Will Male Hair Loss Ever Be Cured?
Scientists Haven't Found Be-All, End-All of Male-Pattern Baldness
For as long as man has experienced hair loss he has presumably searched for a way to stop it. There are two FDA-approved treatments but a cure still eludes researchers.
For many men, the belief that they are a victim of male-pattern baldness can be devastating. Some see it as a sign that they are surrendering their youth and virility and transitioning into older age. And, for the majority of these men, there aren't many legitimate options available to thwart the onset of this condition, the most common type of hair loss in men. While there are treatments on the market--some legitimate and some not so legitimate--no one has yet to find a cure.
Our scalp's future may be decided before we are even born
While there are many types of hair loss in men, the most common is male-pattern baldness. This kind of hair loss is usually hereditary and can be passed on from either the mother's or father's side of the family. It is caused by an enzyme in the body called 5-alpha reductase that converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone, or DHT. This more potent form of the male sex hormone has the negative effect of shrinking the hair follicles on the scalps of genetically predisposed men. The follicles grow progressively smaller, as do the hairs that grow from them, until they no longer produce hairs and the scalp becomes bald.
Not many options available to men wanting to treat their condition
The only two Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatments available to men with thinning hair are Rogaine (Minoxidil) and Propecia (Finasteride). The first, Rogaine, is a clinically-proven treatment that is applied topically to the scalp once in the morning and once in the evening. It was originally used orally to treat high blood pressure but was found to have the side effect of growing hair and reversing baldness. Scientists believe it works by actually growing follicles which have shrunken and promoting healthy hair growth.
The second, Propecia, is also a clinically-proven treatment that is taken orally in pill form once a day. It works by inhibiting the formation of dihydrotestosterone. It was initially marketed under the name Proscar and was used to treat men with enlarged prostates, a condition known as benign prostatic hyperplasia that is also caused by dihydrotestosterone.
Both of these treatments can have possible side effects and each has varying levels of success in halting hair loss and re-growing hair.
There are countless numbers of non-FDA approved treatments--or promoted "cures"--flooding the market and begging for the money of men willing to do anything to avoid baldness. Unfortunately, many of these snake-oil products produce no positive effects on thinning hair and offer nothing but a thinner wallet in return.
Some men opt for hair transplants--many of which can be extremely expensive and obvious--while others use toupees or cosmetic products to simply conceal their thinning hair.
What does the future hold in store for our hair?
The future of the fight against hair loss may lie on the shoulders of a process called hair cloning or multiplication. Unlike hair transplants, where only a single hair follicle is transferred from one place to another, scientists would actually harvest the stem cell from a healthy hair follicle and cause it to grow several new cells. This new harvested group of cells would then be re-implanted into a follicle in a bald area of the scalp where it would begin to grow a number of healthy hair strands. This hair loss treatment is expected to be available on the market starting in 2009 or 2010.
Researchers are also exploring a process called gene therapy that will attempt to pinpoint the genes most responsible for hair loss and actually modify them. This is a very complex process that is still in its infancy and it could be several years or decades before this is a viable option.
There is one definitive in the future of the fight against hair loss: if a cure is ever discovered men everywhere will be lining up and opening their pocketbooks.
Please read my other article on the subject of male hair loss
