Baldness Cure, is there one?

Baldness is an extremely common phenomenon in our society, particularly amongst men. For many though it is not a problem, but seen as just a part of the normal aging process. For others it is a cause of concern and even distress, particularly if it occurs prematurely. Fortunately, there are a number of treatments available, depending on the cause and extent of the problem.

By far the most common form of baldness is male pattern baldness. This is caused primarily by a genetic predisposition making hair follicles more sensitive to the disruptive effects of the male hormone DHT. Hair follicles affected by DHT, which tends to increase in accrued amounts as we age, shrink and become less productive. More hairs are lost than are produced, so gradual progressive baldness ensues.

One of the main ways of preventing this is to block the production of DHT and its effect on hair follicles. The front-line drug for this is finasteride (Prepucia), which is taken in tablet form on a daily basis. About 80% of men who take finasteride see improvements, although it can take several months. There are several other DHT blockers available, and one or other of these may have to be used for women since finasteride is not suitable. A natural DHT blocker is Saw Palmetto.

An alternative form of treatment is the application of minoxidil daily directly to the scalp. This comes in the form of a solution, gel, or foam, and is massaged in and left in contact with the scalp. It seems to increase blood flow to the scalp and helps to promote growth of new hair. It is estimated to slow hair loss in about 50% of men who use it, and to produce some hair regrowth in about 15% of cases.

Other ways of dealing with baldness are cosmetic, to hide bald areas, and surgical, to remove bald areas or transplant hair into bald parts of the scalp. The cosmetic approach can use hairpieces, wigs, or if the loss is less severe, hair extensions. These can be particularly suitable for women who have generally longer hair where the extensions can be attached inconspicuously. Sometimes they can be combined with a mesh to cover wider areas. These extensions will need tightening or adjustment every few months, but can give a natural, pleasing appearance.

Surgical treatments seem to be improving all the time and transplants of multiple clumps of hair follicles can now be achieved. Under local anaesthetic small skin grafts or clumps of hair follicles with skin, are excised from healthy donor areas of the scalp and placed into small punctures in the bald areas. It may take a large number of separate implants to satisfactorily populate the bald are, and, even then it will give the appearance of clumps of hair for the first couple of months. Eventually though, the grafts settle in and star to grow and coalesce giving a good natural appearance.

Actually curing baldness is not yet possible. It will probably have to wait until specific gene manipulation is feasible. There are however a number of treatments that can achieve considerable relief from the aggravation caused by baldness.