘silver fox’ never did George Clooney any harm!), whilst 64% were concerned about putting weight on. This is perhaps unsurprising when health experts have stated that by 2050 obesity is predicted to affect 60% of adult men, 50% of adult women and 25% of children.

In addition, 61% were terrified of losing their teeth, 45% had a fear of needing to wear glasses at some point, 31% were worried about losing their hearing and suffering with bad breath was feared by 24% – although the revolutionary and massively popular CB12 mouthwash has now helped with this problem for both men and women.

None of these fears compared to hair loss however. Psychotherapist Toni Mackenzie was not shocked by the survey’s findings.

She said: “Hair loss can be genuinely distressing for men. It can’t be easily disguised and people think its fair game for jokes, unlike things like putting on weight or going grey. Men who lose their hair are expected to take insults with good humour. The pressure this causes can have a huge effect on men’s self-confidence, which has knock-on effects on their physical and mental wellbeing.”

Ian Watson, of HIS Hair Clinics, commented: “Going bald is just too personal to be funny. I lost my hair in my 20s. I’ve had countless people rub my head like a lucky Buddha and been called everything from baldilocks to Fester. It soon becomes downright upsetting.”

The findings back up other surveys carried out this year, such as one recently commissioned by pharmaceutical and cosmetics company Alpecin, producers of the hugely popular Alpecin caffeine shampoo for hair loss. Their survey discovered that losing hair is an increasingly bigger concern for 21-30 year old men. There are countless studies, articles, and media stories that portray attractiveness as being a key factor in success and for many people hair is associated with attractiveness.

The fact that there are an estimated 6 million men in the UK suffering from hair loss, this equates to a huge amount of stress and fear. However, Medical Specialists Pharmacy are able to offer the prescription-only medication Propecia (finasteride), which is commonly used to treat male pattern baldness and works by blocking the conversion of testosterone to DHT, which thought to cause hair loss.  It is obtainable following a quick and easy 4 step process which includes an online consultation with one of our in-house doctors. Propecia is priced from as little as £47.58 per month.

Other options in addition to Propecia include Regaine Foam and Regaine Lotion, as featured in numerous television adverts. Obtainable from Medical Specialists Pharmacy from as little as £49.95 and £59.95 respectively, Regaine products contain the active ingredient Minoxidil which is clinically proven to help prevent further hereditary hair loss, showing success in 4 out of 5 men. It works by increasing the blood supply to the hair follicles which helps to strengthen existing hair and stimulate secondary hair growth.

Would you get a head tattoo to cover baldness?

Male pattern baldness is the most common type of hair loss in men, afflicting an estimated 6.5 million men in the UK and for many it is noticeable by the time they reach the age of 35.

In recent times there has been countless celebrity hair loss stories in the media. For instance, we have seen celebrities such as Wayne Rooney and Calum Best opt for expensive hair transplants, and even pop superstar Justin Bieber has come out and said that Prince William needs to take hair loss medication Propecia.

Other effective and proven hair loss treatments for men include Regaine Foam, Regaine Lotion and Alpecin caffeine shampoo. However, how about covering up your diminishing hair with a tattoo?

Yes, you read that correctly, a tattoo! British men are now able to benefit from a procedure which involves tattooing tiny dots on their scalp, helping to mask receding hairlines and hair loss.
The new technique will set men back quite a hefty amount however, between £500 – £3,000, providing them with what will seem like a full head of hair – all in just a couple of hours. Men will end up with a ‘buzzcut’, which may or may not be to everyone’s liking, but has been made popular in the last decade by celebrities such as Wentworth Miller and David Beckham.

A hair expert will apply differing shades of specifically blended pigments into the patient’s scalp, mimicking the size, shape and density of micro hairs, creating the buzzcut appearance.

The idea was formulated by Ian Watson, 42, founder of HIS (Hair-Ink-Skin) Hair. Mr Watson was in his mid-twenties when he suffered with alopecia, brought on by the loss of his brother to cancer.
In an attempt to cover the hair loss, Mr Watson asked his brother’s widow to use a fine ink pen and draw tiny black dots onto his scalp. Although the ink washed off in the shower, the whole premise got Mr Watson thinking and his idea gathered pace from there.

The treatment is suitable for varying types of hair loss, whether it be alopecia, cancer, and baldness. No anaesthetics, incisions or adhesives are used during the procedure, leaving the patient without any scars on their head. Adjustments can also be made in the future if there is further hair loss suffered, or style preference is changed.

The downside is the price as not many people in the current financial climate can afford to pay between £500 and £3000 for treatment, plus no actual hair is regrown or prevented from being further lost, as opposed to the previously mentioned Propecia.

Medical Specialists Pharmacy are able to offer the prescription-only medication Propecia (finasteride) to suitable males, which works by blocking the conversion of testosterone to DHT, responsible for hair loss.  It is obtainable following a quick and easy 4-step process which includes an online consultation with one of our in-house GMC-registered doctors, priced from as little as £47.58 per month.

Celebrity hair loss stories: The bald truth uncovered!

Hair loss is one of the most common conditions in the world – Male pattern baldness being the most common form of hair loss, affecting an estimated 6.5 million men in the UK alone.
However, there are many types and causes of hair loss, and whether it is affecting a man or woman, can create a large degree of anxiety and loss of self-esteem.

With today’s media becoming increasingly fixated on celebrity’s fluctuations in weight, fashion choices, love life developments, and other scrutinising of their life, any slight amount of hair loss will be reported – and fast.

In this regard, it should offer some comfort for the millions of men and women around the world with hair loss to know that celebrities are just human like the rest of us. They are not superhuman and are still susceptible to problems and conditions like everybody else. You cut them, they bleed.

In recent years celebrity hair loss stories, gossip, etc. are becoming more common and in the last 12 months alone we have heard questions asked about Wimbledon champion Andy Murray losing hair and even pop superstar Justin Bieber saying Prince William should use the hair loss treatment Propecia.

We have also heard from some celebrities themselves who are experiencing a varying scale of hair loss, for a variety of reasons. Here we recall some of the other celebrities with hair loss and what they had to say about their experience.

. Wayne Rooney (footballer)

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney announced himself to the world stage in 2002, when the then 16-year-old scored a last-minute wonder goal for Everton against Arsenal. In subsequent years, the pressure of playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world and allegations about his private life appear to have affected his hair and Rooney has been battling hair loss for a number of years.
In June 2011, Rooney confirmed he had undergone a hair transplant, tweeting: “Just to confirm to all my followers I have had a hair transplant…I was going bald at 25, why not? I’m delighted with the result.”

Since that expensive £30,000 transplant, Rooney’s hair has thinned yet again and earlier this year he had a second ‘top-up’ transplant at the same London Harley Street clinic. However, some have speculated that Rooney could have saved himself a lot of money if he had acted sooner and perhaps used a combination of medically proven treatments to prevent further hair loss and promote hair growth, such as Propecia and Regaine (respectively). Just because something costs an absolute fortune, it doesn’t necessarily mean it is guaranteed to do the business…there are plenty of overpaid footballers as evidence for this!

. David Beckham (retired footballer)

Retired footballer and global superstar David Beckham has tried countless weird and wonderful hairstyles over the last 15 years and has been known to reach for the blonde hair dye on occasions too. The ill-fated cornrows is just one memorable change to his hair which will have added to the strain he has undoubtedly placed on his follicles through the years. Although there has been noticeable recession at the temples, Beckham still retains a decent head of hair for a man pushing 40 years of age. He has never publically admitted to using any particular product or medication to hold on to his hair, but there have been whispers of a hair transplant.

Beckham has admitted his fears of losing his hair, and in 2012 when asked if he had undergone a hair transplant, or would consider one in future years, he said: “Someone said I’d had a hair transplant. There’s definitely nothing wrong with doing that, but I don’t think personally I would. If I do start showing signs of going bald, then I will shave it off. I’ve still got hair. I’m still fighting it.”

. Will Young (singer)

Will Young was just 23 years of age when he beat Gareth Gates to win the UK Pop Idol in 2002. Back then it was clear he was having slight recession in his hair, which slowly progressed over the subsequent years. Unusual for a celebrity, Young has been open and honest about his battle to beat hair loss. He quashed rumours of a hair transplant after his hairline and hair thickness started to improve, instead crediting the medication Propecia for the turnaround.

He spoke of his hair loss in 2009, saying: “I love my hair – my barber, Paul, has given me a 50s style with a bit of a quiff. I take Propecia pills for my hair, because I started losing it four years ago. It’s a horrible thing – it’s emasculating and you just feel you aren’t sexy any more. The pills worked and my hair grew back.”

. January Jones (actress)

Back in January of this year the Mad Men actress revealed that consistently dying her hair had triggered hair loss. The star, who plays Betty Draper on the hit TV series, has been a brunette, redhead and blonde during her career thus far.

She commented earlier this year: “I have been every colour and now my hair is falling out in clumps. I’m going to have to shave it off and wear a wig. I like it all colours, it makes you feel different according to what colour it is, but I prefer to be blonde.”

. Selma Blair (actress)

Another American actress to suffer with female hair loss is Selma Blair, and no…not from the stress of trying to get along with Charlie Sheen during the filming of ‘Anger Management’. After giving birth to son Arthur in 2011, Selma was photographed less than six months later with her scalp quite visible around her hair parting. Many new mothers suffer with hormonal hair loss due to decreased estrogen levels, but the problem usually subsides after six months.

Speaking about the problem at the time, Selma said: She said: ‘”This is so not glamorous, but it’s true: I need to take longer showers so that I can collect the hair that falls out and throw it away so I don’t clog the drain. Why do actresses never talk about that? It just started falling out at the three-month mark. And I’m not a girl who likes extensions, so Selma’s going to be bald!”

Scientific breakthrough made for hair loss treatments

A new breakthrough by British scientists has raised hope for those suffering with hair loss, and the therapy may even provide help to victims of burns.

The results of the tests could pave the way for more hair loss treatments for both men and women, after results demonstrated it was possible to grow new hair follicles from human skin cells – basically the cells that contain the ‘instruction book’ for growing new hair.

Tests are still at an early stage, but the scientists from Durham University in the UK and Columbia University in the U.S. claim that their findings represent a huge breakthrough in treating hair loss that effects millions of men and women around the world, often causing a great deal of distress.

Not only this, but it seems a 40-year wait could be over in the futile efforts to successfully regenerate the crucial structures in the skin that enable hair to grow.

Human hair follicles are incredibly difficult to replicate in a laboratory environment, but the new technique has shown evidence they can be stimulated to grow in skin tissue and also to generate hair shafts.

Currently, expensive hair transplants notoriously used by footballer Wayne Rooney involve the surgeon transplanting hair follicles from the back of the head (where there is plentiful hair) to where it is needed at the front. Therefore, they are simply redistributing already present hair compared to the new technique, which could significantly boost the amount of hairs on the head.

Columbia University researcher Dr Angela Christiano, herself a sufferer of alopecia and experiences clumps of hair falling out, said the research “has the potential to transform the medical treatment of hair loss”.

“Our method…has the potential to actually grow new follicles using a patient’s own cells. This could greatly expand the utility of hair-restoration surgery to women and to younger patients – now it is largely restricted to the treatment of male-pattern baldness in patients with stable disease. It could make hair transplantation available to individuals with a limited number of follicles, including those with female-pattern hair loss, scarring alopecia and hair loss due to burns,” she said.

The team of scientists started extracting tiny cells called dermal papillae from strips of human hair cells. These cells are located at the base of a hair and contain the ‘instruction book’ for the successful growth of new hair.

Next, they cloned the cells in a dish, making sure they had several copies of each cell. Similar procedures have been done previously but without any results in getting the cells grow hair after they have been put back into skin.

The Anglo-American team decided to turn the dish of cells upside down, to help them to form into the clumps found in nature. These clumps were transplanted into human skin grafted onto the backs of mice.

It was found that the cells from each of the seven human donors grew hairs and in some cases, the tufts broke through the skin.

Although the hairs were white in colour, Durham researcher Professor Colin Jahoda is optimistic it should be possible to create coloured hair and by using a sample of a person’s own cells, any new hair should be very similar in texture and curliness.

“It’s a key step because it is saying that you can multiply the process. It’s not just about one-for-one replacement. But you need to get hair that is the right colour and texture and this will need further work before human clinical trials can begin,” he said.

The cost to patients is still yet to be determined as clinical trials need to be carried out first. However, it is likely to be cheaper than hair transplants which can range anywhere in price from £6,000 all the way up to £30,000 per patient.