Tiger Woods says his hair loss is a “no-win fight”

Former world number one golfer Tiger Woods has lost his prestigious top spot in recent years with the emergence of Rory McIlroy, and maybe that together with turbulent problems in his personal life could have accelerated Woods’ hair loss.

Woods, 38, gave an interview to Colleen Dominguez of Fox Sports to speak about various subjects, which included the possibility of appearing in this year’s Ryder Cup, and offered his thoughts on the young stars of today such as McIlroy.

Woods first came to prominence with his incredible record-breaking win at the 1997 Masters, in what was his first victory at a major, becoming a dominant figure in golf for well over a decade until the collapse of his marriage and allegations of repeated adultery.

Throughout his rise to the top, it has been quite noticeable that Woods has been suffering with thinning hair and a receding hair line, leading to Rory McIlroy poking jibes at this friend a few years ago for “getting old, getting bald”.

In the interview for Fox Sports, Dominguez asked current world number 10 Woods about whether he was content with his advancing years, bearing in mind the golfer is now pushing 40 and no longer the baby-faced phenomenon that burst onto the scene in the 1990s.

“I’m comfortable with it, but my hairline isn’t. I have a nice skylight [at home] and I’m at the point where if I don’t wear a hat, I can feel the heat.”

Woods was asked if he would shave his head eventually, to which he replied: “I think I will, but I’m fighting the cause, and I’m fighting it hard. It’s a no-win fight, but I’m hanging in there.”

Unfortunately for Tiger, his hair loss has been left to develop to the extent that an expensive hair transplant is probably out of the question. This is because of the severe thinning at the top (recipient area) and more crucially, the sides and back (donor region) where the hair is taken from to be re-planted where it is required. That particular region needs to be strong, but it seems for Woods, Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) has hit this area too.

DHT is a chemical (hormone) that naturally occurs in the male scalp and is present in higher levels in men who suffer from male pattern baldness. In genetically predisposed people, DHT latches on to the hair, deteriorating it and causing the subsequent hair loss. If the follicle is damaged too much, it dies and cannot generate any further hair.

However, there are various treatments known as ‘DHT Blockers’ that can prevent those hormones from working to eventually cause hair loss.

Three proven treatments to not only halt the hair loss, but in many cases can re-grow hair. These are Minoxidil (contained in Regaine Foam – as seen on TV), Propecia and Nizoral Shampoo. All are available today from Medical Specialists™ Pharmacy at fantastic prices, so there is no reason whatsoever to let hair loss drive you ‘round the bend!

Arthritis drug found to boost hair growth for alopecia sufferer

Male hair loss is not a life-threatening condition. Nobody has ever died from losing hair on the scalp, or indeed anywhere else around the body. However, it is widely accepted that for some men, losing their hair can have massive emotional and psychological damage.

One of the most common causes of hair loss is alopecia areata, an autoimmune disorder that typically causes round patches of rapid hair loss from some or even all areas of the body, but usually the scalp is the main area afflicted.

A more severe form of alopecia areata is known as alopecia universalis, whereby the sufferer unfortunately experiences total loss of all body hair. Perhaps the most well-known person to have alopecia universalis is comedian and star of Little Britain, Matt Lucas.

There remains no standard treatment or permanent cure for alopecia universalis, but experts have studied the possibilities of various treatments, such as immunomodulatory agents like imiquimod (the active ingredient in Aldara cream, used to treat genital warts).

However, doctors at Yale University in the U.S. have remarkably been able to reverse alopecia universalis in a 25-year-old unnamed male who also had plaque psoriasis. The man had initially requested help for his psoriasis, another autoimmune condition.

The doctors at Yale pondered if they could possibly treat both autoimmune problems with one single treatment, deciding to try the Pfizer-manufactured arthritis medication Xeljanz (tofacitinib citrate). This was chosen specifically as according to Science World Report, the drug had found to be effective in mice at treating both psoriasis and alopecia.

The patient was first administered with tofacitinib at 10mg daily by the doctors, and his psoriasis showed some improvement. However, he had also grown scalp and facial hair – the first hair he had grown in these areas for a staggering seven years.

After three more additional months of therapy, this time at a 15mg dose, the patient had benefited from a complete regrowth in scalp hair and quite visible eyebrows, eyelashes, and facial hair, as well as armpit and other hair, the doctors commented.

“The results are exactly what we hoped for,” said Brett A. King, M.D., senior author of the paper, published online in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. “This is a huge step forward in the treatment of patients with this condition.”

“There are no good options for long-term treatment of alopecia universalis,” added King. “The best available science suggested this might work, and it has.”

According to King, scientists think the drug boosts hair growth by stopping the immune attack on hair follicles.

“By eight months there was full regrowth of hair,” said co-author Brittany G. Craiglow, M.D. “The patient has reported feeling no side effects, and we’ve seen no lab test abnormalities, either.”

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.

Could male hair loss be connected to heart problems?

Men who are losing their hair may be more liable to suffer with heart problems in comparison to those with a fuller head of hair, new research suggests. It seems it is those men suffering with severe hair loss on the top of their heads (vertex baldness) who could be at a higher risk, and not those with hair loss at the front, i.e. a receding hairline.

Researchers in Japan conducted a thorough analysis of six previous studies from Europe and America that examined a possible connection between male baldness and coronary heart disease (CHD). The studies contained information on 36,990 men whose health was tracked for 11 years, and the researchers determined that five of the studies confirmed such a link.

It was discovered that men who had severe baldness on the top of their head were an incredible 48% more likely to develop CHD. Those who only suffered with moderate and mild vertex baldness were 36% and 18% at risk respectively. However, men suffering with both frontal and vertex hair loss were 69% more likely to develop CHD compared to those who had a full head of hair still intact.

Dr Kazuo Hara from the University of Tokyo said: “Cardiovascular risk factors should be reviewed carefully in men with vertex baldness, especially younger men. They should probably be encouraged to improve their cardiovascular risk profile. But interestingly, frontal baldness was not significantly associated with coronary heart disease.”

The explanation between the connection is still uncertain, but researchers believe increased sensitivity to male hormones, insulin resistance and inflammation in blood vessels could be key factors behind the hair loss and heart disease correlation, although further studies need to be carried out in the future to explore the link.

Another interesting aspect between the hair loss and CHD link is the fact Minoxidil (a popular hair loss treatment, contained in Regaine), was first produced to bring down high blood pressure – a severe risk factor of heart disease. Experts believe that Minoxidil works to dilate small blood vessels in the scalp, thus helping to boost blood flow and the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the hair follicles.

Other authors involved in the study said that in their meta-analysis, “vertex baldness was significantly associated with an increased risk of CHD among younger men as well as among all participants, and the association was dependent on the severity of baldness. Vertex baldness is more closely associated with systemic atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) than with frontal baldness.”
However, Doireann Maddock, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, commented on the study, saying: “Although these findings are interesting, men who’ve lost their hair should not be alarmed by this analysis. It’s more important to pay attention to your waistline than your hairline.”

Sources claim Bradley Cooper is taking Propecia to fight hair loss

Movie goers saw his hair altered into a comical perm style for the critically acclaimed film American Hustle, but in real life Bradley Cooper’s hair is no laughing matter, with reports that the handsome actor has been taking hair loss medication Propecia (Finasteride) in a bid to avert his familial trait of baldness.

The 39-year-old actor came to prominence in TV show Alias before featuring in a supporting role in the 2005 Wedding Crashers. However, in the subsequent 9 years his career has skyrocketed and Cooper has had leading roles in numerous successful films such as The Hangover series, Limitless (2011) and Silver Linings Playbook (2012), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award.

Cooper, dating 21-year-old model Suki Waterhouse, clearly wants to retain his leading man status and is worried about a receding hairline. According to a source who spoke to US website RadarOnline, the actor “is so anxious about his receding hairline that he’s turned to [balding remedy] Propecia. He has a lot of bald guys in his family, so he’s been on Propecia for a couple of years. And to his delight, it seems to be working.”

During filming of last years The Hangover 3, Cooper and the other two male leads, Zack Galifianakis and Ed Helms apparently “had their own dedicated hairstylists, a first for the franchise and something that was demanded by Bradley” due to his hair loss concerns. The source added: “Bradley is determined not to go bald and lose his leading man looks.”

Hair loss medication Propecia has made news in recent years on a few occasions after Manchester  United striker Wayne Rooney was rumoured to be taking it to prevent further hair loss and Canadian popstar Justin Bieber even commenting on Prince William’s diminishing mane, saying the Prince should be taking Propecia.

Rooney and other celebrities such as Calum Best and James Nesbitt have since opted for incredibly expensive hair transplants, but there has inexplicably been a mass silence in regards to any admittance to celebrities taking Propecia.

Spencer Stevenson, the hair loss expert who fronts the specialist talk show The Bald Truth, advises balding men to consider taking Propecia prior to any costly hair transplant procedure.

He says: “Before you even consider a hair transplant, look into going on Propecia or applying Minoxidil (a topical hair-loss treatment contained in Regaine Foam) for at least six months first, to strengthen existing hair and prevent further hair loss.”