baldness
The occipito-parietal flap method in the treatment of male baldness.

Ezaki T, Kasori Y.

Ezaki Clinic, Tokyo, Japan.

Which hair transplant technique to use for correcting male baldness is decided on by the type of baldness, the condition and direction of the donor's hair, and the favored hairstyle. In the occipital-parietal flap technique presented here, a flap is raised on one side of the occipital part. The flap is 4 cm wide and stretches toward the lower part of the parietal. After a week's delay, the flap is transplanted from the top of the head to the frontal part under general anesthesia. Light pressure is applied to the transferred flap with a tie-over dressing. With this technique the hair grows downward and covers both the front and top parts of the head. It is important to choose a case for which this type of procedure is appropriate. The authors' technique can be applied to types IV, V, and Va of Norwood's classification.

Online pharmacy ref source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8526165&dopt=Abstract baldness, alopecia, hair loss



baldness
Scalp flaps in the treatment of baldness. Long-term results.

Epstein JS, Kabaker SS.

Department of Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery, University of Miami, Florida, USA.

BACKGROUND. Scalp flaps have been used as a treatment for male pattern baldness for many years. OBJECTIVE. To assess the long-term results of these flaps. METHODS. Twenty patients who underwent a total of 31 temporo-parieto-occipital and temporo-parietal flaps 10-20 years ago were reviewed. RESULTS. Consistent maintaining of the initially obtained coverage and a low incidence of complications was demonstrated. Universally, the male pattern baldness progressed, requiring in some patients subsequent procedures. CONCLUSIONS. Scalp flaps, when performed properly with anticipation of further hair loss, are an effective treatment of male pattern baldness in the appropriately selected patient.

Online pharmacy ref source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8556257&dopt=Abstract baldness, alopecia, hair loss



baldness
Transcutaneous PO2 of the scalp in male pattern baldness: a new piece to the puzzle.

Goldman BE, Fisher DM, Ringler SL.

Department of Plastic Surgery, Butterworth Hospital, Grand Rapids, Mich., USA.

Our study was designed to measure the transcutaneous PO2 of the scalp to determine if there was a relative microvascular insufficiency and associated tissue hypoxia in areas of hair loss in male pattern baldness. A controlled prospective study was performed at Butterworth Hospital, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Eighteen nonsmoking male volunteers aged 18 years and older were studied. Nine men had male pattern baldness (Juri degree II or III), and nine were controls (no male pattern baldness). Scalp temperature and transcutaneous PO2 were obtained at frontal and temporal sites in each subject. Peripheral circulation was assessed from postocclusive transcutaneous PO2 recovery time by means of maximum initial slope measurements. Statistical significance was assessed at p < 0.05. There was no significant difference in scalp temperature between male pattern baldness subjects and controls. Temporal scalp blood flow was significantly higher than frontal scalp blood flow in male pattern baldness subjects; however, there was no significant difference in controls. Transcutaneous PO2 was significantly lower in bald frontal scalp (32.2 +/- 2.0 mmHg) than in hair-bearing temporal scalp (51.8 +/- 4.4 mmHg) in men with male pattern baldness. In controls, there was no significant difference in transcutaneous PO2 of frontal scalp (53.9 +/- 3.5 mmHg) and temporal scalp (61.4 +/- 2.7 mmHg). Transcutaneous PO2 also was significantly lower in the frontal scalp of male pattern baldness subjects (32.2 +/- 2.0 mmHg) than in either frontal or temporal scalp of controls (53.9 +/- 3.5 mmHg and 61.4 +/- 2.7 mmHg, respectively). There is a relative microvascular insufficiency to regions of the scalp that lose hair in male pattern baldness. We have identified a previously unreported tissue hypoxia in bald scalp compared with hair-bearing scalp.

Online pharmacy ref source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8628793&dopt=Abstract baldness, alopecia, hair loss



baldness
Baldness and ischemic heart disease in a national sample of men.

Ford ES, Freedman DS, Byers T.

Division of Nutrition, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA.

A weak positive association between male pattern baldness and ischemic heart disease has been suggested previously. The authors examined this issue by using data from the Epidemiologic Follow-up Study of the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. As part of the baseline medical examination between 1971 and 1975, the presence and degree of male alopecia (none, minimal, moderate, and severe) were recorded for a subset of participants. Among 3,932 men aged 25-76 years who had complete data, 378 deaths and 939 incident events from ischemic heart disease occurred during an average follow-up period of 14 years. Among 2,019 men who were younger than age 55 years at baseline (61 deaths and 239 incident events of ischemic heart disease), severe baldness was positively associated with ischemic heart disease mortality (rate ratio = 2.51, 95 percent confidence interval 1.01-6.24) and somewhat less associated with ischemic heart disease incidence (rate ratio = 1.72, 95 percent confidence interval 0.96-3.08). No dose-response relation with degree of baldness was seen. Although these findings are tempered by the absence of information concerning the type of baldness (frontal or vertex), they provide support for earlier studies that indicate male pattern baldness that occurs before age 55 years may be by some mechanism related to ischemic heart disease.

Online pharmacy ref source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8651226&dopt=Abstract baldness, alopecia, hair loss



baldness
Glutathione, glutathione S-transferase and reactive oxygen species of human scalp sebaceous glands in male pattern baldness.

Giralt M, Cervello I, Nogues MR, Puerto AM, Ortin F, Argany N, Mallol J.

Unit of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University "Rovira i Virgili," Reus, Spain.

We investigated the contribution of reactive oxygen species to the development of sebaceous gland hyperplasia and the characteristics of the glutathione S-transferase/glutathione system in male pattern baldness. Glutathione S-transferase, glutathione, and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances were determined in sebaceous gland-enriched scalp skin of men affected by male pattern baldness and were subjected to hair autotransplantation. In comparison with the hairy occipital-donor areas, the following results were obtained in alopecic frontoparietal samples: glutathione S-transferase-specific activity increased 7-fold (p < 0.001); enzyme affinity towards 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene decreased 2-fold (p = 0.009); glutathione content decreased 2.5-fold (p = 0.017); and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances increased 2-fold (p = 0.006). Chromatofocusing analysis, bromosulfophthalein IC50 values, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and immunohistochemistry with polyclonal antibodies raised against glutathione S-transferases alpha, mu, and pi demonstrated the presence of alpha, pi, and probably the 5.8 alpha isoenzymes in the sebaceous gland. These results support the hypothesis that reactive oxygen species are involved in the pathogenesis of sebaceous gland hyperplasia in male pattern baldness.

Online pharmacy ref source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8757755&dopt=Abstract baldness, alopecia, hair loss