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.

High-tech iGrow Hair Growth System uses lasers to re-grow lost hair

The battle against hair loss has a new futuristic-looking device in its arsenal, in the form of a new high-tech helmet that will apparently help to regrow hairs through the use of lasers.

Setting users back a whopping £665, the iGrow Hair Growth System utilises low-level laser therapy (LLLT) – 51 low-level red laser and LED lights. The creators Apira Science claim the device will strengthen cells within the hair follicles, and benefit those experiencing thinning hair, hereditary baldness, or have other hair loss conditions.

The iGrow helmet should be worn for 25 minutes, and to prevent the person feeling bored, it comes equipped with an iPod and MP3 interface, in addition to some headphones built-in for good measure.
Just a few months ago, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the iGrow specifically for the promotion of hair growth in males who have androgenetic alopecia and is attainable by prescription only.

However, Apira CEO Nicholas Brox commented in a news release that Apira are attempting to receive authorisation for iGrow to be an over-the-counter product, in addition to be available to women too.

Apira have made bold claims about the iGrow and say it is ‘zero’ side-effects, is safe and effective, and provides a minimum of 35-40% increase in hair growth – with results apparently evident within just six weeks. However, there will be a nine month wait for the iGrow to properly take effect. This is more of a wait than the popular hair loss treatment Finasteride (Propecia), which has been shown to prevent further hair loss and promote the re-growth of scalp hair in roughly 80% of patients within three to six months.

Giving his opinion about the iGrow device, which bears a resemblance to an old salon hairdryer, Dr Thomy Kouremada-Zioga, hair transplant surgeon at The Private Clinic of Harley Street, commented: “Low level laser therapy (LLLT) is a safe form of light treatment which has long been explored as a potential resolution to genetic forms of hair loss common in men and women, like androgenetic alopecia or pattern balding. It is intended for men and women with thinning hair or pattern baldness caused by a hereditary condition, and not by any other form of hair loss.”

He added: “This technology is not particularly new; it is something that has been around for many years in different forms. For example, for many years now I have recommended certain patients (both men and women) use a laser comb, which is a very similar device to the iGrow Hair Growth System. A laser comb like this also works with LLLT technology, but is a much smaller device. From the patients I have seen who have gone on to use the system, I can see that it can offer some positive effects when used in conjunction with a product which stimulates hair growth like Regaine. However, it is very unlikely that a patient who is losing their hair will see any form of major restoration by using the device. It may cause some of the thin hair on the patient’s head to look slightly thicker and healthier, but the patient is unlikely to see any form of actual re-growth. Before investing in a system like this, it is important that the man or woman understands exactly what is causing their hair loss; something which a hair loss specialist will be able to determine. Investing in a device like this may offer no long-term solution at all to the patient and it should not be viewed as a viable long-term hair restoration method.”

Hair-raising facts

. After you are born, no new hair follicles are formed.
. Approximately 100,000 hair follicles cover the average scalp.
. Half of all men have thinning hair by the time they reach the age of 50.
. Male pattern baldness accounts for 95% of hair loss cases in men.
. Male pattern baldness can actually be inherited from the mother’s or father’s side.
. Male pattern baldness can start in your teens, or as late as your 30s.