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| Photo by PR Photos |
I can't say enough about how risky hair extensions are to the long-term health of a person's hair follicles. Over the years, a number of female celebrities have been spotted with what appears to be bald spots or deep hair line recession as a result of damaging hair styles and treatments.
Now, according to the UK's Daily Mail newspaper (read it here), the trend, long limited to women, is crossing over to men.
UK salons have seen a 200% increase in male hair extension treatments, as more guys seek to imitate the thick, full, lengthy locks of David Beckham, Harry Styles and Oliver Cheshire. But imitating these stars can have dangerous consequences for a guy's hair line: as more men add on extensions, they're increasing their risk for a specific type of hair loss known as "traction alopecia." This condition, which is permanent and can only be treated with hair transplant surgery, is caused by the extra weight and pulling action from the extensions on the hair follicles, which physically damages them.
Both men and women should avoid long-term use of hair extensions or use them intermittently only - and this is especially true for anyone with weak hair. Most stylists will underestimate their potential for damage until it's too late.
Male hair extensions appear to be part of a larger man-'do trend, as bro-braids, man-buns and dude-'tails are also picking up.
Photo by PR Photos
From Brad Pitt and George Clooney to Hugh Jackman and David Beckham, are just some of big names stars embracing the growing beard trend. But are these guys really responsible for razor sales taking a dive?
According to a new TIME article, both Gillette and Schick have recently reported that their razor sales are down, way down. In fact, market research predicts shaving products will lose their hold in the male grooming market for the first time ever this year.
And if you need more evidence of beards making a comeback, facial hair transplants are on the rise! Yes, you read that right. Some men are willing to take serious measures to get that scruffy look.
If you aren't blessed with enviable facial hair, a facial hair transplant might be just what you are looking for to restore or enhance areas of facial hair which are lacking. To learn more, click here.
Read the TIME article, here.
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| Photo by PR Photos |
Are hairless bodies the new aesthetic for today's men?
The Daily Mail recently wrote about the growing shaving/waxing/primping trend among men in search of the perfect hairless chest. The new 'hairless chic' has been underway for some time, and is inspired by a growing number of bare-chested male celebrities - from Matthew McConaughey to David Beckham. Long gone are the days when a full chest of hair - a la Sean Connery, Tom Selleck or Burt Reynolds - was the ideal to live up to.
Not everyone feels this way, of course. A number of hair restoration surgeons, including myself, occasionally perform body hair transplants - in most cases, this procedure takes hair from the chest, arms or wherever and transplants it into the scalp because the patient doesn't have enough donor hair at the back of the head. However, sometimes the procedure is reversed - and the transplant is for the chest, or beard or pubic region, to create hair.
Slate previously wrote about the history of body hair removal and there's also a discussion on HowStuffWorks about why we have body hair to begin with. Meanwhile, the global dairy company Arla apparently didn't get the memo about body hair - it's British subsidiary recently created an actual coat made from the chest hair of 300 male donors, as a publicity stunt to promote a new protein beverage.
David Beckham might be unmatched on the soccer field, but off the field, it appears he's fighting the same fight as millions of other men - a receding hairline!
In recent photos of the athlete, 36, you can see early signs of temporal recession, which isn't at all uncommon for a man his age. Thirty percent of men in their 30s experience hair loss and the number increases to 40 percent as men enter their 40s. From the photos, it appears that Beckham is Norwood Class II, which means that while his hairline is maturing, typical of an adult hairline, he has yet to see any frontal balding. He is also fortunate to have an otherwise full head of hair.
Considering his status on the Hollywood A-list, Beckham might want to consider a proactive hair regimen of FDA-approved Propecia or Rogaine, which could help him avoid any further recession. He would hardly be the first celebrity to take action against hair loss, more celebrities are investing in hair restoration than ever before. New technology and non-invasive procedures are selling points for many looking to enhance their looks discreetly. The NeoGraft FUE transplant has become a popular procedure among athletes as it avoids them having stitches in their donor area and calls for minimal recovery, usually three days, so it doesn't keep them out of the gym.
