IN THIS MONTH'S ISSUE:

	Does T-Gel Shampoo Cause Cancer? Public Health groups sue Neutrogena for lack of cancer warnings on labels		Propecia 5 Year Trial Results! See how today's most effective hair loss treatment fared after 5 years of continued use
	New VEGF Topical Now Available! Protein shown to increase hair diameter is now available for purchase overseas		What happened to Alt.Baldspot? Miss all the information and useless fighting?  We can get you set back up to join in the fun!
	RU58841 - Want it? Now you can get it. Overseas vendor willing to provide this new hair loss treatment to a handful of volunteers		Hair Pieces Covered by Insurance? Mike Cartwright's 10 Month hair transplant photographs just added to the site!
	Revivogen increases Quantity 50% Makers of Revivogen now including 50% more scalp therapy for standard purchases		Survey: Hair loss is Increasing More people are reportedly losing hair than ever before, says this recent study
	New Genetic Discovery for hair loss The latest news in genetic research and hair loss discoveries		Gwyneth Paltrow Fighting Hair Loss Could it be?
	Can Hair Loss be a sign of Disease? It's important to rule out other possible causes of hair loss before you embark on treatment		Hair Today, but there'snow Tomorrow! A humorous look at life in a snowstorm as a hair system wearer
	Transplant Documentary Updated 10 Months after his latest surgery, updated photos showing incredible progress!		Video: OTC vs Prescription Treatments How do you determine what's right for you? Are prescription meds necessarily better?
More News Releases related to Hair Loss (click to view) Pennsylvania Union Workers threaten to strike - health care/limiting hair treatments Balkan Troops complaining of hair loss - Uranium Toxicity New MSNBC article - The root of Women's hair loss - an in-depth look One Scottsman's natural hair loss remedy Shorn tresses aid children with medical hair loss

Does T-Gel Shampoo Cause Cancer?

Why California Wants to Expose the Coal Tar in Dandruff Shampoos - And Why the Industry Is Resisting 

Coal tar may sound like some backwoods remedy your grandparents used, but the stuff is an active ingredient in a variety of popular dandruff shampoos. Dermatologists say it works to control those pesky flakes and relieve the itch. The only catch is that, well, in high doses coal tar causes cancer.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) acknowledges that coal tar is carcinogenic but says that the over-the-counter coal-tar shampoos are safe for both adults and children. Shampoo makers agree. But in California, where both hair and novel legal actions grow long and wild, the leader of a nonprofit environmental and public health group and the state attorney general's office are suing more than 20 manufacturers of coal-tar shampoos and ointments to require them to place warning labels on their products -- and ultimately to sell them by prescription only.

Well-known companies named in the suit include Neutrogena, American Home Products and Walgreens.

"The companies' refusal to label these products is irresponsible and illegal," said Perry Gottesfeld, who filed the lawsuit.

Proposition 65, a voter-initiated measure adopted in 1986, allows California to set stricter safety standards for certain consumer products than the FDA does. Prop 65 requires any item sold in California that contains a known carcinogen to have a warning label, regardless of whether it's been blessed by the FDA.

Coal tar is a black, viscid liquid distilled from coal and used to make a variety of products, from dyes to pavements. The substance has long been associated with lung cancer among roofers and asphalt workers, as well as skin and scrotum cancer among distillation workers, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Science.

Yet no study has convincingly shown that coal-tar shampoos, which usually contain less than 1 percent coal tar, cause skin cancer, according to the FDA. In formulating the shampoo, many of the tar's carcinogenic chemicals are removed, and the residue quickly rinses away from the scalp.

According to Prop 65, products that carry "no significant risk level" do not need warnings, according to Sue Fiering, a deputy attorney general involved in the lawsuit. Prop 65 defines risk as causing more than one case of cancer per 100,000 people exposed.

Shampoo manufacturers sponsored an independent health study last year that found their coal-tar products to be safe, even by that standard. But in a study commissioned by the attorney general's office, the shampoos failed to meet the test. Now the courts will decide if the industry has met its burden of proof.

While the California plaintiffs pursue their case, federal authorities seem unimpressed.

Dennis Baker, FDA's associate commissioner for regulatory affairs, reviewed 12 health studies that Gottesfeld is using to support his claim that the coal-tar shampoos pose a significant health risk. Baker found all of the studies seriously flawed.

Gottesfeld's reaction? "The FDA doesn't have the backbone to stand up to industry."

Coal tar is certainly no secret ingredient. Neutrogena boldly touts coal tar's effectiveness. Its T/Gel Therapeutic Shampoo is clearly labeled as containing 0.5 percent coal tar. The extra-strength formula has 1 percent coal tar. But other anti-dandruff products use alternative compounds. Neutrogena, for example, also offers T/Sal, a shampoo with salicylic acid. Head & Shoulders uses no coal tar, relying on zinc as its active ingredient.

If the California court favors the plaintiffs, Fiering said, shampoo manufacturers may opt to lower the concentration of coal tar or remove it altogether.

One of Prop 65's success stories was lowering lead concentrations in calcium supplements. Manufacturers of the supplements, faced with making separate products for California and the rest of the United States, decided simply to lower the lead levels nationwide. In this way, Fiering said, the entire nation often benefits from California's strict safety standards.

Until the case is resolved, you can go back to the old reliable beer and egg shampoo -- provided the eggs don't have salmonella, and the beer isn't past its expiration date. . . . 

We've all heard the story time and again.  "Propecia maintains hair in 83% of men in a two year clinical trial for those who took 1mg daily".  For over three years we've all wondered exactly how long Propecia could maintain that level of success, as the clinical trials continued without so much as a peep from Merck or the FDA.

Well finally the pharmaceutical giant has spoken.

Some men were on Propecia.  Some men took a placebo (pill with no active ingredient in it).  After five years, the men who had been on Propecia had an average of 277 more hairs in a 1 inch diameter circle area than those who were on the placebo.  Reviewing the results from that viewpoint shows Propecia to be a complete success, and compared to no treatment at all, it has shown itself to still be the most effective clinically proven treatment around for maintaining hair count - now for at least 5 years.

But let's look at this from another angle.  Comparing to Placebo (no treatment at all) is a piece of cake.  Clearly placebo users are going to decline.  What about the performance of those on Propecia though, from year to year?  How did their status progress or decline as time rolled on, and the pills were popped?

After the first year of treatment, those that did regrow hair did so with an average of over 90 hairs in the specified area.  By year two, that newly grown hair decreased to an average of 80.  By year three, the new hair they had grown decreased in count to around 60.  By year four it decreased to around 40 hairs.  By the fifth year, the hair that Propecia had grown 

If nothing else, Propecia continues to hold the title as the best possible treatment for long term maintenance of hair.  No other hair loss treatment has been tested so rigorously and for such a long period of time, ever.  

For younger men just starting to lose their hair, these 5 year results are exciting news.  Men just starting to lose hair today are the first men in the history of the human race to keep a full head of hair when they should have otherwise gone bald.  With Dutasteride in the pipeline, and several other potentials being researched, this 5 years of maintenance and slight growth for the majority of Propecia users is nothing but good news.  Buying time has always been the name of the game.

For those who are looking to regrow, a combination treatment of Propecia, Nizoral, Rogaine, and Tricomin are the best possible options available, with clinical backing.

For the complete article including specifics on the numbers and the incidence of side effects found after 5 years, please view the PROPECIA 5 YEAR RESULTS article.

Read more about Propecia here:  http://www.HairlossSucks.com/propecia.htm
Discuss Propecia in our Forums here:  Propecia Forums

Last month we announced the press release regarding a new protein which has been proven in recent studies done on mice to increase the diameter of hair when applied topically.  You can see the original story in our March Newsletter here:  http://www.HairlossSucks.com/nl32001.htm#3

We received word from a source that VEGF is now available for purchase, in the form of a topical product called "Anastim", which contains an ingredient called RTH16.  This ingredient is said to help stimulate the body's own production of VEGF - which as you can see in the article above, is a natural ingredient that also has been shown to increase the diameter of the hairs.   

You can read more about it at the following links:
http://www.dermaweb.com/dermato/ducray/capillaires/capillaires_cheveux_chute.html
http://www.tubotica.net/consejos/Dermatologia/Propecia.htm 
http://www.arles-pharmacie.com/parapharmacie4.htm 

If you aren't fluent in French and Spanish, you can paste the above URL's into the URL box at the following translation web site, and it will automatically translate the page for you:

http://babelfish.altavista.com

HairlossSucks is pursuing acquiring this product to add to our Online Product Center in the near future, if it proves to be a useful treatment.

Please note!  VEGF stimulating compounds have not been clinically proven to work for male pattern baldness in any trials on human subjects, nor has there been any safety testing involved.  Use extreme caution and do your research before you take any actions.

One of the most frequented methods for accessing the most well known newsgroup on hair loss anywhere on the internet - alt.baldspot - was recently dealt a death blow by corporate america via the purchase of Deja.com by the folks at Google.com.  Along with the purchase came some incredibly bad planning, as between 5,000 and 10,000 weekly readers of the newsgroup could suddenly no longer view any messages or post messages to the web site.

What once was a bustling mecca of information exchange, complete with intelligent and not-so intelligent discussions on hair loss, became a desolate, virtual ghost town reserved for the few who used means other than Deja to access their newsgroups. 

Google shut down the newsgroup interface for well over a week with promises of bigger and better things to come, but today, over a month later, Deja.com remains a shoddy version of its former self with poorly updated threads, missing messages, difficult navigation, and no ability to post new messages or retrieve email.

How can I start reading & posting to Alt.Baldspot again? 

Well, it's not going to be easy, but if you're good at following directions, the steps below will get you back up and running on the newsgroup with only a little bit of blood, sweat, and tears.  These steps are foolproof, (we had a fool write them) so set aside 15 minutes and get yourself set up, because Google may never be as easy or as fun as Deja was.

The instructions below should be Printed out before you start.  If you would rather not print this whole newsletter out, you can CLICK HERE to see the steps for newsgroup setup on a single quick-sheet page with nothing else on it.

Are you an AOLer?

America Online Users - According to our logs, over 80% our 65,000 visitors each month are using America Online.  If you are an AOLer, you have a newsreader program built in.  Just go to keyword "Newsgroups".  If it's your first time there, you'll receive a popup telling you to set your "Preferences".  You can do this later, when you get familiar with it.

1. After clicking "Ok" on the popup, you will be presented with a window full of options.
2. Click "Expert Add"
3. In the "Internet Name" box, type   alt.baldspot  and click the "Subscribe" button.
4. You will get a popup confirming that you've been subscribed.  Click "OK"
5. Now you will see a window with a set of preferences for the specific Newsgroup.  Run through this quick checklist to ensure your preferences are set optimally:
   
   Not Checked - Hide Binary Files
   Not Checked - Enable Offline Reading (not necessary unless you pay per hour for AOL access)
   Not Checked - Don't show messages longer than 500 characters
   Show messages no more than ___ days old.  (You can set this to your liking)
   Select Filter Type - Leave these untouched.  You can come back here if you want to modify them later.
6. Click "Save"
7. The window will disappear, and you'll see the Expert Add window.  Click the X in the upper right corner to close it
8. The window will disappear, and you'll see the main Newsgroups window you started at.
9. Click "Read My Newsgroups"
10. alt.baldspot will be listed at the top.  To the right you can see how many current messages are listed in the newsgroup.
11. Double click the alt.baldspot item in the list.
12. You're done!  You can now read the alt.baldspot newsgroup.
13. First order of business.  Click once on the heart in the upper right corner of the window.  This will save the item to your "Favorites".  Your "Favorites" are listed as a menu item at the top of your AOL program.  In the future, all you will need to do is go up there and select it from the dropdown.  Very easy!

AOL User?  Hah!  No way!

Okay okay, settle down.  We know you think you're better than they are.  You will now get to make use of your superiority by paying dearly with a much less intuitive process for accessing newsgroups.  :)  But let's get to work.  We'll make it as painless as possible.

What you Need to Know

1. Your ISP - If you're reading this right now, you have an ISP (Internet Service Provider).  Your ISP is what enables you to get online, read Email, and browse web sites.  Some examples of well known ISP's are Earthlink, Cox, Roadrunner, and BTInternet.  Your ISP can also be through your work or school or any of thousands of other companies out there.
   
2. Your News Server - Before you can proceed, you will need to find out what your ISP's news server is.  If you don't already know, you'll need to contact your ISP and ask them.  You will need this information to proceed.  News server names typically start with "nntp".  An example of a news server name is "nntp.home.com" or "nntp.earthlink.net".  Your ISP will give you the appropriate name.
   
   FREE NEWS SERVERS - If you're a cheapskate, or your ISP doesn't have a news server (this is a sign that you need a better ISP by the way), there are free news servers out there.  They're typically not very reliable, and many times do not have all the newsgroups you want, but here are a couple links to a list of free news servers:
   
   http://w1.213.telia.com/~u21304873/usenet.htm
   http://ecalame.tripod.com/free.html
   http://www.alteasy.com 
   http://www.newsservers.net/ 
   http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Dell/1376/nntp.html 
   http://www.jammed.com/~newzbot/sorted-speed-table.html 
   http://www.kuth.de/pns/Liste/liste.html 
   http://frameister.virtualave.net/nlist/index.html 
   http://dir.lycos.com/Computers/Usenet/Public_News_Servers/ 
   http://freenews.maxbaud.net/ 
   http://frameister.virtualave.net/cgi-bin/nlist/ns_view.pl 
   http://www.muenz.com/sdienst/html/sgroup_e.html 
   http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Byte/7126/ 
   http://www.snafu.de/~hweede/pulin.htm 
   http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Studios/9594/public.htm 
   http://www.serverseekers.com/ 
   http://www.wnabb.freeserve.co.uk/ 
   
   
3. Authentication - some news servers require authentication to retrieve and post to newsgroups.  This means that even though you're already online using your logon and password, to access the news server you must have your newsreader send that info through again.  Ask your ISP if your news server requires authentication and make a mental note.
   
4. Your Mail Server - Before you can proceed, you will need to find out what your ISP's mail server is.  If you don't already know, ask them.  Mail server names typically have the following format:  smtp.yourisp.com or mail.yourisp.com  Your ISP will give you the appropriate name.
   
5. Your News Reader - In order to access the newsgroups, you will need a program which connects you to newsgroups, just like you use a web browser to access web sites.  HairlossSucks.com has done a lot of research, and feel that "MicroPlanet Gravity" is the most user friendly, easiest to set up, and most feature-filled newsreader available.  We will be using this program as our example, but have included installation and setup instructions for XNews, and Outlook Express as well, for your convenience.

Gravity - The Most Functionality, Best features, Easiest Interface - $39 registration Fee with a fully functional 30 day evaluation period.

1. Downloading the Newsreader - Please click the following link to download the Gravity newsreader:
   http://www.microplanet.com/download.htm (2.4MB, will take about 20 minutes at 56k)
   
2. When it's done downloading, a window may pop up with an "Install" button on it.  If so, go ahead and click that button.  If not, simply find the file on your hard drive and double click it.  A window will pop up asking you to accept.  Click "I Accept".  Then click "Proceed with Install".
   
3. Select the location you'd like to install the software to, then click "OK".  It will ask if you want to launch Gravity when you click a link your web browser.  This is up to you.  "Add to Start Menu?" - this is up to you.  ReadMe file will appear, click "OK".  "Do you want to start Gravity now?"  Click "Yes".
   
4. The Gravity intro screen will appear, click "Ok".
   
5. News Server Nickname:  "Newsgroups"
   News Server Address:  Example - nntp.yourisp.com  You must get this information from your Internet Service Provider to proceed.
   Mail Server:  Example - mail.home.com  You must get this information from your Internet Service Provider to proceed.
   Organization:  Anything you want
   Email Address:  Whatever email address you want displayed when posting
   Reply address for posts:  Where you want people's replies to be emailed to *IF* they decide to post to the newsgroup and email you as well.
   Advanced:  If your news server requires you to send your logon and password through again, enter that information here.  Please see step 3 above, under "What you Need to Know"
   When you're done, click "OK".
   
6. Gravity will now retrieve all the newsgroups available in the usenet kingdom, and then a window will pop up.  In the "Search" box at the top right, type in "alt.baldspot" (without the quotes).  Click once to highlight it when it appears, and then click the "Add" button.
   
7. Click "Done".  The program will load up the latest messages, and you're ready to go!  Double click "alt.baldspot" and you will see all the most recent messages in the middle window pane.  You wont need the top window pane again unless you plan to add new newsgroups, so you can drag the window frame below it to the top of the screen to hide it.
   
8. Simply double click a message in the top window, and the body of the message will appear in the bottom. 
   
9. To post to the newsgroup, click the icon that looks like a Megaphone at the top.  You're set!
   
10. To learn about all the features this program has (it has hundreds of incredibly cool ways to mix and match your messages, killfile annoying posters, mark important threads, etc) use the Help feature at the top of the program, and click "Getting the Most out of Gravity".
    

XNews - Basic Program, Not as Many Features - No Registration Fee

1. Downloading the Newsreader - Please click the following link to download the XNews newsreader:
   http://xnews.3dnews.net/#download (500k, will take about 5 minutes at 56k)
   
2. When it's done downloading, extract the files to a location on your hard drive and double click the EXE file to run the program.  There is no install for this one.
   
3. First you will be asked for your News Server name (example: nntp.yourisp.com).  You must get this information from your Internet Service Provider to proceed.  Enter this information and click "OK".
   
4. Next you'll be asked for your "Alias".  This is just what you want to call your connection to the newsgroups.  (example:  My Newsgroups).  Click "OK".
   
5. A rather complicated looking window will appear.  You only need to enter your User Name & Password if your ISP requires it.  This information should have been obtained when you got the news server name.  At the bottom of this window you can see a series of fields encased within a heading "Custom Identity Data".  This is the information people see when you post.  Enter your name in the appropriate field (what you're known by on the newsgroup), email address, etc.  When you're done, click "Okay".
   
6. You will be asked "Retrieve List of newsgroups from the server?".  Click "Yes".  If you are on a modem, this could take up to 15 minutes, so be patient.  If you receive an error here, it's because either 1) you have the wrong news server name or 2) your server authentication settings were wrong.  Start the process over and this time enter the username and password you use to log on to your ISP in the "User Name" and "Password" fields.  This should fix the problem. 
   
7. Now you will see a list of newsgroups in a box.  If you're lucky like us, the first newsgroup you see is 24hour.frogbuttdesk.  Believe it or not, this is a newgroup.  What it's about, we wont bother finding out.  
   
8. You will see a toolbar underneath this list, and about 3/4 of the way to the right you'll see a yellow shaded section with an empty white box in it.  Here is where you type alt.baldspot.  As you type, you will see the list begin to reshuffle until it finds the newsgroup for you.
   
9. To the left of the box you're typing in, you will see a button with a GREEN " + " sign in it.  Click this to subscribe to the alt.baldspot newsgroup.
   
10. You may wish to maximize the window size at this time and make the program full screen if it already isn't.  Now simply double click alt.baldspot in the window, and you will see all the posts available.  You will want to Maximize this window to be full screen by clicking once on the middle button in the upper right corner of the window.
    
11. You're in!  Simply click once on one of the messages listed in the top frame, and you will see it appear in the bottom frame.
    
12. To Post, go up to "Article" at the top menu, and click "Post to Newsgroup".  For information on all the features this program has to offer, please review their docs at:  http://xnews.3dnews.net/manual.html

Outlook Express - Basic Program - Very Few Features - No Registration Fee

1. If you have Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher installed on your system, you probably already have Outlook Express.  To use this method for reading newsgroups, simply go to your Start button at the bottom of the screen and click "Run".  
   
   In the box that pops up, type the following exactly as you see it here:  C:\Program Files\Outlook Express\msimn.exe  If this doesn't work, change the "C" to whatever your main hard drive letter is.
   
2. Once the program has loaded, it may ask you if you want to make Outlook Express your default mail client.  If you are not already using this program to read your email, make sure you click "NO".  Uncheck the checkbox as well.
   
3. Go up to "Tools" on the top menu, then click "Accounts".  Once this is up, click the "News" tab.
   
4. Click "Add" then select "News".
   
5. Enter your Display Name, click Next.  Enter your Email, click Next.
   
6. Enter your News Server name (example: nntp.yourisp.com).  You must get this information from your Internet Service Provider to proceed.  If your ISP requires you to log on, check the checkbox here.  See Step 2 and 3 above under "What you Need to Know".  If you check the checkbox, you will be asked to enter your Username and Password on the next screen.  If not you'll see the "You are finished" screen.  Click "Finish".
   
7. You will now see that you've added newsgroup reading to Outlook Express.  You should be back at the first popup window.  You may also notice that your news server name has popped in on the left side of the screen in the list of items.  For now, just click "Close" on the popup in front of you.
   
8. You will now be asked if you want Outlook to download newsgroups.  Click "Yes".  Outlook is VERY slow, so give it time.
   
9. You will see a window with a box at the top titled "Display newsgroups which contain"  In this box type alt.baldspot and then click the Subscribe button.  Now click the "Go To" button at the bottom.  If you plan to use Outlook express from here forward, click "Yes" on the question regarding whether you want to make it your default news client.  If not, click "No".
   
10. You're in!  It should load the available messages in the top window pane, and when you click one, you will see the body of the message appear in the bottom window pane.
    
11. To post a message, click the "New Post" icon at the top.  To reply to someone, make sure the message is showing in the bottom window pane, and click "Reply Group".

The following press release was received from the Revivogen team this week regarding quantities in their product:

For Immediate Release.

Los Angeles, California, USA. March 31, 2001. 

Advanced Skin and Hair, LLC announces a 50% increase in the 3 and 6 month supply of Revivogen Scalp Therapy formula. Now each 3 month supply of Revivogen Scalp Therapy will consist of 6 oz. or 180 ml and accordingly 12 oz. or 360 ml for a six month supply. This is a permanent increase and the result of decreased production costs due to increased demand for Revivogen line. This increase is effective immediately and available from all Revivogen suppliers. 

For information on Revivogen, check out our Revivogen Information Center.

Stylists are noticing an increase in the number of men and women experiencing hair loss or thinning, according to results of a survey conducted by Paul Mitchell Rogaine Professional at the International Beauty Show. The stylists identified men ages 25-34 and women ages 35-44 as the groups with the greatest increase of hair thinning or loss. 

Thinning hair can affect both men and women as early as in their teens. Hair is at its thickest when a person is 20 years old, but it gradually begins to thin after that. Almost 40 percent of women with hair thinning never expect it to happen to them because it is an issue that is rarely discussed among or in relation to them, according to research. 

"Our society places a high value on hair, which makes hair loss and thinning a very difficult issue to discuss," said Lynn Glaze, stylist with John Paul Mitchell Systems. "Stylists have the ability to break through these barriers and talk about hair loss and viable treatment options available to them." 

Forty-five percent of the stylists surveyed believe that it is extremely important for clients with thinning hair to use a hair loss treatment in addition to styling their hair. The stylists also rated products such as volumizers and root lifters as extremely important in dealing with fine or thinning hair. 

"As stylists, we are often the first people to notice hair thinning -- even before our clients do," said Justine Beech, Director of Color for Los Angeles' Gavert Atelier hair salon. "Therefore, it is important that stylists be educated on hair thinning and loss, so that we can provide our clients with solutions that work." 

About styling and coloring techniques 

Styling techniques including short blunt cuts and the modern messy look were rated as excellent for fine or thinning hair. Stylists also rated a layered cut as good for fine or thinning hair. 

"Thinning hair may be difficult to style," said Glaze. "With the right style, color, volumizing products, conditioning treatments, and hair loss treatment, you can boost their hair's volume, fullness and beauty for better overall health and life of the hair." 

According to the survey results, stylists find that hair loss treatments, use of color, volumizing products, and a change in hairstyle are effective means to add lift to fine or thinning hair. 

About hair thinning and loss 

Nearly 50 million men and 30 million women in the United States experience hair loss and thinning hair. Hair loss and thinning occurs when a person loses more hairs than normal. Typically, people shed 40 to 100 hairs a day. When hair is thinning, the amount shed begins to slowly increase. 

Although it has been traditionally considered part of the male's aging process, hair loss affects women too, although somewhat differently. Men typically develop "bald spots" and/or a receding hairline. Women generally experience diffuse thinning over the entire top of the head, which can be difficult to detect. 

There are few options available to treat hair loss and thinning. Paul Mitchell Rogaine Professional For Women is the only FDA-approved treatment for female hair loss that is available exclusively through salons. In a user survey, four in five women reported a slowing or stopping of hair loss. Paul Mitchell Rogaine Professional For Men is the most advanced medically proven hair regrowth product available without a prescription, regrowing hair or helping to stop hair loss in four out of five men. 

Gene variant of the androgen receptor associated with male pattern baldness

Australian researchers have identified the first gene candidate for male pattern baldness (MPB). A variant of the androgen receptor (AR) gene was found in 98 percent of young men with premature balding and more than 90 percent of older bald men in the study.

However, the Stu1 gene variant of the androgen receptor, which was discovered by Stephen Harrap and colleagues, of the University of Melbourne, in Australia, does not change the structure of the receptor. The variation is also found in nearly 77 percent of men who were not bald at the time of the study.

"It would appear that tissue-specific abnormalities of the AR are not sufficient per se to cause baldness," the researchers write in The Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

The researchers believe that mutations in or close to AR may play a role in MPB, but the condition is likely to be caused by several genes of which the AR is just one.

Androgens are a group of hormones that direct the growth and development of the male reproductive system. The most important androgen is testosterone, which is produced in the testes.

Previous research supports the finding that the androgen receptor is involved in MPB. The pattern of hair loss is predominant in men, and absent in castrated men. Finasteride, a drug that blocks the formation of the androgen DHT, can reverse baldness. And most important, high levels of the androgen receptor are found in the frontal and vertex scalp where balding occurs, while levels are normal on other areas of the scalp.

Gwyneth Paltrow Terrified Of Going Bald
(take it with a grain of salt folks)

GWYNETH PALTROW has started using the hair-growing drug ROGAINE because she's terrified of going bald, claims American tabloid THE GLOBE. Friends of the SLIDING DOORS star have told The Globe Gwyneth, who has gone from blonde, to brunette, to redhead and back to blonde in the last few years, is terrified she's permanently wrecked her hair by too much dyeing. One pal says, "Gwyneth is really worried about going bald because she's had her hair treated and dyed so many times that it has become weak at the roots. "She gets a lot of roles because of her stunning looks, so if her hair's coming out, it could hurt her career. And friends add the 28-year-old star has been using Rogaine for women on the set of her latest movie A VIEW FROM THE TOP, rubbing the solution into her scalp twice a day.

AHair-Raising Question: Can Hair Loss Signal an Underlying Internal Disease?

Unexpected hair loss at any age can be devastating. Society places a high value on personal appearance, and hair is one of a person's most visible features. But while some people may initially view hair loss as a cosmetic problem, it could be a sign of a serious medical condition. 

Speaking today at the American Academy of Dermatology's 2001 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., dermatologist Amy McMichael, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Dermatology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, N.C., discussed some of the serious internal diseases as well as diseases with drug side effects that are linked to hair disorders. 

Diseases that cause alopecia, or hair loss, and are life threatening include thyroid disease, chemotherapy, HIV/AIDS, lupus erythematosus, and severe illness of any kind. 

Thyroid Disease 

Hair loss can be a sign of both hyperthyroidism, an overactive thyroid, and hypothyroidism, an underactive thyroid. In hyperthyroidism, scalp hair may be fine and soft with scattered alopecia. In hypothyroidism, head and body hair can become dry and coarse with scattered partial alopecia, madarosis (or loss of the lateral one-third of the eyebrows), or an increased percentage of telogen hairs, or shedding hairs. 

Chemotherapeutic Agents 

Although hair loss is usually transient and not permanent, it can often be the most traumatic part of chemotherapy. Hair loss is a noticeable side effect of cancer treatment and can cause changes in self-esteem and body image. Chemotherapeutic agents can cause hair cells to stop dividing. In some cases, patients can lose up to 90 percent of their scalp hair. When the cancer treatment ends, the hair will usually regrow. Common drugs that cause alopecia include methotrexate, cyclophosphamide, bleomycin, doxorubicin, mitomycin, cytarabine, vinblastine, and vincristine. 

"There have been efforts to prevent hair loss during chemotherapy, such as cooling caps to reduce blood flow to the scalp," said Dr. McMichael. "Currently, there are Phase I and II trials in progress for drugs that affect the immune system and drugs that act on vitamin D receptors in mouse studies. But so far, all of these therapies are experimental at best." 

Lupus Erythematosus 

Lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune disease that is characterized by a rash and plaques that can be quite disfiguring to the patient. In a study of 73 patients with systemic lupus, 40 percent had non-scarring alopecia and 14 percent had scarring alopecia. In addition, telogen effluvium has long been observed during flares of this disease. 

"As with almost any type of medical condition, hair loss can respond well to treatment if it is caught early enough," said Dr. McMichael. "But it is important to pay close attention to any changes in the hair's appearance or texture, as unexpected hair loss could be a sign of a serious medical condition. Seeing a dermatologist is the key to proper diagnosis and treatment for any type of hair loss." 

By John Young

March 2001 - The snowstorm that pounded New England last week was a doozy, but couldn't hold a shovel to the February hit of 1978. Everyone who lived through it has a story to tell. A neighbor of mine had a rather unusual one: Leonard Johnson hadn't missed a day of work in 12 years. And no silly "storm of the century" was going to stop him this day. 

Mr. Johnson, bald as a bagel, had recently bought a $39 toupee. He looked like, well, a Chia pet in desperate need of water. But that didn't bother Johnson. He and his hairpiece were not to be parted - so to speak. 
Then, while driving to work that stormy day, avec la toupee neatly centered on his dome, his car skidded off the road and plowed into a snowdrift. 

"I got out of the car and shoveled like mad under each wheel." Still stuck. "Then I grabbed some wire coat hangers out of the trunk and threw a bunch under each tire," he reminisced the other day. 
It worked. He peeled out of the drift and spun onto the street, then walked back and gathered the hangers and split. 

"Then as I was driving off, I looked in the rearview mirror. I was bald as a billiard ball. My hair was gone!" After walking back and searching for his toupee, he found it plastered against the side of a tree. 

"After work, I took it, washed it, and blew it dry, but it looked like a shingle," he lamented with a laugh. "I just threw it in the trash." 

That was the end of Johnson's toupee days, but not those New England snowstorms, or stories.

To see how a quality hair transplant done by a competent physician looks 10 months after completion, check out his latest photographs here:  http://www.HairlossSucks.com/mc7.htm

We have also enhanced the entire story for much faster loading time on the web.  You can see the whole story from the beginning by going here:  http://www.HairlossSucks.com/mc.htm

Host: David Folk Thomas , Fox News Channel Participants: Peter S. Halperin, MD ; New York Presbyterian Hospital, NY Marc Avram, MD ; Weill Cornell Medical College, New York Presbyterian Hospital

Summary: Hair loss is a devastating condition that affects millions of men and women around the world. With so many people suffering from hair loss, it's no surprise that there are many different medications out there, from over-the-counter options to prescription medications. How do you determine what's right for you--and are prescription medications necessarily better? Join our experts as they talk about the various options for hair loss and which treatments might be best for you.

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania -- Commuters who ride Philadelphia's transit system took off for work on Thursday uncertain if they would have an easy way home after the transit union let its contract expire at midnight without striking. Harry Lombardo, trustee of Transit Workers Union Local 234, would not guarantee buses and trains would run by afternoon, before the contract's 12:01 a.m. deadline, when negotiations with the management of Philadelphia's transit agency, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) broke off. 

Health care is atop the contract talks agenda -- union officials object to SEPTA's plans to institute monthly co-payments for managed care benefits, deductibles for hospitalization and office visits and to limit the availability of drugs such as Viagra and those like Propecia, used to reduce hair loss. 

"I am not going to be the irresponsible party here and shut this city down at midnight because I know how close we are," Lombardo said late Wednesday.  "We will strike if it becomes necessary," he told the Philadelphia Daily News. "SEPTA told me, go ahead and strike." 

SEPTA workers last struck in June 1998 after working for two months without a contract while union and agency officials bickered over work rules. The strike lasted 40 days and left many city workers and schoolchildren who depend on SEPTA for transportation in the lurch. 

While some 30,000 public and private school students use SEPTA to get to and from their classes, public school students will not be immediately affected by a strike -- city schools are closed Friday and Monday for spring break. 

School administrators, however, are putting plans in place to deal with a strike, regardless of its length.