Press

As we reported previously, Wayne Rooney has become the latest celebrity to have a hair transplant.  Other UK celebrities who have gone under the knife to treat their hair loss include actor James Nesbitt and top chef Gordon Ramsay.

But are hair transplants really the best solution for Male Pattern Baldness, and are they affordable for non-celebrities? Are there more effective solutions available that are more economical and don’t require invasive surgery?

How do hair transplants work?

Hair transplants work by removing healthy hair follicles from one side of the patient’s head and then surgically implanting them into an area of the scalp affected by hair loss. The number of hair follicles transplanted can vary depending on the level of hair loss, and therefore so too can the price. Typical fees for a hair transplant range from £5,000 to as much as £30,000 (it is reported that Rooney’s spent £32,000).

Though they can be successful in treating hair loss, the results achieved by hair transplant surgery are generally hit and miss, and depend very much on the surgeon that carries out the procedure and the price.  Sometimes the grafted follicles do not ‘take’ to the new area of scalp, and the results may be less than satisfactory. In some circumstances, botched hair transplants can actually make the individual’s hair loss condition worse. Refunds are seldom given, though in the US a number of patients have successfully brought class action lawsuits against the transplant clinics responsible for their botched operations.

Are pharmaceutical hair loss treatments a better option?

The Belgravia Centre treats a number of high-profile clients with hair regrowth treatment courses, whose names are kept strictly confidential. There has been speculation in the press that some of these celebrities may have had a hair transplant because of the considerable improvement to their hair density. Unlike Rooney and some other celebrities, because of the slow and gradual improvement over time from the treatment programmes they use, there is no need for them to make their participation in regrowth treatments public. Rooney felt obligated to talk about his transplant because of the sudden change that would have been noticed by the public post-surgery.

Pharmaceutical treatments for hair loss are certainly more affordable than a hair transplant and can be just as effective in many cases. While there are some drugs and treatments out there which are unproven and generally ineffective in treating Male Pattern Baldness, there are two which are scientifically proven to work and if used and combined correctly for the individual case of hair loss, can be extremely effective.

Propecia and Minoxidil are pharmaceutical hair loss treatments which have been licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), and have been demonstrated in clinical trials and the real world to prevent hair loss from Male Pattern Baldness and re-grow hair.

Unlike hair transplants they do not require any invasive surgery and are accessible to virtually anyone, without the need for a Premier League footballer’s salary.

How can The Belgravia Centre help?

At The Belgravia Centre, our hair loss experts have achieved great results for thousands of hair loss sufferers from the use of individually tailored hair loss treatment programmes. We recommend the ideal treatments, quantities and combinations for each individual, and combine the pharmaceutical treatments with other clinical therapies and ‘hair growth boosters’ for optimum results.

If you’d like to see proof of the effectiveness of our treatments, simply have a look through the success stories on our website. To find out more about how we can treat your hair loss effectively and economically, get in touch with us for a free hair loss consultation with no obligation.

Alternatively, fill in our online diagnostic form for a home-use treatment programme that can be posted anywhere in the world.

Hollywood star Nicolas Cage’s thinning hair has attracted the attention of celebrity watchers and the media in recent years, and now it seems that he may have invested in a treatment for his hair loss.

According to the Daily Mail, Cage was seen sporting, “a suspiciously full head of hair,” at the Los Angeles premiere of his latest film, Drive Angry 3D. This was, the newspaper said, in stark contrast to the thinning hair displayed at the Toronto Film Festival two years earlier. The report went on to comment on “suspicious shading around [Cage's] hairline”.

Thinning hair

The veteran 45 year-old actor, who once starred in the film Face Off as an undercover FBI agent who undergoes a face transplant to assume the identity of his criminal nemesis, had a full head of youthful locks throughout the early years of his career. But as the years and film roles passed by, filmgoers have become accustomed to seeing his hairline recede ever backwards.

A prime example of how even the rich and famous aren’t exempt from the onset of male pattern baldness, Cage has previously been subject to speculation over whether he has ever sought a hair loss treatment.

The Daily Mail report postulates that Cage has had a hair transplant, but the hair loss experts at the Belgravia Centre believe Cage’s fuller head of hair is more likely to be the result of a professional hair loss treatment course.

If Cage has indeed undergone a hair loss treatment he would join a long line of big name Hollywood actors and celebrities who have also been reported as taking measures to restore their thinning hair. John Travolta, Mel Gibson, Brendan Frasier and Gordon Ramsay have all featured in speculative reports of this nature.

What is male pattern baldness?

Male pattern baldness, or Androgenetic Alopecia, is a common hair loss condition amongst men of Nicolas Cage’s age. The condition is genetic and is passed down the family line via shared genes which carry a predisposition to hair loss.

When genetic hair loss occurs, testosterone within the body is converted to Dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which then inhibits the growth of hair follicles, resulting in hair loss and, potentially, baldness. Though visible signs of the condition are more common in middle-aged men, it can begin in the early twenties, leading to a receding hairline and bald patches.

As has Cage, many people will experience considerable amounts of regrowth from the use of the correct combination of hair loss treatments. To see the kind of results that have been achieved from many men, each with different a pattern of hair loss, view Belgravia’s hair loss success stories – updated on a daily basis.

A great article was today published in the Daily Mail titled ‘Hair Loss: The Potions that Really Work’ and I thought it deserved a mention here. It’s a summary of a number of well-known treatments and unusually, the article has got it pretty much spot on. The Mail interviewed Dr. Andrew Messenger from the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield. I believe Dr. Messenger to be experienced in the treatment of hair loss because he has a broad knowledge of the treatments available and has provided some useful information.

Here are details of the ratings provided for each of the hair loss products reviewed. You can find more details by clicking on the story (above):

Philip Kingsley PK4 Hair Soya Protein Capsules: 0/10

Minoxidil Hair Lotion: 8/10

Alpecin Caffeine Shampoo: 1/10

Australian Gold Emu Oil: 0/10

Julian Jay Profol Bio T Advanced Formula Shampoo: 0/10

HairMax LaserComb: 6/10

Propecia / Finasteride: 10/10

Proto-col Trichologen ‘Saw Palmetto’ Supplement: 0/10

The products with a rating of above 5/10 are those that have undergone relevant clinical trials. An example of an insignificant trial is the one carried out by Australian Gold Emu Oil. Dr. Messenger says, “The trial they describe involving just 34 people [none of whom took a placebo, and with no independent verification] would not be accepted as evidence by anybody in the field. Just asking people if they think they have grown more hair is not good enough.” Unfortunately such clinical trials are carried out by a number of products that claim to be ‘clinically proven’.

The only clinically proven products for hair loss are Propecia, minoxidil and the HairMax LaserComb. Propecia and minoxidil have been licensed by both the MHRA in the UK and the FDA in the USA following large-scale clinical trials involving a number of regulations to ensure the trials were accurate. The LaserComb is ‘FDA Cleared’ in the USA and has also taken part in controlled clinical testing.

These three products make up the main part of most of Belgravia’s combination treatment courses for hair loss. Minoxidil is offered in different formulations produced by the Belgravia Pharmacy including an extra strength 12.5% cream and the HairMax LaserComb is offered free with most treatment courses when 12 months is paid in advance.

To get an idea of the kind of results hair loss sufferers see from the use of an effective treatment programme you can view our Success Stories Blog. It is updated on almost a daily basis and contains comments written by happy Belgravia clients in our comments book, found on the clinic’s reception and ’before and during treatment’ hair growth photos which are taken of every treatment course user that visits the clinic.

Belgravia’s treatment courses are available through visiting the centre for a free consultation or alternatively completing our online diagnostic form for a home-use hair loss treatment course. If there is anything at all we can help you with please give us a call or message the centre.

The Daily Mirror today contacted one of the Belgravia Centre’s senior trichologists, Leonora Doclis, to request some expert advice on Naomi Campbell’s current hair condition. Recent photos show that Naomi’s parting seems to be wider than normal and the Mirror assumed this was caused by some form of hair loss.  Leonora advised that this possible hair loss could be caused by excessive pulling on the hair, but there is no way to tell conclusively by a photo alone.

Leonora told the Mirror, ”There is a possibility that Ms Campbell could be experiencing a condition called traction alopecia but, if so, it is a very mild case.

“Traction alopecia is hair loss caused by excessive and long-term pulling on the hair follicles. This can be due to hair extensions or weaves and results in deterioration of the hair’s thickness. It is possible to repair this condition by the use of certain treatments but the results depend on the severity of the condition and extent of the hair loss.”

 You can see the full story here – Daily Mirror Story.

A recent article in the People newspaper proves that in the case of Hayley Burton the Beatles were right… love really is all you need! Hayley and her boyfriend Don Timson are convinced that falling in love brought all her hair back – hair that had had been dormant for seven years.

Hayley suffered from a condition called Alopecia Universalis which causes all hair on the body to shed suddenly.  This hair loss condition can last for a person’s lifetime but due to the fact that the follicles never actually die, there is always a chance the hair will grow back.  Hayley’s hair began to grow back 2 weeks after meeting Don – now she has a fully recovered, thick and vibrant head of hair.

Read the full People Newspaper love story, including an expert opinion by Leonora Doclis, one of the Belgravia Centre’s senior trichologists – PEOPLE NEWSPAPER HAIR LOSS LOVE STORY.

All you need is love! Falling in love brings
Back Hayley Burton’s hair. Read the full story.

As seen in the Daily Mail – fashion icon Peaches Geldof seems to be unaware of the negative effects hair extensions could be having on her hair.  At the Belgravia Centre we frequently see patches of hair loss caused by excessive pulling on the hair follicles because of hair extensions.  The hair will usually grow back on its own or with the use of specialised hair loss treatments but if the pulling goes on for too long the hair loss could become permanent.  Leonora Doclis, Senior Trichologist at the Belgravia Centre offers her advice to the Daily Mail – DAILY MAIL STORY.

Peaches Geldof seems to have an area of hair loss -
it’s most likely this is caused by hair extensions.

On Thursday of last week I was interviewed about the hype that had been circulating regarding discoveries in America of a gene that could possibly help to replace lost hair in bald men. Scientists have proven for the first time when testing on mice that it is possible to create entirely new follicles from which hairs can be grown, meaning it may be possible to replace hair follicles that have become dysfunctional in humans.

I talked to Sky News and Channel 5 about impact a future
cure for baldness would have, but also discussed the effective
treatments that are already available for hair loss.

Reports claim it will be 10 years before we can even begin to consider this ‘baldness cure’ becoming available, but what kind of a difference will it really make if and when it does come about?

As you will see in David Teather’s Guardian newspaper article; he explained how I was flinching with annoyance when I looked at a statement in an article I had ripped out of a newspaper. The statement read, ‘finally, a baldness cure that actually works’ – I have to say, statements like this do tend to get me hot under the collar. This statement is highly misleading to the general hair loss sufferer as it gives the impression that there is currently no hope – something that couldn’t be further from the truth!

Click here to see the Guardian Newspaper Article about a possible hair loss cure

As I pointed out to Teather, there are a number of cures for ‘hair loss’ available already, although the only thing that could be disguised as a cure to ‘baldness’ at present is non-surgical hair replacement, better known as a toupee. So you may ask what the difference between hair loss and baldness is: A bald person is somebody who has lost all his or her hair (in the area that is affected by Male Pattern Hair Loss this would be the top of the head). We refer to ‘bald’ as the smooth areas of skin where hair once appeared but now appears shiny and absent of hair. However, a man or woman suffering from ‘hair loss’ can have thick and healthy locks of hair, be it for a limited amount of time! Over time his or her hair will slowly but surely become thinner and the scalp will become increasingly visible through the hair, leading to eventual baldness in the case of many men.

So when I refer to a ‘cure’ for hair loss I’m talking about effective treatments that can prevent most men and women from ever having to reach the stage of ‘baldness’ with the possibility of thickening up the hair if there has already been a degree of thinning. There are three proven hair loss treatments available and The Belgravia Centre fine tunes its hair loss treatment courses for each individual case, deciding on which of these treatments, and at what strength they will be most effective depending on the specific condition and stage of hair loss each person has reached.

We have found about 9 out of 10 men will experience hair loss stabilisation from the use of a Belgravia Centre ‘combination’ treatment course. By ‘combination’ I refer to a combination of the proven hair loss treatments, as well as added ‘boosters’ that increase the effectiveness of the ‘primary’ treatments. Treatment is also very effective for women suffering from various forms of female hair loss.

So in 10 years time, if further research proves that a cure for baldness is possible, would it really make a difference? I don’t think many young men or women would want to wait until they’re bald, or until their hair’s visibly thinner to do something about it so I believe hair loss sufferers will still seek preventative treatments. I do however imagine a cure to be an exciting prospect for those who have already lost their hair – ensuring areas of complete baldness could one day be replaced with thick and healthy hair. However, until a cure for baldness comes about (if ever) it is important that people who are worried about hair loss know that something can be done as long as they act sooner rather than later.

The Daily Mail compare photos of David Cassidy recently and in 2002 – his hair seems to be thicker now than it was in the past.  Leonora Doclis explains that this is most likely the results of a hair transplant or hair weave.

Leonora Doclis believes David Cassidy’s improvement
in hair thickness could be due to a hair weave or transplant

It seems Jason Donovan’s hair’s looking thicker and fuller than ever – Leonora Doclis offers advice to the Daily Mail on the possible reasons for this – DAILY MAIL STORY.

For information on the treatments that are proven to prevent and reverse hair loss visit our HAIR LOSS TREATMENTS page. Used correctly, these treatments will prevent hair loss and regrow hair for the great majority of users.

Click on the image to see the Daily Mail Hair Loss Story