Male hair loss DNA test can open the way for early preventive action

After renowned hair transplant surgeon Dr Bessam Farjo made headlines last month by performing what is believed to be the world’s first streaming of a hair transplant, he is now in the news again. Dr Farjo, who has clinics in Manchester and London, and boasts ex Manchester United footballer Clayton Blackmore as one of many celebrity clients, is offering the chance for men to take a simple test to see if they are likely to lose their hair.

The pioneering new idea that is carried out at Dr Farjo’s clinics is a £195 DNA test which involves taking a sample of saliva from inside the cheek. The sample then gets sent to a specialised laboratory in the U.S. where it is analysed for the presence of a gene that results in follicles to stop growing, thus resulting in hair loss. After just ten days, men can find out whether they are at risk of losing their hair.
Dr Farjo commented on the procedure and who could benefit, saying, “This test is useful for someone very young who has not yet started losing their hair but wants to have peace of mind or to do something about it if there’s a family history. A positive result means you have a 70 per cent chance of being significantly bald by the age of 40. That means you’d look in the mirror and say, “I’m bald”, not just thinning a little bit.”

Losing their precious locks is one of the biggest worries amongst the current generation of young males.  After leading celebrity figures such as Wayne Rooney and Louis Walsh openly admitted to undergoing hair transplant procedures last year, this has helped to shed some of the embarrassment-factor previously associated with the sensitive subject of male or female hair loss.

However, hair transplants are not a viable option for everybody in the current financial climate and can set you back thousands of pounds.  Other effective, inexpensive hair loss solutions include the medication Propecia. This therapy treats genetically inherited male pattern hair loss and works most effectively on the top of the head and the mid-scalp area. Propecia can slow down the hair loss on vertex and the anterior mid-scalp area, prevent further hair loss or in some cases, even re-grow hair. It is available from Medical Specialists Pharmacy working out from as little as £47.58 per month.

Other options include the increasingly popular Regaine Foam. Obtainable from Medical Specialists Pharmacy from as little as £46.45, this product contains the active ingredient Minoxidil which is clinically proven to help prevent further hereditary hair loss, showing success in 4 out of 5 men. It works by increasing the blood supply to the hair follicles which helps to strengthen existing hair and stimulate secondary hair growth. For most men, using Regaine even reverses the process, resulting in regrowth.

There are also emerging over the counter products that have been released in recent times. Alpecin Caffeine C1 Shampoo stimulates hair growth directly at the roots, strengthens weakened hair roots and prevents hereditary hair loss. In just in 2 minutes, the active ingredient travels along the hair shaft directly into the hair follicles. If the shampoo is left on for longer, the caffeine will also penetrate into the scalp.

Overall, it could be in men’s best interests to take Dr Farjo’s revolutionary test. For just £195 you will be able to have a much better idea of your chances of experiencing hair loss in the future, and take preventive action today through a number of different options such as those mentioned earlier.

22,000 see former footballer Michael Gray‘s hair transplant

Yesterday approximately 22,000 people from around the world tuned in to witness former Premier League and England footballer Michael Gray receive what is thought to be the first ever live streaming of a hair transplant procedure. The seven-hour long intricate operation was performed by medical director of the Institute of Trichologists, Dr Bessam Farjo, and came to a conclusion at 6.50pm after initially getting underway at 10am. Dr Farjo is a hair loss and hair transplant expert and incredibly he is in his 19^th year of performing such procedures like the one seen yesterday on 37 year old Gray, who is currently employed as a football pundit on Talksport.

Viewers were able to see a close-up of Dr Farjo extracting thousands of hair follicles from the back of Gray’s head and implanting them into the receding areas at the front. Gray explained that after seeing other celebrities such as Wayne Rooney have similar procedures, he chose to go under the knife himself after his previous blonde flowing locks began to diminish at around the age of 32. Gray took to his Twitter account throughout the operation to update his followers on the proceedings, and was involved in a question and answer session. In addition, Dr Farjo also answered questions throughout the procedure, which involved a team of two doctors and six nursing technicians.

The ex-England International gave a detailed account into what persuaded him to seek the help from Dr Farjo, “I think it’s more acceptable now and that was one of the reasons that I wanted to go through with it,’ he said before the operation. Cosmetic surgery now is an everyday occurrence. People might be out there and may be worried about the operation and if I’m going to get it done then why not let people see it. There’s a lot of people out there who are worried about it. Here they can see it from start to finish. I’m working in the media at the moment and doing quite a lot of the TV and when I watch myself back I’m conscious about the way I look, so from the confidence side of things I’m hoping that will beat that. People refer to the harrowing experience a woman must go through when losing her hair, however it can be equally upsetting for men, who can suffer from a severe loss of self-esteem. I hope the live broadcast will help us to educate people about hair transplant surgery and open up discussions around the solutions available to those experiencing hair loss.”

With more and more people undergoing hair transplant operations, Dr Farjo links this to the recent increase in celebrities who have paid for the expensive solution to hair loss. Dr Farjo commented, “Obviously 20 years ago people generally had a different attitude or feeling about things like cosmetic surgery and lifestyle issues, it was very much not talked about. It’s a far cry from where we are now.” Dr Farjo is now optimistic that yesterday’s live streaming may pave the way for more men to seek help with their hair loss and added, “Our broadcast is intended to orchestrate a pioneering moment for the hair loss community, as well as the surgical field, giving the nation a first-hand look at the procedure and helping to dispel misconceptions around hair transplant surgery.” Gray can now look forward to hairs beginning to grow in around three months time, with more obvious results visible after between eight and fourteen months.