Clinic Addresses

Iain Sallis Trichology Clinic
The Chestnuts Clinic
45 Thwaite Street,
Cottingham
East Yorkshire
HU16 4QX
Telephone: 07711 958202

Iain Sallis Trichology Clinic
York Nuffield Hospital
Haxby Road,
York,
Yorkshire
YO31 8TA
Telephone: 01904 715000

Iain Sallis Trichology Clinic
Leeds Nuffield Hospital
2 Leighton Street,
Leeds,
West Yorkshire
LS1 3EB
Telephone: 0113 3882000

Iain Sallis Trichology Clinic
Claremont Hospital
401 Sandygate Road,
Sheffield,
South Yorkshire
S10 5UB
Telephone: 0114 2630330

Male pattern baldness

Or androgenetic Alopecia
It is the most obvious hair problem on the planet, a lot of people have male pattern baldness and those who haven't, worry about getting it. This condition is not seen as a serious problem, but it robs people of their confidence and sometimes has a serious psychological effect upon the sufferer.
Women do suffer with this problem as well as men but it is a little more of a complex issue and there may be many underlying problems which may or may not be genetic so for now I'll concentrate on giving you the facts of the disorder and the effect it has on men, and deal with the problems women have with thinning hair in the future.

Male pattern baldness (or androgenetic alopecia to give it a proper title) is a very misunderstood disorder which has many old wives tails attached to it, so I will try to set the record straight.
Men start to exhibit this type of baldness because of two reasons only!

1. Genetics , It runs in the family, it does not matter which side it runs on - it may be your mothers grandfather or your father who has shown signs of baldness, but the amount of hair your family member has lost has no bearing on how much you will lose (so your father may be as bald as a coot, but you may only suffer from slight thinning at the front).
2. You have normal levels of testosterone in your body - This is a hormone which everybody above the age of puberty produces (yes even women!). You don't need an excessive amount of testosterone to cause male pattern baldness ( this is where the “bald men are more virile” tail comes from).

The hair products you use or have used in the past have no effect neither does the amount of stress in your life, or poor blood circulation of the scalp.

So.. what can be done?
There are drugs out there which may be able to help with the thinning/receding hair line, but these are not for every one, they will only help a few people who catch the balding phase early on, and these drugs only delay the inevitable, there is no cure! Minoxidil has many uses, but for Male pattern baldness, it has had limited success and as soon as the patient stops using it the hair starts falling out again. Propecia has a better success rate but again will only help a few select people, (and cannot be used by women at all and men who might want to start a family). These drugs are best seen as a way of “keeping what you've got longer”, but are expensive and it's an ongoing treatment.

There are many other 'miracle cures' advertised in papers and magazines which basically don't work so keep away from anything which reports 'amazing results'.

Hair transplants are a costly but permanent way to tackle the problem, technology has moved the hair transplant from the core punch graft which gave the patient a terrible dolls head look to the latest micro-grafting surgery were individual hairs are inserted into the scalp to recreate almost perfectly what the patient has lost. This is a case of distributing the hair you have, not gaining more hair and it is only an option for certain people who have seen both a trichologist and a surgeon who agree the patient is a suitable candidate. Massage is good for the scalp bringing an extra boost of nutrients to the hair, but this will not stop your hair falling out, in fact an over vigorous massage can pull hair out through friction, so don't over do it.

If you have a reason to think you are suffering with the above condition please contact myself your GP or follow the links to the Institute of Trichologists to find your nearest Qualified Trichologist*.

* Hair specialist