TOP STORY & Continued from Page 1 (4 While there’s little doubt minoxidil _ causes hair to grow - how much hair l it grows and how visible that hair is varies widely from patient to patient. Minoxidil is designed to be rubbed =gon the scalp twice a day. To be effec- ive, the user must keep using it or the hair that grows will eventually fall out. It doesn’t come cheap. It costs at least $60 a month to keep up a ing to Dr. Jerry Shapiro, a der- ) Rogaine treatment program accord- . matologist who specializes in hair — loss research and treatment at the [ University of British Columbia’s - Adult Hair Clinic. i) The clinic treats medical scalp oblems referred there by doctors = throughout the province. Dr. Shapiro { volunteers a day of his time each Ie week to the non-profit clinic. - By far, the most common type of hair loss is alopecia androgenetica, | said Shapiro. It's more commonly ) Known as male pattern baldness | (MPB). = MPB accounts for 95 per cent of all j male hair loss. Women are also sus- ceptible to pattern baldness but it is usually less severe and not as com- Jf mon. | () MPB is caused by a combination of - three factors, genetics, age and the '€ male hormone testosterone. The P| hairline usually recedes in an M pat- - tern starting at the crown and even- gray meeting the receding forehead. - There are other types of hair loss. They are usually linked to extreme stress, in the case of alopecia areata, or severe illness or shock to the sys- tem (telogen effluvium). In most cases those types of hair loss are tem- porary and new hair grows back 7 within a few months. > In treating male pattern baldness, minoxidil (Rogaine) coupled with = vitamin A lotion is the most common 7 treatment. “But it doesn’t work on everyone,” cautioned Dr. Shapiro. “Whether it works depends on a lot of things.” Of those who are treated with minoxidil, about 30 per cent will grow hair and only eight per cent of that hair is “cosmetically acceptable” said Dr. Shapiro. | : | ‘The treatment of pattern baldness | in women is somewhat different, said Dr. Shapiro. Sometimes hair loss can | de corrected by adjusting the level of male hormones found in the body. Various medications can be used or © topical estrogens applied to the scalp | stimulating hair growth. For men whose hair loss isn’t effec- tively controlled by minoxidil, there’s not a lot that can be done other than through surgery. There is a pos- sibility that a recently-discovered , process called electrotrichogenesis could hold out some hope for the treatment of baldness. Shapiro said Ese eae NDP LEADER Mike Harcourt wears his baldness like a badge, unafraid of bearing his pate to TV camera lighis. INSTANT HAITR! he best thing that ever hap- pened to bald men was when someone started the rumor that men with no hair on their heads are sexier than those endowed with luxuriant growth. The immediate suspicion is that little piece of folklore was started and fostered by someone with a pate as smooth as a baby’s bottom. There is no evidence that bald-headed men were mobbed by red-blooded women trying to find out first-hand if the ramor was true. But men everywhere who were growing a large amount of forehead at least took a little solace in that bit of nonsense. Heaven knows, those suffering from male pattern baldness (MPB) need a bit of solace. The premature loss of hair can have traumatic emotional ef- fects on a man, psychologists everywhere agree. Some men try to hide their baldness with strategically placed strands of what's left. They apparently refuse to believe that combing an overgrown fringe towards the front to hide a gleaming dome looks ridiculous. Some men accept their condition gracefully. They resign themselves to the fact they're bald and, as Mike Har- court, leader of the B.C. opposition has done, allow their chrome domes to shine on — TV lights be damned! He wears his baldness like a badge. But some of us can’t stand the idea of exposing the skin on their scalp. A naked noggin is nothing to be proud of, many baldies think, so they go for the great cover-up. They join the ranks of the rug-ed. They are kindred spirits to men such as Burt Reynolds, Sean Con- nery, Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra who wear hairpieces, toupees or hair prostheses. Call them what you will, but instant hair is one solution to an age-old prob- lem. Men have been wearing wigs since the 1700s. At one time, they were considered de rigeur. Even men with a full head of their own hair wore them. Today, hairpieces are a necessary cos- metic evil for men whose vanity gets the better of them. Antonio Abellan is a wig wearer’s best friend. If you’re a man who wants a custom hairpiece — he’s your man. Abellan is the only one in these parts _ who can supply custom-made hair- pieces for men. You want natural hair? He’s got it. You want synthetic? No problem. He'll also sell you a stock piece off the shelf you can wear home. Business is booming, says Abellan who moved to the Victoria area two years ago to “semi-retire.” He had a very prosperous hair replacement business in Ottawa that he passed along to his son Alexander. Since head- ing west, Abellan has found there is a great demand for his skills. During the last year, operating his studio out his - Blenkinsop Road home in Saanich, he has sold 120 hairpieces. He believes his company — Hol- lywood Hair Replacement — is just scratching the surface of the business that’s available. The 57-year-old Abel- lan is predicting that a studio he plans to open on Cook Street in January will sell a million dollars worth of product in the second year of operation. Continued on Page 4 _ HAIR TODAY - GONE TOMORROW! a research paper on the process was released only a month ago. A study has shown that a control group sub- jected to the treatment experienced a significant gain in hair growth. Electrotrichogenesis is performed by a device that looks much like a hair drier. In simple terms, it alters the electromagnetic field around hair follicles, changing the protein syn- thesis in the cells, explained Dr. Shapiro. He cautioned that it will be a long time before the benefits of the device are proven in clinical tests. For those who have the desire and the cash to improve their hair by sur- gical means, it can be a long and onerous process with less than satis- factory results. Many people who have suffered hair loss have had success with qualified hair transplant surgery but there are some drawbacks to this method. Hair transplants involve the removal of tiny pieces of skin contain- ing tufts of hair. These “plugs”, taken from the back and sides of the head, are surgically inserted into the areas that have thinned. The process can cost many thousands of dollars, depending on how many plugs must be inserted. The quality of the job can vary great- ly, according to the skill of the sur- geon involved. The surgeon must have artistic ability as well as good surgical technique or the job will ap- pear unnatural. Another surgical procedure known as scalp reduction has been used with some success but this is a specialized operation. Hair covered scalp is shifted to cover bald areas. In a series of operations done about every six weeks, the scalp is cut and a section of flesh is shifted forward to cover it. The patient wears a dressing until his scalp heals. Within a few months, the operation is repeated. Sometimes it takes more than a year and re- quires true dedication on the part of the patient. There are many non-prescription remedies on the market which are used to treat baldness. But those who are tempted to try them should be cautioned that companies making outlandish claims about the effectiv- ness of their products or techniques should be viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism. People who are losing their hair earlier than they planned and are bothered by it should see their doctor to discuss the various options. While there may be some hope with the likes of Rogaine or other treatments now in the research phase, quite often the only realistic option is to get used to the idea of showing a lot of skin on the skull or get fitted for a hairpiece.