Join the 'Androgenetic Alopecia' group to help and get support from people like you. How it works
Could Hair Loss at 20 Signal Higher Prostate Cancer Risk?
Posted 16 Feb 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Feb. 15 – Men with prostate cancer may be twice as likely to have started showing signs of male pattern baldness at the age of 20 than those without prostate cancer, a new French study suggests. Men who start losing their hair in their 30s or 40s do not appear to face a similar boost in prostate cancer risk. And those whose hair loss starts in their 20s do not face a higher risk of developing the cancer at an early age or of developing more aggressive tumors, the research team noted. Whether or not men who experience youthful hair loss may benefit from prostate cancer screening is yet to be determined, the study authors added. "At present, there is no hard evidence to show any benefit from screening the general population for prostate cancer," study author Dr. Philippe Giraud, from the European Georges Pompidou Hospital in Paris, said in a news release from the European ... Read more
Related support groups: Androgenetic Alopecia
Stem Cell Defect Might Help Spur Common Baldness
Posted 4 Jan 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Jan. 4 – Common baldness could have its roots in a newly identified stem cell defect, a finding that could potentially lead to new hair-loss treatments down the road, a new study reveals. Researchers say they discovered that a cellular malfunction short-circuits the process by which hair follicle stem cells turn into hair-producing progenitor cells. That defect, rather than any loss of stem cells themselves, sparks the onset of androgenetic alopecia, the medical term for a type of genetic hair loss that affects both men and women, they report. In men, this hair loss is commonly known as male pattern baldness, marked by the familiar receding hairline and thinning hair on top of the head – a condition that sometimes leads to complete baldness. In women, female-pattern hair loss causes the hair to get thinner all over but rarely leads to baldness. The findings offer "a lot more ... Read more
Related support groups: Alopecia, Androgenetic Alopecia
Study Offers Insights Into Male Pattern Baldness
Posted 15 Apr 2010 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, April 14 – Researchers are reporting that they've linked a gene to a rare condition that makes people develop thin "peach fuzz" hair, potentially paving the way toward greater insight into male-pattern baldness. The finding won't immediately lead to a better treatment or cure, said Angela M. Christiano, co-author of the study, published April 15 in the journal Nature. And though it's "just a tiny little piece of the puzzle," it could provide perspective about a component of male-pattern baldness known as shrinkage, said Christiano, director of the Center for Human Genetics at Columbia University. Contrary to popular belief, male-pattern baldness doesn't cause hair to stop growing. Instead, hair still grows but it's short and fine, like peach fuzz, Christiano said. "If you look at a very bald scalp, they are still making tiny little peach-fuzz hairs," she said. "A follicle is ... Read more
Related support groups: Androgenetic Alopecia