A cure for baldness?

Scientists might have found a cure for baldness

The Guardian

They can keep their 'cure' for baldness. I love my hairless head | Tom Usher


Read Full Article
Download Perspecs

Has the cure for baldness been found?

By Joe Harker

Baldness, the blight on scalps of kings and vagabonds alike.

In fact, everybody loses hair at some time in their life, but that might be a reversible process after the latest scientific discovery.

A drug used to treat osteoporosis has been found to contain a side effect, namely providing a dramatic result on hair follicles, causing them to grow. The drug has a compound that targets a protein that stops hair growth and could cause thinning hair to regrow with luscious thickness.

Dr Nathan Hawkshaw, is the leader of the project and insisted that the drug would need to be tested on people before any comprehensive conclusions could be drawn. If clinical trials are successful then it would be good news for the follicly-challenged. Dr Hawkshaw believes the treatment could "make a real difference to people who suffer from hair loss" as they could have a workable treatment that didn't involve highly expensive hair transplants.

A spokesman for the British Association of Dermatologists considers the work of Dr Hawkshaw to be "a very interesting study". Treatment for hair loss is notorious for being unreliable so the more ways it can possibly be done the better chance of someone finding a way that works for them. They said: "As the researchers say, hair loss is a common disorder and it can cause considerable damage to emotional health, including loss of self-esteem and confidence.


The BBC examines why there is a stigma around male baldness, questioning why men are so eager for a cure. Hair loss can be damaging to self esteem and confidence, with men trying to find a solution throughout history.

Julius Caesar tried to hide his baldness with the infamous comb over and tilting his crown of laurel leaves in just the right way.

The Vikings rubbed goose poo on their heads while the Greeks preferred the more civilised mixture of pigeon droppings, horseradish, cumin and nettles. You really don't want to know what the Egyptians thought was the best cure.

None of them worked but the modern hair loss industry isn't much more successful unless you have money to spend. Around £2.7 billion is spent annually to try and combat hair loss. Yikes.

However, there are benefits to being bald if you accept and embrace it. Men who own their baldness appear more attractive, confident and dominant according to a study by the University of Pennsylvania.

While hair loss treatments that are fooling nobody are rated as unattractive and signs of a lack of confidence, men who realise which way the wind is blowing and shave their heads are seen more favourably for it.

Download Perspecs

New Cure for Baldness Could Be Found in Existing Drug, Scientists Say

An existing drug used to treat a common bone disorder could hold the key to the cure for baldness, according to a new study.

Current treatments for hair loss are limited to two FDA-approved drugs, minoxidil and finasteride, which have mixed results. The other option is minimally invasive hair transplant surgery. In the U.S. , there are around 50 million men and 30 million women affected by hair loss, which U.K. -based researchers said could be a source of "psychological distress. "


Read Full Article
Download Perspecs