Photo by PR Photos
It appears that there is another member of the royal family with a thinning crown. New photos of Prince Harry, 31, show the young prince with a growing bald spot. Despite his age, his hair loss shouldn't come as a surprise, considering the fact that both his brother, Prince William, and father, Prince Charles, suffer from similar hair loss, means he is at a higher risk, since male pattern hair loss is the result of a genetic predisposition to androgen sensitivity.
In recent photos, Prince Harry is clearly showing significant thinning in the crown. Hopefully, he'll get started on an aggressive multi-therapy approach (Formula 82M, finasteride, low level laser therapy, etc.) to protect his hair line and prevent further recession.
Photo by PR Photos
Some men try the combover, some go for a hairpiece, but NBA star Carlos Boozer took another direction to hide his hair loss - paint!
Well, not paint exactly. In a recent interview, Boozer finally came clean on the extreme measures he's tried to get his hair back. “…they came out with this — it’s like a hair dye, whatever, for men called the ‘bigen.’ So I tried it, and he just made my stuff look like shoe polish up there … this is like five years later, and I’m still hearing about it.”
While Boozer seems to be able to joke about the incident now, for most men, hair loss isn't a laughing matter. Luckily, there are lots of effective treatments available, such as finasteride or minoxidil based therapy, platetlet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, Formula 82M, low-level laser therapy, and advanced hair transplant procedures. Hair loss is a treatable condition, but early detection and intervention are keys to achieving optimal results.
As of this month, generic finasteride pills are now available in the US for the first time ever - offered exclusively for the next six months as 'Finasteride Tablets' (1 mg) by Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd., a Hyderabad, India-based pharmaceutical company. Read about it here.
For men with hair
loss, the allure of cheaper, generic finasteride pills may be hard to
resist - but before you ask your doctor for a scrip, there are a few cons
to consider: IMHO, the generic may have inconsistent quality, lower efficacy, fluctuating results, different side effects from the brand-name drug, and more.
In my practice, I will encourage patients to stick with Propecia, the original brand-name drug for finasteride. It is more expensive, but in my opinion the quality is better than what one can expect with a generic equivalent.
Why is a generic equivalent suddenly available? Merck & Co.'s patent on finasteride (FDA-approved for male pattern hair loss) has officially expired, allowing for generic equivalents to enter the market. The FDA awarded Dr. Reddy's a 180-period of marketing exclusivity for generic finasteride in the U.S., beginning January 2, 2013.
For more information, visit the Dr. Reddy's site: www.drreddys.com.
"Photo by PR Photos"
Earlier this month, Barbara Walters interviewed Hillary Clinton about her political future - and one of the topics that came up: her hair. The 65-year old Secretary of State claims to not use hair dressers and tries to keep her hairdo as simple as possible.
What impresses me the most, however, is the quality and density of her hair for a woman in her 60s. After menopause, it's common for female pattern hair loss and more minor 'thinning' to kick in in most women. Loss of hair volume on the crown, recession in the temporal points, all of these are common in post-menopausal women.
That's why Mrs. Clinton's hairline is quite remarkable. Although I've never treated her, I suspect she might be taking dietary supplements to boost the health of her follicles. Or she could just have really good genes.
I'd advise the majority of women over age 40 to take dietary supplements that add to their follicle health. One scientifically tested product that I recommend to clients is Viviscal. Other options for women with thinning hair: Rogaine For Women, Latisse, Low Level Laser Therapy, and off-label options like finasteride, dutasteride, etc. However, it's important to always consult with a qualified hair restoration specialist first - make sure he or she is board-certified with the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery.
British papers are reporting that the Queen's longtime hair dresser is urging Prince William to undergo a hair transplant.
At 28, Prince William has advanced male pattern hair loss for his age - in fact, he's a Norwood Class III-vertex, progressing quickly toward IV and beyond.
While a microsurgical FUE hair transplant with NeoGraft (the "Cadillac of hair transplants") would provide the best results, he does have other options.
Prince William would benefit from a multi-therapy approach that combines finasteride (Propecia), minoxidil (Rogaine) and Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT). Non-invasive FDA-approved therapies can start reversing the miniaturization of the hair follicles immediately.
Today hair transplantation is growing in popularity and can often be done undetectably. But the bottom line is, there are many options available for Prince William should he wish to take on his hair loss.
Men who experience balding in their 20s may be twice as likely to get prostate cancer later in life, according to a new study.
The study, published this week in the journal Annals of Oncology, suggests that early hair loss could be used to select men for prostate screening. The study didn't report any link between between hair loss later in life and risk for cancer.
Male pattern baldness, or androgenic alopecia, is very common and affects 50 percent of men at some point in their lives, and some as early as their 20s.
Previous studies linked its onset to the conversion of testosterone to androgenic hormones, similarly, androgens have been implicated in the onset and growth of prostate cancer.
The drug finasteride, currently used to treat baldness, blocks the conversion of testosterone to an androgen thought to cause hair loss. Studies have also shown the drug to be successful at lowering the incidence of prostate cancer.
Further studies will be conducted to see if screenings might be appropriate for men with very early balding - but the research team warns that it is still too premature to conclude that early balding and prostate cancer are linked.
