Permed To Perfection

Leading man Will Ferrell, along with Steve Carell and Paul Rudd – managed to carry off an impressive perm-like styles. However, this look was probably achieved by using curlers rather than chemicals, explaining how the cast were also pictured with their natural hair on set.

If seeing Ferrell and crew has led to pangs of jealousy on your part, getting a perm is probably not the best way to deal with it. Instead, we can look at how men can prevent their hair from thinning as they age. If you have inherited the genes that can cause the onset of male pattern hair loss from your family tree, it’s likely that you will begin to notice some hair loss in your teens or twenties, when your hairline will also recede from a juvenile to a mature level.

If your hair has noticeably thinned, it’s advisable to visit a hair loss specialist to establish whether this thinning is male pattern hair loss (which it is in 95% of cases) or whether something else is to blame. Assuming that pattern hair loss is the cause, a hair loss treatment plan is your best bet in terms of halting hair loss and regrowing thinning hair.

Hairy Harmony

In order to be effective, a treatment programme should contain the two medications that have been licensed by the MHRA and approved by the FDA (the UK and US medical regulator bodies) as clinically proven hair loss treatments.

The first of these, Propecia, is an oral tablet that works by blocking the hormone that causes hair loss by attacking the follicles atop the scalp, leading them to produce weaker, thinner hair. By blocking DHT, the scalp follicles are able to recover and can begin producing healthy hair once again.

Often, though, damaged follicles need to be stimulated in order to produce new hair. This can be achieved with minoxidil, a topical liquid or high strength minoxidil cream that is applied twice a day. Whilst scientists are still unsure exactly why minoxidil works so well, the fact is that based on clinical trials and the many success stories achieved for our patients, it can be highly effective, particularly for regrowing a receding hairline.

Alongside these two treatments, a great head of hair can be achieved by using a variety of treatment boosters. Ranging from nutritional supplement Hair Vitalics, which has been specifically created to boost hair health, to specialist shampoos and conditioners formulated for your hair type and with any scalp conditions in mind, treatment boosters keep hair looking and feeling great, leaving you able to style it how you choose and not to cover thinning.

The Belgravia Centre—————————————————————————————————–

The Belgravia Centre is the leader in hair loss treatment in the UK, with two clinics based in Central London. We offer clinically proven treatments for hair loss, as part of comprehensive treatment programmes offered by our hair loss specialists. Our in-house pharmacies produce high-strength medications for hair loss that contain medically proven ingredients and are available at no other clinic worldwide. Treatment programmes are available by visiting the centres or for home-use, anywhere in the UK or the rest of the world. View our hair loss success stories, which are the largest collection of such success stories in the world and demonstrate the levels of hair regrowth that so many of Belgravia’s patients achieve. You can also phone 0800 077 6666 for our hair loss helpline or to arrange a free consultation.

Velina V

Age: Early 60′s

Diagnosis: Female Pattern Hair Loss

Of course, it’s possible that Baldwin got lucky with his genes, and has managed to keep his hair looking great naturally. Because we inherit the predisposition to balding from our family tree, we cannot prevent or cure male pattern hair loss, but it’s possible that we avoid inheriting the gene that leads to it. Also, because the gene isn’t always expressed in those who carry it, it could be that your parents pass on the gene but never bald themselves.

Lucky Genes?

It’s also true that just because someone in your family begins to lose hair from genetic hair loss at a certain age, it doesn’t follow that you will begin to bald around the same time: your hair loss could begin during or after that age (or not at all).

However, if hypothetically the short-tempered actor didn’t get lucky with the genes he inherited, how has he managed to keep his hair looking so good? It’s possible that he may have had a hair transplant, but despite eagle eyed fans being quick to call out any changes in hair density amongst celebrities, there is very little evidence to suggest that this has been the case, and Baldwin’s hairline looks pretty natural.

So, presuming no surgical hair transplant procedure has taken place, how could Baldwin have halted any hair loss and kept his hair looking thick and healthy? It’s possible that the star has been using a hair loss treatment plan that contains at least one of the two medications licensed by the MHRA and approved by the FDA to treat hair loss.

No Balding For Baldwin

The first of these medications, Propecia, is great at restoring hair thickness and for treating a thinning crown (the beginnings of a bald spot). Propecia is a DHT blocker, which means that it stops the follicular miniaturisation that results from the androgen hormone attacking scalp follicles. Once DHT is blocked, healthy hair should begin to grow again, although sometimes follicles need a little help.

This is where the second proven medication minoxidil can come in useful. Once a hair loss specialist has established your ideal daily dose, minoxidil can be taken to stimulate regrowth. As a high strength minoxidil cream, it is particularly effective at regrowing a receding hairline.

Alongside these two proven hair loss treatments, anyone wishing to keep their hair looking great would be advised to add certain hair growth boosters to their daily and weekly hair care routines. Whilst when used alone these boosters cannot tackle hair loss, they can ensure that hair is healthy and looking great. Ranging from nutritional supplement Hair Vitalics to the FDA cleared LaserComb, they can also help any scalp problems, such as dandruff or psoriasis.

The Belgravia Centre—————————————————————————————————–

The Belgravia Centre is the leader in hair loss treatment in the UK, with two clinics based in Central London. We offer clinically proven treatments for hair loss, as part of comprehensive treatment programmes offered by our hair loss specialists. Our in-house pharmacies produce high-strength medications for hair loss that contain medically proven ingredients and are available at no other clinic worldwide. Treatment programmes are available by visiting the centres or for home-use, anywhere in the UK or the rest of the world. View our hair loss success stories, which are the largest collection of such success stories in the world and demonstrate the levels of hair regrowth that so many of Belgravia’s patients achieve. You can also phone 0800 077 6666 for our hair loss helpline or to arrange a free consultation.

Actor Ben Affleck has a thinning crown but little frontal hair loss

At Belgravia, we often see patients whose balding has caught them unawares on account of them having a strong hairline, but a thinning patch on the back of their hair that couldn’t be seen without the help of two mirrors, or if their hair loss was caught on camera.

It’s even possible to retain a juvenile hairline (the hairline that you have when you’re young, as supposed to a mature hairline that usually recedes somewhat between the ages of 17 and 29) whilst simultaneously experiencing a thinning crown. It can even happen that a juvenile hairline is kept throughout adult life, though this is unusual.

Juvenile Or Mature Hairline?

You can usually ascertain whether or not you have a juvenile hairline by wrinkling the forehead: if the hair touches the highest wrinkle you probably still have a juvenile hairline. It should also be noted that a mature hairline is not male pattern hair loss, which causes a noticeably higher receding hairline.

However, whether your hairline is juvenile or mature, just because it shows no sign of pattern hair loss it doesn’t mean that excess shedding won’t be occurring on the crown. So, what can men who are experiencing vertex hair loss do to halt the loss and prevent baldness?

There are two hair loss medications that have been licensed by the MHRA and approved by the FDA, and any hair loss treatment plan should contain at least one in order to have a chance of growing back hair rather than merely improving the condition of existing hair.

Caught On Camera?

The first of the two medications, Propecia, is particularly effective for treating a thinning crown. The medication works by blocking DHT, an androgen hormone that attacks hair follicles atop the scalp in those who have a genetic predisposition to pattern hair loss. Blocking DHT gives follicles the chance to recover and to begin producing healthy hair once again.

The second medication, minoxidil, is a twice daily topical treatment that stimulates regrowth on the scalp. It can be applied directly to the thinning crown, either as a clear liquid or a high strength minoxidil cream, and whilst scientists are still establishing exactly why it’s so good for treating hair loss, clinical trials and the many patients Belgravia has successfully treated are testament to minoxidil’s effectiveness.

When used together, these two medications are the best means by which to treat a thinning crown, providing that the area in question has not become completely shiny and bald. A comprehensive treatment programme would also contain a variety of hair growth boosters, which maintain hair health and ensure it is kept looking its very best. These range from nutritional supplement Hair Vitalics, to the FDA cleared LaserComb, which can encourage and potentially speed up regrowth.

The Belgravia Centre—————————————————————————————————–

The Belgravia Centre is the leader in hair loss treatment in the UK, with two clinics based in Central London. We offer clinically proven treatments for hair loss, as part of comprehensive treatment programmes offered by our hair loss specialists. Our in-house pharmacies produce high-strength medications for hair loss that contain medically proven ingredients and are available at no other clinic worldwide. Treatment programmes are available by visiting the centres or for home-use, anywhere in the UK or the rest of the world. View our hair loss success stories, which are the largest collection of such success stories in the world and demonstrate the levels of hair regrowth that so many of Belgravia’s patients achieve. You can also phone 0800 077 6666 for our hair loss helpline or to arrange a free consultation.

This information is worrying, as hair loss is harder to treat the longer that it’s left to develop. Male pattern hair loss occurs when men with a genetic predisposition (inherited from the family tree) are sensitive to the powerful androgen hormone DHT.

Brits In The Dark

DHT causes follicular miniaturisation atop the scalp, leading to follicle damage that means that weaker, wispsy ‘baby’ hairs are produced.

Because pattern hair loss is down to genetics (although you can carry the gene without expressing it, and it is thought that certain environmental factors such as stress can trigger the early onset of pattern hair loss) there is no way to ‘cure’ it. However, a hair loss treatment plan that contains at least one medication that has been licensed by the MHRA and approved by the FDA (the UK and US medical regulatory bodies) can both halt hair loss and regrow thinning areas.

Because there are so many supposed hair loss treatments on the market that on closer inspection merely claim to improve the condition or apparent thickness of existing hair, many men feel overwhelmed by choice and put off committing to a treatment.

Clinically Proven Medications

Only two medications carry the approval of the key bodies mentioned above, and due to being highly complementary they can be used simultaneously.

The first of these medications, Propecia, works by blocking DHT. Providing that DHT is blocked before the area of scalp you wish to treat becomes shiny and bald, there is every chance that follicles can be treated successfully to halt the rate of hair loss.

Propecia is great for treating an all over thinning of the top of the head, but it has little effect on a receding hairline, which is where the second medication minoxidil comes in useful. This topical liquid, or high strength minoxidil cream for stubborn thinning, can stimulate hair growth even in damaged follicles providing that they haven’t scarred.

So, for men confused about what options are open to them, they should ensure that any hair loss treatment plan that they embark on contains either (or preferably both) Propecia and/or minoxidil. However, alongside these medications, there are a number of hair growth boosters which, whilst they cannot regrow hair when used alone, can contribute to all-round hair health in both existing hair and regrowth.

At Belgravia, we understand how daunting addressing your hair loss can be. That’s why we offer free consultations with no obligation to buy, where a hair loss specialist will diagnose you and recommend a course of treatment. We also offer a mail order service for patients unable to attend our London clinics: just fill in an online diagnostic form and someone will contact you to discuss your hair loss.

The Belgravia Centre—————————————————————————————————–

The Belgravia Centre is the leader in hair loss treatment in the UK, with two clinics based in Central London. We offer clinically proven treatments for hair loss, as part of comprehensive treatment programmes offered by our hair loss specialists. Our in-house pharmacies produce high-strength medications for hair loss that contain medically proven ingredients and are available at no other clinic worldwide. Treatment programmes are available by visiting the centres or for home-use, anywhere in the UK or the rest of the world. View our hair loss success stories, which are the largest collection of such success stories in the world and demonstrate the levels of hair regrowth that so many of Belgravia’s patients achieve. You can also phone 0800 077 6666 for our hair loss helpline or to arrange a free consultation.

To begin with, Nolan’s hair does not look particularly thin. This could mean that he is using a hair loss treatment programme than contains the proven medication Propecia. This daily oral medication works by blocking DHT, which is the androgen that causes male pattern hair loss.

The Hairline Rises

Pattern balding occurs when we inherit the genetics predisposition to DHT sensitivity, which leads scalp follicles atop the head to shrink and produce weaker, wispy hair. By blocking DHT, hair follicles can recover providing that areas are not completely bald and shiny, at which point hair loss cannot be treated medically.

Propecia is a good way to treat all over thinning atop the scalp, and also a thinning crown (the beginnings of a bald spot). However, Propecia alone is generally not the best way to treat a receding hairline, as Nolan may have noticed if he has indeed been taking the medication.

A more effective way to treat a receding hairline is by combining Propecia with the only other hair loss medication to be licensed by the MHRA and approved by the FDA, the topical treatment minoxidil. This dose dependent medication can be tailored to the exact needs of the patient, and even stubborn hair loss can be treated using Belgravia’s unique high strength minoxidil cream.

Minoxidil can also be combined with several extra ingredients which appear to block DHT when applied locally (azelaic acid, caffeine and Medroxyprogesterone) ensuring that every means of treating hair loss are made available to the patient.

Hair Loss Superheroes

So, Nolan’s best bet with regards to addressing his receding hairline whilst keeping his hair thick would be to begin a hair loss treatment plan that contained both Propecia and minoxidil. A hair loss specialist would also add certain hair growth boosters to his plan, to ensure that both existing hair and regrowth is kept looking great by keeping it at its optimum health.

Treatment boosters can include the FDA cleared LaserComb, which can encourage and speed up hair regrowth. There is also the nutritional supplement Hair Vitalics, which contains a combination of vitamins, minerals and proteins that can help keep hair in good condition, along with ingredients such as Saw Palmetto which may also help hair loss.

Regular check-ups also form a key part of our programmes, in order to chart progress and discuss any questions with a hair loss specialist. However, those patients who can’t attend our London clinics are able to contact us by phone or internet seven days a week.

The Belgravia Centre—————————————————————————————————–

The Belgravia Centre is the leader in hair loss treatment in the UK, with two clinics based in Central London. We offer clinically proven treatments for hair loss, as part of comprehensive treatment programmes offered by our hair loss specialists. Our in-house pharmacies produce high-strength medications for hair loss that contain medically proven ingredients and are available at no other clinic worldwide. Treatment programmes are available by visiting the centres or for home-use, anywhere in the UK or the rest of the world. View our hair loss success stories, which are the largest collection of such success stories in the world and demonstrate the levels of hair regrowth that so many of Belgravia’s patients achieve. You can also phone 0800 077 6666 for our hair loss helpline or to arrange a free consultation.

Apiwan P

Age: Late 30′s

Diagnosis: Female Pattern Hair Loss & Diffuse Thinning

To begin with, it’s important to remember that at the present time, Propecia can only be taken by men. There is some evidence that it can help female hair loss, too, but should it become available for women it would only be suitable for post-menopausal women. This is because Propecia can potentially cause birth defects if the medication is being taken by the mother.

Lower Limit

When it comes down to age, the lower limit for Propecia is very important. No male under the age of 18 should take Propecia (the brand name for 1mg finasteride) to treat male pattern hair loss or any other type of shedding. This is due to the fact that Propecia is a DHT blocker, DHT being the androgen hormone that causes pattern hair loss via follicular miniaturisation atop the scalp, leading to wispy, weak hair being produced.

However, DHT is crucial both for the creation of male characteristics in the womb, and for male puberty, meaning that blocking the androgen before puberty has ended can cause problems. Once puberty has ended, Propecia can be taken by the majority of men, though any medical conditions or other concerns should be discussed with your hair loss specialist before proceeding with treatment.

In terms of an upper age limit, there is no definite restrictions on when you can start (or when you should stop) taking Propecia. However, it should be noted that Propecia can only potentially halt hair loss and regrow healthy hair in follicles that have not completely ceased to produce hair. If areas of the scalp are completely shiny and bald, hair cannot be regrown medically.

A Comprehensive Approach

If you have previously taken Propecia or other hair loss treatments (although it’s worth remembering that only Propecia and minoxidil are licensed by the MHRA and approved by the FDA to treat hair loss) there is usually no reason why you can’t begin a hair loss treatment plan that contains Propecia.

Propecia works best when used alongside minoxidil, as the two medications are highly complementary. Whilst Propecia comes in a set daily dose, minoxidil is available in a variety of strengths, and a hair loss specialist can recommend your ideal daily dose, which can include our unique extra-strength minoxidil cream for stubborn thinning. The two proven medications are used alongside a number of hair growth boosters to create a bespoke hair loss treatment plan, which ensures that hair is kept in its optimum condition whilst the shedding is treated.

The Belgravia Centre—————————————————————————————————–

The Belgravia Centre is the leader in hair loss treatment in the UK, with two clinics based in Central London. We offer clinically proven treatments for hair loss, as part of comprehensive treatment programmes offered by our hair loss specialists. Our in-house pharmacies produce high-strength medications for hair loss that contain medically proven ingredients and are available at no other clinic worldwide. Treatment programmes are available by visiting the centres or for home-use, anywhere in the UK or the rest of the world. View our hair loss success stories, which are the largest collection of such success stories in the world and demonstrate the levels of hair regrowth that so many of Belgravia’s patients achieve. You can also phone 0800 077 6666 for our hair loss helpline or to arrange a free consultation.

“317 Natural Hairpieces”

However, despite the charity receiving an estimated 104,000 hair donations a year, 80% of the hair is unusable, and it usually takes between 6-10 donations to make a hairpiece. Based on these calculations provided by the charity, they should produce a minimum of 2,080 hairpieces per year, however Nonprofit Investor confirmed with the charity’s staff that the organisation produced only 317 natural hairpieces in 2011.

Nonprofit Investor also explains that according to Locks of Love’s statement , 317 natural hairpieces require no more than 3,170 hair donations, meaning that only 3% of 104,000 hair donations received make it into a hairpiece. The 1,763 hairpieces that are unaccounted for are worth $6.6 million. (Locks states that the retail value of a natural hair wig is between $3,500 to $6,000 and costs $1,000 to manufacture).

Even though Locks of Love discloses that it sold $572,997 of hair in 2011, this still leaves six million dollars of hair unaccounted for by the organisation. The charity’s efficiency with hair has also been compared to similar non-profit organisations such as Pantene Beautiful Lengths, who receives slightly fewer donations than Locks of Love but requires on average 19 of them to make a wig, compared with Locks of Love’s 328 donations per wig.

The First SELL Rating

Despite Nonprofit Investor contacting Locks of Love to verify the accuracy of their claims, the charity responded saying it “does not count, catalogue nor maintain lists of hair donations.” They asked the charity how many hair donations were sold each year ($573,997 in 2011 reported on IRS Form 990) and Locks of Love responded: “As we do not catalogue hair donations, you might imagine that we also do not count unusable hair that is sold….”

Kent Chao, Founder of Nonprofit Investor, stated that: “NPI recommends that Locks of Love publicly disclose the amount of hair donations it receives each year, how many are used to produce wigs, how many are discarded, and how many are sold.”

Locks of Love is currently the only non-profit organisation of the 62 that Nonprofit Investor has evaluated that has been give a “SELL” rating, raising ”serious questions about Locks of Love’s operations and finances”.

The Belgravia Centre—————————————————————————————————–

The Belgravia Centre is the leader in hair loss treatment in the UK, with two clinics based in Central London. We offer clinically proven treatments for hair loss, as part of comprehensive treatment programmes offered by our hair loss specialists. Our in-house pharmacies produce high-strength medications for hair loss that contain medically proven ingredients and are available at no other clinic worldwide. Treatment programmes are available by visiting the centres or for home-use, anywhere in the UK or the rest of the world. View our hair loss success stories, which are the largest collection of such success stories in the world and demonstrate the levels of hair regrowth that so many of Belgravia’s patients achieve. You can also phone 0800 077 6666 for our hair loss helpline or to arrange a free consultation.

A Belgravia Centre Patient

Age: Mid 20′s

Diagnosis: Male Pattern Hair Loss