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Stop the presses – there’s a major new cure for baldness. If you can wait five to 10 years. And if it works.
The treatment, which involves cloning, is one of a long line of remedies for hair loss – like how much time and money are we actually going to sink into a “cure” for a completely normal happening?
You’d think with the numbers – the majority of men and some women lose at least part of their mane as they age – it would be culturally normalized by now.
And yet many still allow hair loss to sap their self-?esteem and opt for transplants.
And the comb-?over, despite the fact that it just won’t die, is never a good idea.
You know what? Bald men are sexy, and I’m not the only one who says so. You have only to look at pop-culture icons to see there is a new, non-?haired aesthetic. Vin Diesel, Bruce Willis, Jason Statham, Billy Corgan. (Kidding! Corgan’s gross.)
Plus, a 2005 Roper study revealed significant numbers of women thought a shaved head sexy and that most people found that a hairless head conveyed confidence.
Chicks are apparently digging the bowling ball look. So, instead of the comb-?over, shave it off.
We’ll love ya.
What the experts say
“Scientific research shows that women see bald men as older. However, there is also ample evidence that any given female set of eyes can interpret baldness as intensely arousing. The problem is, this is on an individual basis, whereas the studies look at societal attitudes. In one a study, researchers made two campaign flyers. One had a picture of a 35-??year-??old bald man, the other the same man but with hair. A much higher percentage of people favoured the guy with hair. There hasn’t been a bald president since Eisenhower. This is changing, mostly because attractive men like Michael Jordan or Bruce Willis are taking back their baldness.”
GERSH KUNTZAMN, author, Hair! Mankind’s Historic Quest To End Baldness, Brooklyn, New York
“Hair cloning is a breakthrough. What we have currently, Minoxidil and Propecia, are not very effective. In both cases, no new hair follicles get formed. The same is true of hair transplantation. With cloning, you’re making new hair follicles, so in theory, you should be able to get back to previous hair density.”
KEVIN McELWEE, hair biologist, assistant professor, University of British Columbia, Vancouver
“The personal journey starts when you find out you’re going bald. You notice you can’t wear one hairstyle, so you switch to another. There may be pressure to get hair transplants, and even if it’s not coming from outside sources, it’s in your mind. It doesn’t matter how good-looking you are or who you are. It affects everybody pretty much the same way. Shave your head and see how you like it. It feels good.”
MIKE UBL, mission director, Brotherhood of Bald People, Minneapolis, Minnesota
“In their lifetime, 75 to 80 per cent of men and 60 per cent of women will lose hair. Not all hair loss is permanent. The first thing anybody should do is go to a physician and have a full physical. The problem could be thyroid, stress or diet. Let’s say it is genetic because nothing is 100 per cent, a multi-?treatment approach is best. Propecia and Minoxidil help, maybe 60 per cent. The more you do, the better your chances. There’s controversy about laser treatment. Some studies show some indication for saw palmetto [for men], while others show it doesn’t work. A lot of men don’t want to use Propecia because of sexual [dysfunction] side effects. Copper and zinc are important for some enzymic actions that help hair growth, but you don’t want to take too much or too little.”
DAVID KINGSLEY, the Hair and Scalp Specialists, New York
