As we grow older, we become more aware of certain things about ourselves that we used to not have to so much as blink an eye at: “Is my stomach getting larger?” “What is the deal with the bags around my eyes?” And, for many men, “My hairline does not seem to be where it once was…” Our bodies, of course, change with age. Some things gets droopy, others get bigger, and some things just fall right out: Our hair.

Men are the clear majority of sufferers when it comes to hair loss. There is more than just one reason or two that causes our hairlines to gradually recede into something resembling a horseshoe, but the most common of these is Pattern Baldness, known scientifically as androgenetic alopecia.

Pattern Baldness is genetic, so if you’ve got it, you’ve got it for good. Studies have shown that in fact many of us do have it, with 25% of men exhibiting signs by the age of thirty, with nearly two thirds of men becoming completely bald or on their way toward baldness by age 60.

While Pattern Baldness may be permanent, as there is no “cure,” it can be treated and managed using a variety of methods, including different procedures such as hair follicle replacement surgery. But most men don’t have money, nor the time to go through such great lengths to save their scalp, meaning many turn to hair loss medications in order to stop the recession in its tracks.

Hair loss medication, however, has always been met with a mixed reception until very recently. A lot of this is due to our lack of understanding of Pattern Baldness in general, therefore not understanding how these medications work. Male Pattern Baldness is not due to the actual loss of hair, but rather from the failure to grow new hairs because of the presence of testosterone.

Therefore, medications such as Propecia inhibit the conversion of testosterone into other hormones that play a key role in the loss of hair, and is only approved for use in men with Male Pattern Baldness. There are others, such as Rogaine which contains the drug minoxidil, but how it works exactly remains somewhat of a mystery.

The important thing above all is that these medications do in fact have a fairly positive success rate when it comes to both preventing and stopping hair loss. Just like with any medication, its effectiveness depends on many factors, such as the individual who is using it, drug interactions, etc. But with new products being developed on an increasingly regular basis, Pattern Baldness is being effectively treated and stopped in more and more men.

So when you start to notice loose hairs in the sink or the shower, or that your side-part is starting to look more like the Parting of the Red Sea, have confidence in the fact that hair loss medications do work, and that all it takes is working with your doctor in order to find the right one for you.

Some people can be seen intentionally doing the bald look as some type of “fashion style”, more than likely because they know their hair will grow back. But for a good number of people especially men who are 30 and older, going bald can be a real nightmare. This nightmare might have begun since childhood – it’s alopecia areata.

Alopecia areata is classified as a disease wherein the body attacks the hair follicles as if they are foreign. The body’s antibodies called T-lymphocytes attack each hair follicle preventing the growth of new hair and force them to enter into the resting phase or telogen. When the telogen phase is over (lasting approximately three months) the hair begins falling off. It’s only when the T-lymphocytes cells cease assaulting the hair follicles can hair regrow.

The alopecia areata disease initially starts off as an inch-wide bald patch on the head and gradually recedes over time. Hair loss of this type affects both women and men equally, which often began since their childhood.

Alopecia areata causes are unknown. Yet in America, this disease affects one person in every 100 at some point in their lifetime. Most people with this condition experience only one regrowth after the hair shed off. However, the condition usually recurs and becomes permanent. The disease has four types known according to the severity of each case:

1. Alopecia areata – describes a mild hair loss condition on the scalp that is usually an inch across.

2. Alopecia totalis – people with this hair loss disease lose all of the hair on their scalps.

3. Alopecia universalis – if you have this hair loss type, all of the hairs on your body including your scalp shed off.

4. Alopecia areata barbae – this mild hair loss condition is limited only to the beard with one or more bald patches.

Best Treatments For Alopecia Areata

Unfortunately, there isn’t any cure for this disease yet, though, there are treatments. These treatments should be continuous until the condition stops, which in most cases is after a couple years even without treatments. There is a certain alopecia areata treatment for patients who have not shed 50 percent of their hair, while there is a specific treatment for patients experiencing more than 50 percent hair loss.

Patients with mild cases of alopecia areata should take cortocosteroid (cortisone) lotion or cream massaged on the bald spots. Alternatively, a more potent form of cortocosteriod is injected directly on the scalp to prevent hair loss and promote regrowth.

Dithranol is best known for its effectiveness in treating psoriasis, but is also prescribed to patients with alopecia areata. This alopecia areata treatment takes the form of an ointment that, likewise, is applied on the bald areas to prevent further cell division as well as hinders the excessive growth of skin at the top layer.

Retin A (Tretinoin) is well known for treating acne vulgaris but is now increasingly used for the treatment of alopecia areata and androgenetic alopecia. The commercial form of retin-A is in a gel form that is massaged on the area. Doctors often prescribe retin-A along with the topical form of minoxidil: minoxidil in the morning and retin-A in the evening.

Minoxidil (Rogaine, Regaine, or Headway) are topical treatments for people with androgenetic alopecia or the genetic hair loss, but also applies to mild alopecia areata. Unfortunately, minoxidil is ineffective in people who have lost 100 percent of their hair, since it only acts as a temporary treatment.

Finasteride (Propecia) are the alopecia areata pills that have been effectively helping men and women with their hair loss problems. The FDA approved finasteride as treatment for hair loss since 1997. This treatment acts by blocking Type 2, 5-alpha reductase (an enzyme in the skin) that lies inside the scalp cells, and converts into dihydrotestosterone or DHT (the active form of male hormone, testosterone).

Hair loss is considered a typical occurrence especially among adults. In spite of that, though, having more hair is still, inarguably, much better.

To be successful one needs only extraordinary qualities and the look of a person is hardly a hindrance. At least the famous bald actors of Hollywood teach us that lesson. They prove the fact that guys with almost no hair are more swagger and more powerful. The article describes how the three popular bald actors Bruce Willis, Jason Statham and Yul Brynner rocked Hollywood not with their look, but with their talent.

Bruce Willis

He is professionally known as Bruce Willis, but his actual name is Walter Bruce Willis. Willis is a German-born yet American actor who started his career in the year 1980 as David Addison in the show Moonlighting. Since then he was one of the popular Hollywood heroes who played different roles in action, dramatic and comedy movies.

Walter Willis was born in the Idar-Oberstein in West Germany to David Willis and Marlene K. David Willis, Walter’s father, was a soldier. Walter was the oldest of the four children. He was interested in theater and art from his childhood as most of the childhood he has spent attending drama clubs in New Jersey. As an adult, he was selected as the president of the student council. Completing his studies, Willis employed himself as a guard in the Nuclear power plant of Salem. However, he had a previous interest in film and drama and to chase his dream he finally went to California  in 1980 to attend a different audition. This is where he was selected as the hero of the show moonlight.

In 2000, Bruce won an Emmy award for the film “Friends” where he became the father of Ross Geller’s younger girlfriend.

• Pulp Fiction
• Loaded weapon,
• Di Hard with Vengeance

These are some of the best films by this actor and in all these films, he paired with Samuel Jackson.

Jason Statham

Jason Statham is an actor who has played different roles in different phases of his life. He was a former diver, producer, and martial art specialist. Statham’s birthplace is Shirebrook, Derbyshire and his parents are Eileen and Barry Statham who were dancer and street singer respectively. During his adulthood, he moved to Great Yarmouth in Norfolk and he decided not to go behind his father but to pursue art. During this time, Vinnie Jones was his friend who was professionally a football player. Initially Statham started playing football for the Grammar School. He first appeared in media as a sports model in the year 1998.

At this time the famous British director Ritchie Guy who was developing a project and was looking for an actor who will play the role of a street-con artist spotted him. When Ritchie came to know about his past life, he selected him as his hero and the film was just a super hit. Both the audiences and the critics received the film gladly.

Snatch is another popular film starred by the actor that earned an approximate 80 million dollars of revenue in box-office. In the film, he cast alongside Brad Pitt, Benicio del Toro and Dennis Farina. In the year 2010, Statham paired with action heroes like Mickey Rourke, Jet Li, and Sylvester Stallone in the movie The Expendables. Statham also played an important role in the movie ‘Killer Elite’ that was based on real events. However, some parts of the movie were taken from Ranulph Fiennes novel “The Feather Men”

Earlier Statham was involved with Kelly Brook and the relation lasted for seven years. Now, he is dating Rosie Huntington who is a Victoria’s secret model. This lady certainly does not need any garcinia to look slim. The gorgeous 26 years model does not have one once of fat. She also started to act and even won two movie awards for her performance in Transformers.

Yul Brynner

He is another popular bald actor who is also a man of many talents. He was a Russian born U.S based actor who was equally good on film and on stage as well. The actor was best-known for the stage performance of “The King and I”, produced by Rodgers and Hammerstein and for “The King of Siam” as well.

He won 2 Tony awards for the stage version of “King and I” and one academic award for the film version of the same. He played the same role for 4450 times on stage. Audience liked this actor for his shaved head and distinctive voice. Yul not only was a famous actor but also was a successful television director and a model, a photographer and an author as well. ‘The Magnificent Seven’, the ‘Ten Commandants’ and ‘Anastasia’ are some of the best films by the actor.

His personal life was full of controversy as he exaggerated his birth background. He was not happy as a husband, but was a proud father. However, whatever his personal life is, as an actor he had unbeatable talents. This famous actor died of lung cancer in the year 1985.

Hair loss is part of the natural renewal process of the body where new growth occurs in the place of the fallen hair. But they are various conditions which hasten this process.

For instance, fast hair loss may be caused by hormonal changes as in the case of pregnancy or child birth and in some cases, this occurs when one stops using the pill. The condition is only temporary because once the hormonal levels stabilize, the hair loss stops. A recent research was done on hormone levels in male and female patients who were experiencing serious hair loss and it pointed towards an intricate relation between thyroid and sex hormones which may lead to this disorder.

Stress is an additional factor related to hair loss and although it has not been conclusively proved, emotional disturbance has been loosely linked to hair loss but minor strains and concerns may possibly have the same effect. A woman’s hair may fall due to strains put on her body. An example of this is crash dieting whereby a woman sheds off a considerable amount of weight quickly; this can result in hair loss as well. Stress is often transitory and when its cause is cleared up, the ensuing hair loss should also stop.

The female-pattern hair loss

As women advance in age, their hair normally thins out but the effects are less dramatic than they are for most of the men. This can be seen if you compare your grandmothers’ hair to that of your grandfather- who might not even have any. Hair loss in women tends to be similar to men’s except for some significant variance. The hair loss age bracket is the same; a small number of both sexes start losing hair as early as in their twenties.

However, most of them are unaware of the changes until they reach their mid-thirties or forties. In the case of women, the hair loss is a uniform overall thinning while for the men’s hair loss the hairline recedes and in some cases result in balding at the crown of the head. The female-pattern hair loss is the process in which women lose hair at the hairline as well as on the crown.

When should one be concerned?

Hair loss may be temporary, but when a disorder known as alopecia areata sets in, it becomes a serious matter. This is characterized by irregular loss of hair and in case a woman has this symptom, she should visit a dermatologist. In order to slow or check hair loss, corticosteroids are in most cases prescribed.

Hair loss is said to be often hereditary with about 50% of women being affected. But just as long as it is not sudden, serious, sporadic or resulting from physical or emotional strains, it may be regarded as a normal maturing process.

Cure

A very large number of people would like to either reverse or stop their balding. If a woman opts for a medical approach, she will be able to obtain better results if she takes action faster. One of the most popular cures is Rogaine (minoxidil). However, about 20% of the patients have the regular hair re-growth while about 40% have a thinner and shorter hair re-growth akin to ‘peach fuzz’ and the growth will only last for the period the person keeps on using it.

Merck is testing a fresh drug known as Propecia on post-menopausal women. It blocks the testosterone’s conversions into an interrelated hormone referred to as dihydrotestosterone which causes the hair follicles to contract. Its success rate in men is the same as Rogaine and the hair re-growth comes to a halt once the usage of the drug is stopped. It has not been determined if it will be effective with the hormone profile of women. Also, pregnant women are prohibited from using this drug as it can cause birth flaws in male foetuses’ genital and urinary organs.

The main hair transplants methods take big portions of the scalp and hair from dense parts and relocate them to bald areas. However, this does not take care of the women’s characteristic situation. But the latest micrograft hair transplant methods have made this a feasible alternative for an overall thinning pattern of the woman.

Most women can do without seeking the medical remedy for this problem since there are numerous hair products which they can use to manage hair loss. They include mousses, gels, wigs and extensions and they tend to offer better results at affordable costs and with little trouble.

For years, many people have been seeking for a remedy for baldness but unfortunately no discovery has been made yet. However, in the past few years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have approved minoxidil and finasteride. Besides, there are other products numbering in thousands, medications and prevention methods for hair loss which makes this industry very lucrative.

Alopecia is a medical term for hair loss leaving partially or completely bare skin. Baldness or androgenetic alopecia is the most common form of hair loss. It affects mostly men. It is a natural phenomenon strongly determined by heredity. Other forms of alopecia can result from an health problem or be caused by medications, for example.

In Greek, Alopex means “fox.” Hence alopecia recalls the important fur loss suffered by the fox every year in early Spring.

Some people choose to undertake treatment to stimulate regrowth or limit hair fall. The hair is culturally associated with the power of seduction, health and vitality, so that treatment of alopecia meets a great interest. However, you should know that the result is not always satisfactory. Hair transplantation may then be the last resort.

Types of Alopecia

The main forms of alopecia and their causes are listed below. Although alopecia affects mainly the hair, it can occur on any hair-bearing area of the body.

Baldness or androgenetic alopecia. About a third of Caucasian men have some baldness at the age of 30 years, half at the age of 50 years and about 80% from 70 years old. For men baldness is characterized by progressive decline of the hairline. Sometimes it occurs rather at the top of the head. Baldness can begin as early as the late teens.

Women are less likely to suffer from baldness. At age 30, it affects 2% to 5% of women and almost 40% at the age of 70 years old. Female baldness looks different: all the hair from the top of the skull becomes increasingly sparse. Although it is often reported that hair loss tends to increase with menopause, it is not apparent in epidemiological studies.

Several studies are under way to better understand the causes of baldness. Heredity seems to have a major influence. In men, baldness is influenced by male sex hormones (androgens) such as testosterone. Testosterone accelerates the life cycle of hair. Over time, they become thinner and shorter. Hair follicles shrink and cease to be active. It also appears that certain types of hair are more influenced by testosterone. The causes of baldness in women have been much less studied. Women also produce androgens, but in very small quantities. In some women, baldness could be linked to a higher androgen than average but the main cause is heredity (history of baldness in a mother, sister …). 

Scarring alopecia. Alopecia can be caused by a permanent injury of the scalp due to an illness or infection of the skin (lupus, psoriasis, lichen planus, etc..). Inflammatory reactions that occur in the skin can destroy hair follicles. Ringworm, a fungal infection of the scalp is the most common cause of alopecia in children. However, among them there is regrowth in most cases.

Ringworm, a fungal infection of the scalp is the most common cause of alopecia in children causes. However, among them there is regrowth in most cases. Alopecia areata, or sclerosis alopecia is an autoimmune disease. It is recognizable bythe complete loss of hair on small areas of skin. There is sometimes regrowth, but a relapse is always possible months or years later. Universal alopecia (loss of all body hair) is very rare.

Telogen effluvium is a sudden and temporary hair loss as a result of a physical or emotional shock, pregnancy, surgery, a significant weight loss, high fever, etc.. Up to 30% of hair fall prematurely into a resting phase and then fall. Once the stress is passed, the hair follicles go back into active phase. However, this can take a few months.

Congenital alopecia is very rare, it can especially be attributed to the lack of hair roots or an abnormality of the hair shaft. Mutations in the gene P2RY5 are responsible for any of these inherited forms called hypotrichosis simplex, which begins in childhood in both sexes. This gene participate in the formation of a receptor that plays a role in hair growth;

Drugs, chemotherapy, etc. Different situations can trigger hair loss. For example, nutritional deficiencies, hormonal imbalance system, chemotherapy or radiation therapy for cancer, drugs (eg, warfarin, an anticoagulant, or lithium, used to treat bipolar disorder).

When it comes to male hair loss, male pattern baldness is what the majority faces today and at times, this may affect the female population as well. For many, it starts from teenage years and for the others it happens after 20s or even 30s depending on susceptibility factors. At first, the problem is taken lightly and after it is left unnoticed, it takes its toll to expose the scalp.

Men react differently to this problem. Some of them never care about this issue whereas others drop their confidence levels and dive into depressions losing the hold on their life and success. The first and the most important cause of hair fall is hereditary and if you have this pattern baldness in your family, you are at high risk. The hair starts to recede down your forehead losing hair in the temples as well as the crown making you bald at the end. There are other reasons for hair loss too, they include:

• Thyroid issues
• Anaemia due to iron deficiency
• Side effect of certain medications
• Fungal infection in the scalp
• Stress

If hair loss is due to reversible reasons, you can of course stop this problem. Like, if it is due to iron deficiency you can include more iron content into your diet regime and so go on to become healthy without hair loss. There are several methods available now to reverse or stop hair fall. A few are noted to be highly successful while the others are not effective at all. Whatever the cause of your hair loss, at a particular age this problem comes to a stop.

In severe cases, it is highly recommended that you get advice from your physician about it to ensure that there is no connection with any diseases. You are bound to visit a doctor if there is patchy hair loss rather than the usual hair fall.

Women try out different ways to counteract hair loss by trying out wigs, hats and transplantation techniques to adopt a newer hairstyle that never shows off the issue.  With men, the majority are least concerned about this problem. The others try out weaving techniques and wigs or other permanent solutions to look smart, young and vibrant building up their confidence levels.  There are also lotions or other medical products like minoxidil available in the shops to reduce the rate at which hair fall happens. You can try out different reliable methods to ensure that the problem is either reduced or brought to a standstill.