Man Scales Building to Raise Awareness of Hair Loss

French ‘spider-man’ Alain Robert hit the headlines last month after another amazing climbing feat only this time he was scaling a skyscraper not just for fun but to raise awareness for hair loss.

The world-famous Frenchman took just 45 minutes to scale the 187-metre tall Total tower in Paris bare-handed and without the use of any ropes, in what turned out to be a stunt to mark France’s national hair loss day.

“It’s a serious subject,” he told the press when he had completed his climb, but he acknowledged that the moment seemed “a bit light” when compared to the other news of the week, which concerned the arrest of the man wanted for last November's terrorist attacks in the city. Continues below

Seriousness of hair loss

On a different day the seriousness of the urban climber's stunt might have been given more consideration, as hair loss can be a major and life-changing experience for millions. At 53, Robert still seems blessed with a full head of rather long blond hair: compared to many men his age, he is lucky. Whilst it can start any time following puberty, Male Pattern Baldness is extremely common among men in their 40s and 50s, and by retirement age, most men will have lost some or all of their hair due to this genetic condition.


What still surprises many men is that there are two clinically-proven hair loss treatments that can tackle male pattern baldness by inhibiting formation of DHT, a testosterone by-product which, in people who are genetically predisposed to be sensitive to it, causes hair to gradually thin and weaken before eventually falling out, and actively promote hair growth.

These MHRA licensed and FDA approved treatments can be used separately or in tandem, with additional supplementary hair growth supporting products, as desired.

The key is to start a recommended treatment course in a timely fashion once signs such as thinning hair or a receding hairline become apparent, as well as to use it consistently, as directed, in order for it to sport a fuller head of hair than may have otherwise been possible in spite of what nature has in mind.

Alopecia awareness in the UK

Here in the UK, the big date for hair loss is September, which is Alopecia Awareness Month. Rather than male and female pattern hair loss, this tends to focus on another condition which can affect men, women and even children: Alopecia Areata.

Alopecia Areata is an an autoimmune disorder which leads to bald patches anywhere on the scalp and is the second most common form of hair loss after genetic baldness. It, too, can be treated though, unlike Male Pattern Baldness, it is a condition that sometimes rectifies itself with hair growing back of its own accord.

There are other more severe versions of Alopecia Areata - Alopecia Totalis and Alopecia Universalis - which cause total baldness of the scalp and whole body respectively, for which Alopecia Awareness Month is crucial.

People with these more extreme and often untreatable conditions can frequently - and distressingly - be mistaken for cancer patients due to a general lack of knowledge surrounding these types of hair loss.

Whatever your hair loss condition, a professional diagnosis is usually the most sensible first step, as knowing exactly what’s happening can often take away much of the strain especially if the prognosis is encouraging.