Response to reader -Help for the balding male

Dear Dr Williams-Green:

Are there products that treat baldness? I have heard about prescription drugs such Finasteride/Kinasteride (Propecia), Rograine, Dutaseride and so on. I have also been informed that there are organic hair growers on the market. I am asking you kindly if you could recommend any product for me. Another thing is that my father is bald, therefore, his genes have been passed on to me. Does it mean that no product will help me or is it still worth a chance? My head itches a lot, especially where the balding occurs. Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Dear Reader:

Losing hair can be distressing for both men and women. Hair loss can be partial or total. It may affect only the scalp or the entire body. Usually balding is a gradual process - thick pigmented hair becomes thinner and shorter and then wispy, non-pigmented hairs. Unfortunately, the cause is often unknown. The reader mentioned that his or her father was also bald. This highlights the genetic nature of this condition as it often runs in families.

Two types of balding

There are two common types of balding: androgenic and alopecia areata. The androgenic type is genetically determined and affects men and women. It tends to affect women after the menopause and affects men after age 40. In men it tends to affect the temporal areas (above the ears), causing a recession in the hairline. In women it tends to affect the crown, causing balding in the centre of the scalp. Balding is more common and severe in white people and less so in black people.

Balding due to alopecia areata is less common. It is thought to be an autoimmune problem but also runs in families. It can affect any part of the body, not just the scalp. Unfortunately, this type of balding is associated with other autoimmune problems such as vitiligo and thyroid diseases.

Help for baldness

The bald person may apply topical Minoxidil which is marketed as Rogaine. Unfortunately, this product is not available in Jamaica. It is available in the United States and the United Kingdom as an over-the-counter product. It is quite effective but hair loss returns when the product is discontinued. So it has to be used all the time. Re-growth is more marked at the crown than in the front. It takes about four months for improvement to occur.

In Jamaica, men may use finasteride, which is marketed under the brand - Proscar. This, too, is only effective as long as the person continues to take it. While on this product the man's wife must not become pregnant, as it causes ambiguous genitalia in the unborn male child. Women cannot take this product. Good luck reader!

P.S. Thanks to my daughter Llorenia, who is a dermotologist, for her input in this article.

Dr Pauline Williams-Green is a family physician and president of the Caribbean College of Family Physicians . Email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.