SOLUTIONS TO MEN'S HAIR LOSS...

First the forehead recides, then the spot at the back of the head clears-hair lost for is for many men the worst thing they could possibly suffer as they get older. While the balding men used to place their hopes in all kinds of remedies or attempt to conceal the areas with hair pieces, effective hair growth medications have been available for years. But they can't guarantee the return of a full head of hair.

There are good reasons for the anxiety men feel their hair starts to fall out. "Studies show that to other people, abld men appear an average of three to four years older than they actually are," says psychologist Ronald Henss of Saarbruecken. "They also are percieved as less stylish than men with full head of hair. In the eyes of many beholders, a bald man means the loss of attractiveness. One small comfort: Most people think that bald men as family men and faithful husbands," Henss says.

The likelihood of hairloss increases with age. By their 80th birthday, about 80% of men are affected, says dermatologist Natalie Garcia Bartels from Berlin Charity HOspital. Up to 100 individual hair fall out per day from a normal head. Anything over that is considered hair loss.

"Mostly it is congenital hair loss- the so called androgenic alopecia or male pattern baldness, which can begin in men from age 20," Garcia Bartel says. It appears gradually as a receding hairline from the lateral sides of the forhead or hair lost as a bald patch at the top of the head that works its way gradually towards the front. "Many men are left with only a ring of hair around the lower part of their head."

Hair loss is set off by a hormone on the scalp. An enzyme causes testosterone to be transformed into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which is believed to be the primary contributing factor in most cases of male pattern baldness. The hair follicle develops a deep sensitivity to DHT, which initiates a process of follicular miniaturization. This progressively decreases the width of the hair shaft untill the scalp hair resembles peach fuzz or goes away completely.

There are other types of hair loss, but they occur less frequently. When circular patches of the hair falls out, for example, the cause typically is an autoimmune disease that sets in rapidly, Garcia Bartels says. Sometimes hair loss is attributed to an internal disease of the thyroid or a low level of iron in the blood.

There are remedies available to stop hair loss caused by male pattern baldness and possibility even to reactivate the still existing hair follicles. The effectiveness of the remedies in fact has been documented in studies.

Remedies with the effective ingredient Finasterid are used in high doses to treat the prostate gland. It blocks the enzyme that converts testorterone into the hair follicle-damaging DHT.

Finasterid can be be obtained through the prescription and it is taken in the form of a daily tablet. "If the treatment is dtopped, the hair loss as a rule will start again," Garcia Bartel says. The price of the drug is about 150 euros (US$220) for a three- month supply- is high.

Somewhat more economical is Minoxidil, which is a lotion that must be applied to the scalp twice a day. Originally developed as a blood pressure medication, Minoxidil was found to have a side effect of hair growth. It's success rate is moreover lower. While the hair loss is stopped 80% of the people who used Finasterid, the rate is 70% among people who applied minoxidil. Additionally 70 to 80% of Finasterid users experienced hair growth. This is true for 50% to 60% of Minoxidil users.

A part from these medications, and toupee, there is another way of achieving a full head of hair again: Hair Transplantation . This involves moving pieces of skin with hair follicles from another part of the body, typically the back of the neck and transplanting them to bald spots. "Such measures come into play only if the hair loss has ended," Garcia Bartels says. Otherwise, the remaining original hair still continue to fall out around the newly transplanted hair. Hair tranplantation is a very costly solution to baldness. The cost of refilling in a small spot with hair can run over 1,000 euros (US$1,469). "The results that I have so far are not especially satisfying," Hofmann says. Apparently, it is better when a man accept his baldness.

"The problem that men have with hair loss decline anyway as they get older," Henss says. "Perhaps time does not grant a full head of hair, but it does heal all wounds."

There are many advertisements in the internet offering lotions and similar remedies for hair loss, this should be avoided. Remedies that cost a lot of money and do nothing only cause aggravation and frustration. The money would be better spent on a head massage or a hair tonic containing rubbing alcohol. This will increase blood circulation to the scalp, thus supplying it with enough oxygen.