WHAT'S NEW
** JANUARY 2011 **
Experts say they have discovered what they believe is the cause of male pattern baldness.
It is not simply a lack of hair, but rather a problem with the new hair that is made. A manufacturing defect means the hair produced is so small it appears invisible to the naked eye, giving the classic bald spot or receding hairline.
The US team told the Journal of Clinical Investigation the fault lies with the stem cells that make new hair.
It may be possible to 'cure' male baldness by restoring the normal function of these cells, the experts hope.
Ultimately, they hope to be able to develop a cream that could be applied to the scalp to help the stem cells grow normal hair.
Using men undergoing hair transplants as guinea pigs, the University of Pennsylvania team compared hair follicles in bald patches and hairy areas of the scalp.
This difference means that hair follicles in bald patches shrink rather than disappear and the new hairs made are microscopic compared to normal hair.
Dr George Cotsarelis who led the research said: "This implies that there is a problem in the activation of stem cells converting progenitor cells in bald scalp. The fact that there are normal numbers of stem cells in bald scalp gives us hope for reactivating those stem cells."
Until now it has been unclear what the exact cause of male pattern baldness is, but experts believe the male hormone testosterone is involved and baldness also tends to run in families. Nearly half of men experience some degree of baldness by the age of 50.
** THE PILL THAT MAY BE A HELP FOR BALDNESS **
Scientists claim a pill is having success in
promoting hair growth. The makers of the pill are GlaxoSmithKline.
The experts say men with bald patches and receding hairlines have
seen a significant improvement whilst being treated with the pill
for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH).
Called DUTASTERIDE, it's being marketed under
the name of AVODART in the States and AVOLVE in Europe. The drug
is taken in tablet form and is taken for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
(BPH) and not for hair loss.
It must be stressed that this drug hasn’t, as yet, been approved for a hair loss treatment. It's claimed that the drug has been shown to reduce the size of bald patches and promotes thickening of the hair by interfering with the way the body breaks down the male hormone testosterone and turns it into dehydrotestosterone (DHT). This hormone is crucial to development of the male foetus, but in later life can cause hair to thin dramatically.
If you want to take a prescription type of drug for hair thinning, Finasteride (Propecia) seems to be the most popular choice.
The search for a baldness cure has, over the years, led to unorthodox treatments. Some men claim to have had great success by cutting out tea and coffee, drinking more water and increasing their fresh fruit and vegetable intake. Others claim hanging upside down can increase blood flow to the head and stop hairs falling out. Alternative natural and organic remedies have also been tried with success, many balding men swearing by a concoction of palmetto and fenugreek, thought to increase dilation of blood vessels to the scalp.
All in all, one has to be optimistic about treatments for hair loss being available in the future but for the moment there's still no fool proof treatment for baldness, though treatments available now are having success in slowing down MPB, arresting the condition and in some cases regrowth has taken place.
LINK TO FEMALE HAIR LOSS THROUGH VEGETARIAN DIET
Recent surveys and tests have found a link with women not eating red meat and male pattern type of baldness in women, i.e. thinning on the crown and temples and general thinning on the top of the head. It must be said "That not enough concrete evidence has been gathered" and it might be that today's modern women come under a lot more stress than they did 20 years ago and this may account for the alarming increase in MPB type (male-pattern baldness) in women. Before all you lovely women out there start to consume a whole side of beef every week, please bear in mind that, at the moment, it's more theory than anything else! If your hair was ok before you gave up red meat and it's started to thin since, this would take many months, then it's worth taking on board. A well balanced diet is the aim of us all.
|
