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In the News – Hair Transplant Patient Branded With Swear Word

Snippet from the article:

Darren Hope, 40, finally found “W****R” on his scalp when he shaved his head.

A surgeon left the two-inch capital letters across the back of his nut by removing tiny hair roots. But the word was hidden by the new locks he implanted.

Read the full article — A hair transplant patient had a swear word branded on his bonce for 19 YEARS without knowing.

Well, that is unfortunate. As if the scars left from the old large plugs weren’t bad enough, he justrealized they removed the plugs to look like a word. If the clinic is long gone and he’s so emotionally scarred by this (or at least upset), I wonder why he took it to the press and allowed his name and photos to appear. Seems it would just generate unwanted attention.

It’s difficult to see the word in the photos, but I think the word is “wanker”. Apologies to UK or AU readers that are offended by that word, but it’s rarely used here in the States.

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In the News – Hair Loss Myths (Slideshow)

Hey doctors,

I found this slideshow of popular hair loss myths that Dr. Bernstein wrote that I thought you’d like.

Link: CBS News – Hey, Baldy: 10 Things You Need to Know about Hair Loss

We’ve covered practically every hair loss myth I can think of (most of which I’ve never heard before I started this site), but the slideshow mentions a few of my favorites — Genes for hair loss come from mom, hats make you go bald, and clogged pores cause hair loss.

There’s not much substance beyond 1 liners and stock photos, but CBS has the myths on their site at the link above.

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In the News – Hair Loss Gene Identified?

Hey doc, how’s it going? I’ve stumbled across this article on MSNBC.

I don’t want to get my hopes up too high, but the identification of a gene linked to hair loss sounds like an important discovery. What’s your take on it?

I had many people send me that MSNBC article yesterday, and my take on this is the following —

I think it is great that a possible hair loss gene may have been identified, but that does not necessarily solve the problem of genetic balding in the short term. It will help focus the research on the mechanism that have heretofore not been well understood. It is a step in the right direction, for sure. I’m looking forward to seeing where this discovery will take us.

Other articles about this can be found here:

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In the News – Hair Loss Gene Found?

Snippet from the article:

Researchers in Japan have identified a gene that appears to determine cyclical hair loss in mice and believe it may also be responsible for hair loss, or alopecia, in people.

In a report published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the scientists described how they generated a line of mice that were lacking in the Sox21 gene.

Read the full article: Scientists identify gene that may explain hair loss

I’m sure there will be much more information announced about this, as hair loss is a billion dollar industry and companies will be trying to figure out ways to use this new find to their advantage. So far though, this has only been shown to be valid in mice and “could” be the case for humans, as well.

Here’s some past hair loss genetics news:

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In the News – Hair Loss from High Chlorine Shuts Down Jr High School Pool

Snippet from the article:

Mount Vernon’s Junior High School pool shuts down after it tested positive for high amounts of chlorine.

The school district was notified Wednesday by parents of possible high amounts of chlorine in the pool.

Read the full article — School pool shut down for high chlorine levels

The problem was discovered at the Mount Vernon, Indiana junior high when parents reported their children had rashes and hair loss. Chlorine is known to cause or accelerate hair loss, particularly at higher levels. It may be just a topical effect and if so, will reverse.

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In the News – Hair Laser Ad in Australia Pulled for Being Misleading

Snippet from the article:

Australian cricket great Shane Warne has found himself at the middle of a storm of controversy surrounding his latest campaign for a hair replacement company.

Advertisements featuring Warne and former England captain Graham Gooch have been banned by an advertising watchdog over their misleading content, reports Eurosport.

Advanced Hair Studio’s advertisements have for years been centred on Warne and Gooch’s strand-by-strand replacement success, but the new ad implied that laser hair treatments produced the same results.

Read the rest of this article at Yahoo Sports — and more info at Guardian UK

I don’t follow Australian sports so I’m unfamiliar with the spokesmen mentioned, but this seems like another case of a company getting caught attempting to mislead the public about hair loss treatments and the results they can offer. The problem was in the wording of the advertisement, and although these ads were limited to Australia, it shines a small light on false marketing in this industry.


2009-12-04 10:00:23In the News – Hair Laser Ad in Australia Pulled for Being Misleading

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In the News – Guy Blames Hair Transplant for His Meth Addiction?

Snippet from the article:

MethA mechanic has been jailed for four years on drug charges although he claimed in court that he was only taking medication to stop the recurring headaches he had been suffering ever since a hair transplant procedure.

The Dubai Court of First Instance jailed the 35-year-old Pakistani mechanic after convicting him of smuggling and possessing 0.06 grames of methamphetamine for personal consumption.

Read the full story — Convict claims drug was only medicine

Blaming your meth use on a cosmetic surgery? Good one. Unless his dealer was his surgeon, I can’t see how the use of meth and a hair transplant can be connected.


2010-11-23 12:10:50In the News – Guy Blames Hair Transplant for His Meth Addiction?

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In the News – Gray Hair Protects Us from Cancer?

Snippet from the article:

GREY hair may be unwelcome, but the processes that produce it are now better understood and could be protecting us from cancer.

Cells called melanocytes produce the pigments that colour hair and their numbers are kept topped up by stem cells. Hair goes grey when the number of stem cells in hair follicles declines. Now Emi Nishimura of Tokyo Medical and Dental University in Japan and colleagues have found what causes this decline in mice.

Read the rest at NewScientist – Grey hair may be protecting us from cancer

This is a long stretch from a prominent researcher. I will not celebrate my gray hair because of this article.


2009-06-23 08:56:22In the News – Gray Hair Protects Us from Cancer?

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In the News – Gray Hair Could Be Reversible?

Snippet from the press release —

In a new research report published online in The FASEB Journal people who are going gray develop massive oxidative stress via accumulation of hydrogen peroxide in the hair follicle, which causes our hair to bleach itself from the inside out, and most importantly, the report shows that this massive accumulation of hydrogen peroxide can be remedied with a proprietary treatment developed by the researchers described as a topical, UVB-activated compound called PC-KUS (a modified pseudocatalase).

Read the rest — Gray hair and vitiligo reversed at the root

This is a interesting discovery, that gray hair is caused by peroxide bleaching the hair at the root. If it is true, anything that can remove the peroxide will reverse gray hair. The author showed that catalase (a known enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of peroxide) can reverse the gray hair.

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In the News – Grandma Tattoos Entire Scalp Instead of Dealing with Wigs to Cover Her Alopecia

Snippet from the article:

A grandmother left completely bald by alopecia has ditched her wig in favour of something a little more permanent – a tattoo covering her entire head.

Ann McDonald, 60, suffers from alopecia and also has a thyroid problem which resulted in all of her hair falling out three years ago.

The grandmother-of-three was inspired to get the overlapping floral design which cost a £720 after becoming fed up with having to wear wigs and hats.

Read the rest — Grandmother-of-three faces up to her hair loss in an unusual way

Wow! That is some dedication. Click the link above to see more photos.