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In the News – Miss Delaware 2010 is Bald

Snippet from the article:

Kayla MartellLike many beauty queens, Kayla Martell is beautiful, blue-eyed and out to support a good cause.

Martell, the newly crowned Miss Delaware 2010, also is completely bald. The 21-year-old pageant winner suffers from alopecia areata, a condition that causes hair loss and afflicts 4.7 million Americans, according to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation.

Sporting a blond wig, Martell beat out 15 other women — all with full heads of hair — to take home the Miss Delaware crown this month.

Read the full story at AOL News — New Miss Delaware Says Bald Is Beautiful

This is quite the inspirational story and should help bring awareness to alopecia areata patients. She competed four previous times in the pageant before taking home the crown on June 12. Congratulations to Ms. Martell!

There’s also a video available within the article from the CBS Early Show that is worth a view, and you can learn more about the new Miss Delaware at her blog.

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In the News – Microneedles to Replace Syringes?

Snippet from the article:

MicroneedlesIn a move that could spell disaster for the lollipop industry, scientists have reported progress in designing pain-free vaccines that people might be able to use at home. Someday that might mean fewer jabs at the doctor’s office — and fewer crying kids needing a sweet to comfort them.

The Band-Aid-like patches, coated with microscopic needles, generally don’t hurt. Moreover, they may actually work better at delivering vaccines and some medications, according to recent research.

Read the rest of the story at LA Times — Microneedles could replace the syringe

While not hair loss related, I wonder if these could eventually be used at the start of a hair transplant to remove any and all pain from the initial injections. Regardless, even as a new way for delivering vaccines, it’s worth reporting here.

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In the News – Michael Jackson Was Balding and Had Scalp Tattoos

Snippet from the article:

Just after Michael Jackson’s sudden death in June last year, rumors started circulating that the late singer was severely emaciated and bald. Although such allegations were frequently shot down, the coroner’s report released on Monday confirms them, and adds new, graphic information.

Sixty-one photographs of the former pop prince were taken prior to and throughout the procedure. According to the report, Jackson’s hair was “sparse and connected to a wig.”

“There is frontal balding and the hair can be described as short and tightly curled,” the report claimed. Jackson hair line was tattooed on, as were other facial features.

Read the rest — Michael Jackson Balding, Incredibly Thin and Had Tattooed Facial Features

Michael Jackson had 3rd degree and 2nd degree burns to his scalp which, I assume, caused considerable hair loss and scalp loss. It shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone that he had a quite a bit of plastic surgery, but I’ve also heard that he had transplants, although having not been there when they were done or being able to review the results, I am not in a position to determine their value.

If the coroner’s report states that he wore a wig and had his hairline tattooed, it could be that he had the transplants in an area so that the wig could be attached better — or maybe the transplants weren’t as successful as he’d hoped. This is just more speculation, though. The skin of third degree burns does not support transplanted hair grafts. Without examining him, I can not tell for sure what was done or what benefits he received, if any. And since he’s deceased, I’d imagine an exam isn’t going to be a likely possibility.


2010-02-11 09:04:06In the News – Michael Jackson Was Balding and Had Scalp Tattoos

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In the News – Men Who Bald by 40 Years Old Are More Likely To Get Prostate Cancer

Snippet from the article:

Men who go bald by the time they reach 40 may be at increased of getting prostate cancer at an early age, according to new research.

Scientists who studied hair loss patterns in nearly 10,000 men found those who experienced receding hair lines early in life were more likely to suffer a tumour later on. The findings, by a team of researchers in Australia, support earlier studies suggesting baldness could be linked with prostate cancer.

The reasons why are not clear but previous studies indicate it may be due to higher levels of testosterone, the hormone which can trigger the development of cancerous cells but also inhibit hair growth. In baldness, it’s thought high testosterone levels have an adverse affect on the hair follicles, acting on a hormone receptor to slow down hair production.

Read the rest — Men who go bald by the age of 40 are more likely to get prostate cancer

There are relationships between crown balding and coronary artery disease that have been reported as well.

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In the News – Masturbation Linked to Prostate Cancer?!

Snippet from the article:

Men who are very sexually active in their twenties and thirties are more likely to develop prostate cancer, especially if they masturbate frequently, according to a study of more than 800 men.

However the UK research team also found that frequent sexual activity in a man’s forties appears to have little effect and even small levels of activity in a man’s fifties could offer protection from the disease. Most of the differences were attributed to masturbation rather than sexual intercourse.

Read the full article at ScienceDaily.

Well, all I can say to that is… man, I’m in trouble! Now, cue the hundred “this somehow proves hair loss and masturbation are linked” emails….

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In the News – Man Sues South Korean Military Over His Hair Loss… and Wins!

Snippet from the article:

The government is liable for a military staff member’s hair loss due to extreme stress related to his duties, a local court ruled Sunday.

The Seoul Administrative Court ordered the Ministry of Patriot and Veteran Affairs to acknowledge 27-year-old Lee as a “man of national merit” and compensate him monthly for the loss of all his hair.

Read the rest at the Korean Times

And here I thought that the US had favorable courts rulings, but this one takes the cake…

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In the News – Man in Ireland Awarded €70,000 for Bad Hair Transplant!

Snippet from the article:

THE HIGH Court has awarded €70,000 damages to a sales and marketing manager over a botched hair transplant which left him disfigured.

Mr Justice John Quirke made the award to Niall Clancy (32), Scholarstown Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin, over the procedure which was carried out in the UK on January 12th, 2004.

The award included €30,000 general damages plus €40,000 for medical expenses to repair the damage.

Mr Justice Quirke also said Dr Maurice Collins, the surgeon who treated Mr Clancy after the transplant, had given him “very poor advice” not to have reconstructive surgery until after the court case was completed.

LawRead the full article at Irish Times – Man wins €70,000 damages over botched hair transplant

The online currency converter tells me that’s over $99,000 (USD)! I’ve not seen the botched work, but when the doctor told the patient to not have the repair work done until after the case was settled (which took years), it just added to the money the patient was awarded in damages. It is unfortunate that the transplant was so disfiguring, but without seeing photos I’ll have to rely on this article and the court’s decision for my source of case information.

Always remember to do your research on the clinic and physician before getting yourself into a permanent procedure like this. Perhaps this disfiguring hair transplant could’ve been avoided. See:

  1. Selecting a Hair Transplant Doctor
  2. How to Avoid Dishonest Hair Transplant Doctors
  3. Why Should You Visit Us?
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In the News – L’Oreal Invents Liquid To Reawaken Dormant Hair Cells

Snippet from the article:

Scientists at cosmetic company L’Oreal claim to have invented the first product which can actually “reawaken” dormant hair cells and allow them to grow back. It could offer hope to millions affected by male pattern baldness or just the thinning of hair through old age or for medical reasons.

Already demand for the new treatment has seen salons taking thousands of pre-orders even though the recommended three month treatment costs nearly £300.

After 90 days researchers claim that the liquid “Kérastase Densifique”, when applied to the roots, can promote the growth of more than 1500 new hairs.

Read the rest — Breakthrough hair loss product works on stem cells

The real question is whether I should buy stock in L’Oreal. The study they cite saw 101 people over 3 months with some regrowth, but I have no idea how many people were actually in the study or why it lasted only 3 months. As more news becomes available we’ll look into it further.

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In the News – Kate Teases Prince William About His Thinning Hair

Snippet from the article:

Prince WilliamThe Duchess of Cambridge passed a royal milestone today by cracking a joke at her husband’s expense while on public duty for the first time. She suggested the perfect solution for Prince William’s growing bald patch – a toupee made from alpaca wool. “You need it more then me,” she said, pointing to his head.

William, who has teased her mercilessly about her clothes, telling her she looked like a banana in a yellow dress and complaining that a dazzling green outfit was too bright, laughed and took it in his stride.

Read the rest — Kate teases William over thinning hair at Sydney Royal Easter Show

Over the years, many patients have come to our office to have hair transplants because of such teasing by family. This is not uncommon.

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In the News – Jason Alexander’s Hair Piece

Snippet from the article:

Famously bald Seinfeld star Jason Alexander, 52, showed up to the 27th Annual C.S.A. Artios Awards in Beverly Hills Monday with a full head of hair.

Source: Balding Jason Alexander Debuts Full Head of Hair

Actor Jason Alexander (George Costanza from Seinfeld) recently acknowledged that it was a hair piece he wore to this event. We see that the result looks good and some might even say he looks younger.

One has to wonder if he considered going the permanent route with a hair transplant… or whether he would even be a good candidate for one. It’s possible that he could get good results if his hair thickness was not fine, if his hair density was at least average, and if he would be committed to following through to the completion of the process.

There’s a tremendous amount of upkeep involved with hair pieces, and since he’s well known for his bald appearance, perhaps he wanted to just go for temporary shock value by appearing with a full head of hair.