Hair Loss Survey Reveals Nearly 50% of Men Would Shorten Their Life to Avoid Being Bald

What would you do to make sure you never went bald? A new survey reveals that over 30% of men are more worried about going bald than erectile dysfunction and nearly 50% said they would be willing to live shorter lives to ensure they wouldn’t go bald. Men between 41-50 were the most likely to trade away.

The survey was commissioned by Alpecin, a pharmaceutical and cosmetics company. The survey found particular worries about balding are increasingly evident in 21-30 year old men. There are lots of studies and surveys out there that link attractiveness to success and for some people hair is a quality of attractiveness so it’s little wonder that some men are concerned. We recommend fully researching any procedure or treatment before going ahead so that you are in the best position possible to make an informed decision.
It can be very easy to say such things in a survey and reality is very different but it does raise some interesting points about the dissatisfaction men face at the prospect of going bald. The main hair loss treatments are hair loss medications (minoxidil and finasteride), which may help slow down the balding process but the only permanent hair restoration treatment is a hair transplant. There are also other scalp micro-pigmentation and hair pieces/wigs but they do not offer the long-term and natural looking results most patients are looking for if they are balding.
Hair Loss Medication
Minoxidil and finasteride are often commonly known by their brand names – Regaine/Rogaine and Propecia respectively. Minoxidil comes as a cream, foam or spray and is usually used twice a day to promote healthy skin and follicles and it helps to dilate the blood vessels in the applied areas. Finasteride inhibits the enzyme that helps to convert testosterone to DHT, which is responsible for miniaturisation and the primary factor in male pattern baldness. For more info please see our blog post on DHT by clicking – DHT and hair loss.
Hair Transplants
There are two competing procedures often used – FUE and FUT hair transplants. FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) and FUT (Follicular Unit Transportation) are quite different procedures but with similar results – a hair transplant. FUE involves extracting and transferring individual hair follicle units under local anaesthetic from a donor area and it leaves little visible scarring. FUT, also known as micrografting, involves invasive surgery to extract a strip of skin and follicles from the back of the head, which is then cut up and transplanted to the transplant area. This requires considerable downtime and is unsuitable for many people who will lose more hair and wish to wear their hair short. It requires considerable downtime and post-operative care whereas FUE involves very little downtime and it can be done far more discreetly. We only offer FUE hair transplants at The Private Clinic because we only offer the best treatments and procedures. As we specialise in minimally invasive procedures we further feel FUE is more suitable for our patients.