As you begin to thin, is there any way to hang onto the hairs you still have?

 

In his day, men didn't fall victim to vanity. It was a time when science was concerned with winning wars and space travel, not hair loss. Men played whatever genetic hand they were dealt because they didn't have an option. But times have changed. It's almost Y2K and there are now several measures for preventing—or at least stabilizing—alopecia, otherwise known as male pattern baldness (MPB).

What's Happening When Men Lose Their Hair?

For years, the medical establishment has theorized that MPB is initiated by dihydrotestosterone (DHT) attaching to receptor sites on hair follicles. Genetically, only the follicles on top of the head are encoded with the receptor sites, which explains why hairs along the side and in the back are usually not lost with age. When DHT attaches to a site, the immune system begins to destroy the hair follicle. The good news is that follicles have the capacity to return to their former size.

What's a Guy To Do?

Eddie Moone, a 28 year-old graphic designer from New York, once resembled the second coming of Fabio and never gave a thought to MPB. Sure enough, nature threw him a curveball when his coifed "do" began to disappear. His discovery was prompted by the classic trademark signs: the ever-increasing strands of hair in the sink and the obvious change in hairstyle.

With his self-confidence plummeting to new lows, he consciously avoided mirrors. "What's a guy to do when he can't style his hair the way he used to?" he says. Then he surfed the Web and became inspired by the stories of other men who had managed to halt the recession of their beloved locks. "I decided to fight back," he adds.

So How Can You Hang Onto Those Hairs?

In rebuilding hair follicles, here's how you can prohibit further ruthless recession:

• Rogaine

• Available over the counter, the active ingredient in Rogaine comes in either a 2% or 5% concentration of minoxidil. The twice-daily topical solution "modifies" the physiologic regulation of the hair follicle. For many men, this is all they may need to stop MPB.

• But how does it work? Minoxidil appears to enlarge the hair follicle by extending its growth cycle. Studies have indicated that the drug activates a localized immunologic change around the hair follicle. This increases the blood flow to the hair matrix and inhibits the activities of connective tissue cells that produce the structural building blocks of the skin.

• Who should use it? The ideal candidate is a young male in his 20s or 30s with minimal thinning on his crown/vertex, or a small bald spot one to two inches in diameter.

• Xandrox

• Dr. Richard Lee, a physician from Los Angeles, California, has engineered his own blend of a hair growth agent called Xandrox. It's a powerful mixture of 5% minoxidil and azelaic acid, with the prescribed option for a 0.025% concentration of retinoic acid (Retin-A). The azelaic acid, Lee says, is a naturally occurring substance found in whole grains that acts as a DHT blocker. It's also believed that the retinoic acid rejuvenates the harsh part of the scalp, which further improves minoxidil absorption.

• Propecia

• Perhaps no clinical drug for MPB is as effective in combating DHT as Propecia (finastride). It works by aggressively attacking DHT levels, halting hair loss and even activating new growth in some men.

  But sales for the wonder drug have been sluggish. Why? At first, some patients may experience temporary sexual problems such as impotence, but Lee says that it's usually temporary. Plus, Propecia can be expensive, averaging $50 every month.

You Have To Stick With It

Once you begin using these therapies, you have to continue with them forever. Be patient. It can take months before results become noticeable. Consistency is the key. When treatment stops, nature intrinsically kicks in, and new growth can shed within three months.

And what about the age-old myth of a man's maternal grandfather determining MPB? Dr. Lee laughs and says assuredly, "It's an old wives tale."

It looks like grass can indeed grow on a busy street.

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