Hair Transplant | Hair Transplants | Hair Restoration | Hair Surgery

BALDING MYTHS UNCOVERED

Yes, you are a product of your parent's genes, and male pattern balding, or androgenic alopecia, is inherited. This is not a myth, however, this is a fact. Unless you can change your parents, there is not much you can do about your genetic makeup.

If I massage my scalp, it may prevent hair loss. This is a myth. Benefits include relieving head and neck tension and may increase the production of endorphins and serotonin, resulting in a feeling of wellbeing. While scalp massage certainly feels good and is relaxing, there is no evidence it can prevent hair loss. However, there is no downside to massaging your scalp, so feel free to massage away.

Using hair care products can cause your hair to fall out or, conversely can stop hair loss. This one falls into a gray area. It is part myth and part fact. Of course, over-processing with chemical straighteners, bleach or relaxers or overuse of flat irons can cause permanent damage and hair loss. The good news is that both Minoxidil and Propecia have a good track record with preventing further hair loss and in some cases re-growing hair. Minoxidil, a topical ointment approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can be purchased over the counter.

If a man's father has a full head of hair, then he will have the same. This is a myth. There is really no scientific evidence to back up this claim.

Over-thinking or psychological problems can cause baldness. This is a myth. Although the popular image in the media of bald men as more intellectual, (think: egghead) has no basis in fact, the stereotype persists.

Unless you suffer from Trichotillomania (compulsive hair plucking) - a rare, obsessive-compulsive condition where a person plucks out their own hair, most psychological problems do not cause baldness. Trichotillomania affects 4% of the population, mostly women.

A new study, published this year in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, by George Cotsarelis, MD, Chair of the Department of Dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, has found that stem cells play a role in explaining what happens in a bald scalp.

In the meantime when trying to determine what is fact and what is myth, do your research. This is the only way to differentiate between what is real and what is being passed off as the next miracle cure that lacks both the miracle and cure parts.