Markets in Everything: Hair Loss

Over the past year or I have become interested in the market for hair loss. Looking at old pictures of family members and noticing some slight hair loss I wondered if I would have the hair loss gene as well. Millions of Americans lose their hair every year. Around 40 million men are affected by male pattern baldness. Male pattern baldness is what people typically think of a receding hair line. In addition to this, there can be loss of hair in the crown (also known as the vertex area).
Two people that have really influence my thinking are Dr. Sam Lam and Dr. William Rassman. Both are board certified hair transplant surgeons and take hair transplantation very seriously. Dr. Lam has posted numerous videos on YouTube, educating people on hair loss and hair transplantation, and does an exceptional job at taking complex ideas and turning them into simple understandable videos. From his videos Dr. Lam stresses the importance of education on the patient side. I completely agree with his approach. Why should you pay for anyone’s services unless you truly understand the value they are providing? Remember knowledge is power. Dr. Rassman maintains a daily journal for hair loss (BaldingBlog) with close to 8,000 entries that answer hair loss questions. I commend both gentlemen for educating not only me but thousands of others. What I have learned from my research is that hair loss occurs primarily due to DHT(Dihydrotestosterone). Genetics also plays a factor as well. From what I understand DHT plays a significant role in hair loss. The hair follicles start out as thick terminal hairs and then overtime miniaturize to the point where they can’t be seen anymore. Dr. Rassman stresses mapping out the miniaturization process. Individuals can look at their own individual miniaturization by purchasing a handheld digital microscope. The microscope allows the user to take magnify the hairs and take pictures which can be stored to the computer. This could be helpful in tracking hair loss over time.
Drugs such as Propecia and Rogaine try to slow down or reverse the miniaturization process. I should point out that both drugs were discovered by accident (Rogaine through blood pressure medication and Propecia through prostate medication). Although, there is no cure for hair loss Propecia and Rogaine are the only proven medical treatments to preserve hair. The patent for Propecia expires November 2013 which will help bring down the price. Avodart a drug commonly used for men with an enlarged prostate has seemed to show promise for hair loss in clinical trials. However, it should be pointed out that sterility was an issue in the trials. Avodart is currently not approved for hair loss treatment. What would be interesting though is if Avodart can help with BPH (enlarged prostate), hair loss, and increase sterility (less likely to have kids) wouldn’t it be the blockbuster drug for men over 50? I did a little research and wondered if DHT was a problem why not find a drug that greatly reduces DHT? A drug called acyline strongly reduces DHT to very low levels. Although, this approach might be extreme acyline is currently being studied for prostate cancer and as a contraceptive. Aside from medical intervention hair transplantation is also another way to restore hair. Hairs are transplanted from the back of the head (genetically programmed not to be lost) and individually placed into the balding areas. The process can take hours and is very labor intensive. There is actually a voluntary group of hair transplant surgeons known as the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery. These surgeons are well trained and knowledgeable in performing hair transplants. I think it’s interesting how there is can be markets many things including hair loss. This industry still is most likely in the growing stage, and has made significant strides in such a short period of time. Perhaps one day hair loss will be a thing of the past.

Below are the links for Dr. Lam and Dr. Rassman
http://www.hairtx.com/
http://www.baldingblog.com/