Hair Loss

Q: At age 25 I am rapidly losing my hair, just like my father and brothers. My wife and I have seen advertisements for the use of Rogaine in the treatment of baldness. We would like to learn more about its effectiveness.A: When the drug minoxidil was first used to treat high blood pressure, it was noted that about 80 percent of patients developed an overgrowth of hair. A logical extension of this observation was to test the topical application of minoxidil (Rogaine) to determine whether it should stimulate hair growth at sites of hair loss in the scalp.

Baldness can be the result of heredity, certain medications or an underlying medical condition. The most common type - pattern baldness - accounts for about 95 percent of hair loss from the scalp and can be attributed to heredity. - Mayo Clinic

After an automobile accident that fractured my sternum and ribs and resulted in a herniated disk, I searched diligently for pain relief. Conventional over-the-counter pain relievers all had side effects. Then I discovered that evening primrose oil provided the pain relief I needed, with no bad reactions. Additional benefits include stopping hair loss. Since then I have found that my two cats will stop eating to have their daily dose of evening primrose oil. Their fur is very beautiful, and they don't shed nearly as much as they did before.

ORLANDO, Fla. Seeing is believing. So is feeling and smelling.Hair cleansed by the new Asti Clean Machine looks, feels and smells so good that it's hard not to believe its inventor's claims that the machine is a "breakthrough" invention in the beauty industry.The Clean Machine was developed by Margareta Loyd, founder of Asti (Advanced Salon Tectonics International), an Altamonte Springs, Fla., company that develops and manufactures hair-care products.Through a process knows as triatomic oxygenation, the machine introduces ozone gas into water.

Q: Our 8-year-old daughter has gotten lots of compliments on her beautiful hair. Even the woman who cuts it has commented on how thick it is.During the past few weeks, I've noticed a thin spot appearing on her right temple. At first I though I was imagining it; but now that area is almost bare.I haven't mentioned it to her. I don't want to upset her. She's always teasing her father about being bald. What can be causing this in someone so young?A: There is a long list of possible causes of hair loss (alopecia)

I received a question recently about hair loss due to medication. A reader said she had been losing her hair for the last year and half, and her personal physician and two dermatologists suggested it might be because of the medication she was taking. She had been taking verapamil (calan isoptin), then switched to Captopril (capoten).The answer to this question depends in part on the age and sex of the person, the rate and pattern of hair loss and what the scalp looks like.Immediately following menopause, for example, it's normal to have a mild generalized decrease in the number of scalp hairs.

Day after day, John Kreager looked in the mirror and saw his hair disappearing. A little bald spot at the crown. A little more across the front. Combing it sideways over the bare spots helped only so much."

WASHINGTON -- For as long as there has been baldness, it seems, there have been efforts to cure it: oils and creams, toupees and transplants, not to mention what hair stylists gingerly term "the comb-over."But as much as some men may have wanted one, there has never been a baldness pill -- until now.The Food and Drug Administration announced yesterday that it had given Merck & Co., the maker of crucial treatments for heart disease, osteoporosis and AIDS, permission to sell a tiny tan octagonal tablet that, experiments show, either promoted the growth of hair or at least stopped hair loss in 83 percent of men who took it.There are, however, some drawbacks: The pill, which will be marketed as a prescription medicine under the brand name Propecia, can cause birth defects, so it is not approved for women.

My mother has Alzheimer's disease and hasn't spoken coherently in more than two years. She fell and broke her hip and was given a shot for pain. Like magic, she became lucid and responsive. This continued after surgery for several days. We had a hard time convincing the hospital that she actually had Alzheimer's, but after several days she gradually slipped back into the mists and fogs of her brain. I wish researchers would investigate this amazing phenomenon. Your experience is not unique.

Q: My wife is convinced that vitamins keep her healthy. She takes a fistful every morning. The kitchen table is littered with vitamin C, beta carotene, folic acid, zinc, vitamin E and goodness knows what else.I don't take a thing and feel great at 68. I eat healthy food and walk two miles every day. She keeps pushing her health food publications at me and wants me to take vitamins too. I think the whole thing is a waste of good money. Please tell her to ease up.A: Perhaps we can change your mind instead.