6 methods of battling baldness

When a guy begins shedding, two things go down the drain — his hair, alongside his self-esteem. According to a study, 62% of balding guys lose their confidence. “Thick hair has always been associated with youth and masculinity,” says Albert Mannes, a University of Pennsylvania researcher who studied perceptions of balding. “Hair loss signals ageing,” he says, adding, “But baldness can be deceiving: two-thirds of men face hair loss by the age of 35, and a bad genetic hand is often to blame.” But don’t sigh just yet — as compiled from Daily Mail, Times of India, Men’s Health and Men’s Fitness, skim through for latest strategies to rescue what’s left and recuperate what’s gone. 

Find the cause

Doctors often diagnose balding by sight alone — if your hair is only on the sides and middle top of your head, the bare areas form the letter M (as in male-pattern baldness) — which is a normal ageing process. But thinning that spreads across your scalp and not to your crown or temples often indicates an underlying health issue. “Hormonal or nutritional deficiencies, such as thyroid problems, low iron, or low protein, can cause shedding,” says Carolyn Jacob, the founder of Chicago Cosmetic Surgery and Dermatology. “Don’t assume it’s genetic,” says Marc Avram, a clinical professor of dermatology at Weill Cornell Medical College. Avram suggests seeing a dermatologist as soon as thinning appears so you can get help for any nutritional deficiencies, which you might have.

Switch shampoos

Dozens of shampoos claim to make your hair look thicker, but only one ingredient has been shown to truly preserve your hairline — ketoconazole: an antifungal used to fight dandruff. It may save your head of hair by reducing the production of testosterone in hair follicles, say scientists at the University of British Columbia. In fact, a study conducted in Belgium indicates balding men who used a 1% ketoconazole shampoo (anti-dandruff shampoos, usually utilise the ingredient) two or three times a week for six months saw a 17% reduction in hair shedding. Avram suggests you lather up with a coin-sized dollop two or three times a week; any more could dry out your hair and cause breakage. And only use non-irritating baby shampoo in between, if you must wash your hair.

Eat smarter

Super-cleaning-up your diet may save you from the Vin Diesel look — not that he doesn’t carry it well! Start by skipping deep-fried foods — this may reduce oil-gland activity, according to a research conducted in India. And, most importantly, skip desserts. The insulin flood from consuming a lot of your mum’s delish kheer can trigger the release of testosterone, making your scalp highly vulnerable to hair loss. Another imperative change you must make to your diet — up that protein intake. Skimping on the B vitamins in particular can interfere with the formation of hair cells and, therefore, hair growth. The best sources of Bs are protein-packed foods like chicken, fish and eggs, as well as leafy greens such as spinach. Protein, being the building block of your hair and nails will nourish you from inside out, helping make your roots resilient to balding.



Go for a hair-detox

Take any natural oil — olive, coconut or mustard and heat it up so that it is warm, but not too hot. Massage it gently into your scalp for about 10 to 15 minutes. Put on a shower cap and leave it on for an hour, then shampoo your hair. Researchers suggest that massageing your scalp for a few minutes daily will help stimulate circulation. Good circulation in the scalp keeps hair follicles active. Circulation may be improved through massage by using the oils mentioned above. The oils also assist in softening your hair, making them less susceptible to drying out and in turn, falling out.

Quit smoking

There’s a clear connection between lighting up and how fast male-pattern baldness gets worse. So if you’re looking for one more fantastic reason to quit, add early hair loss to the list. We’re all aware of the risks of smoking such as cancer, heart disease and strokes but it has now been shown to be venomous for your hair. The researchers from the Far Eastern Memorial Hospital in Taipei found that the heaviest smokers were most likely to suffer from male pattern baldness, even when a family history of the condition was taken into account. Those who smoked 20 cigarettes or more a day were twice more likely to have moderate or severe hair loss than those who had never smoked. The results, published in the journal Archives of Dermatology, showed the risk remained elevated even among those who had quit the habit.



Dump your comb

Okay, so it’s happened — you read this article too late and your precious tresses have left your crown — now what? First things first, skip the comb-over (hope Donald Trump reads this!) and channel The Rock or Dwayne Johnson instead. “Nine times out of ten, a shaved head is a vast improvement,” says Todd Lahman, owner of Sweeney Todd’s Barber Shop in Los Angeles. In fact, Mannes’s research reveals that a guy with a shaved head is viewed as taller, more masculine, and more dominant than one with a full head of hair. “People estimated that they could bench-press about 13% more weight,” he says. Mannes also discovered that men with shaved heads were deemed more attractive than those with thinning hair. So — own the look, you have no reason to lose confidence! 

Published in The Express Tribune, December 9^th,  2015.

Like Life & Style on Facebook, follow @ETLifeandStyle on Twitter for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.