baldness
Validity of self reported male balding patterns in epidemiological studies.

Taylor R, Matassa J, Leavy JE, Fritschi L.

School of Population Health, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia. ros_taylor hotmail.com <ros_taylor hotmail.com>

BACKGROUND: Several studies have investigated the association between male pattern baldness and disease such as prostate cancer and cardiovascular disease. Limitations in the lack of standardized instruments to measure male pattern baldness have resulted in researchers measuring balding patterns in a variety of ways. This paper examines the accuracy and reliability of assessment of balding patterns by both trained observers and men themselves, using the Hamilton-Norwood classification system. METHODS: An observational study was carried out in Western Australia with 105 male volunteers aged between 30 and 70 years. Participants completed a short questionnaire and selected a picture that best represented their balding pattern. Two trained data collectors also independently assessed the participant's balding pattern using the same system and the men's self assessment was compared with the trained observer's assessment. In a substudy, observers assessed the balding pattern in a photo of the man aged 35 years while the man independently rated his balding at that age. RESULTS: Observers were very reliable in their assessment of balding pattern (85% exact agreement, kappa = 0.83). Compared to trained observers, men were moderately accurate in their self-assessment of their balding status (48-55% exact agreement, kappa = 0.39-0.46). For the substudy the exact agreement between the men and the observers was 67% and the agreement within balding groups was 87%. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend that male balding patterns be assessed by trained personnel using the Hamilton-Norwood classification system. Where the use of trained personnel is not feasible, men's self assessment both currently and retrospectively has been shown to be adequate.

Online pharmacy ref source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=15596015&dopt=Abstract baldness, alopecia, hair loss



baldness
Surgical procedures for the treatment of baldness.

Stough DB 3rd, Mendoza F, Freilich IW.

New surgical methods are now available for the correction of male pattern baldness. Standard techniques have been significantly refined during the past decade. These methods include punch autografts, strip grafting, scalp reduction, use of hair-bearing flaps, microsurgery, and various combinations of these techniques. A more recent refinement of hair transplantation is the use of minigrafts and micrografts. We present an overview of the advantages and indications for each procedure.

Online pharmacy ref source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=3709227&dopt=Abstract baldness, alopecia, hair loss



baldness
Male baldness: immediate single-stage rotation of very long arterialized temporo-parieto-occipital flaps.

Rizzetto-Stubel A, Ellenbogen R.

Over a period of 5 years we have performed 62 rotations of long temporo-parieto-occipital flaps in a single stage without delay for both frontal and occipital male baldness. The technique and indications are reported and discussed. The good results obtained permit us to affirm that this surgical technique is safe, simple to perform, and rapidly effective. It has clear advantages over techniques involving delay, including guaranteed survival and vitality of the rotated flap, speedier execution, and few, if not minimal, complications.

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baldness
Hair transplantation for male pattern baldness: aesthetic considerations and current status.

Ayres S 3rd.

The multiple punch technique of hair transplantation, utilizing the principle of donor dominance, has proven to be a cosmetically acceptable procedure in properly selected patients in the presenter's 24-year experience. Careful planning with attention to aesthetic principles, especially in frontal hairline placement, in donor site selection and with regard to the ratio between the donor supply and the existing or potential future extent of baldness, together with meticulous surgical technique, are essential for satisfactory results. Scalp reduction, in which bald areas of crown and midscalp are serially excised, with extensive subgaleal undermining is a highly useful adjunct to grafting in many patients with moderately extensive male pattern baldness who have adequate scalp mobility by enabling the available donor supply to be concentrated and thus provide more effective coverage in the frontal scalp.

Online pharmacy ref source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=3988532&dopt=Abstract baldness, alopecia, hair loss



baldness
Perception of baldness and hair density.

Vecchio F, Guarrera M, Rebora A.

DiSEM, Section of Dermatology, University of Genoa, Italy.

BACKGROUND: Androgenetic alopecia needs to be scored precisely. OBJECTIVE: A possible measure is the ratio between the hair density in the parietal area and that in the occipital area which, being not affected by baldness, supposedly has a 'normal' density. METHODS: On the vertex and just below the occipital protuberance of 109 men, two 1-cm(2) areas were identified. In both areas, hairs were clipped short and photographed by a videomicroscope. Hairs were then counted within a 30-mm(2)-wide central square section. RESULTS: In the occipital area, the average count was 127/cm(2), without differences among the Hamilton/Norwood classes. In the parietal area, the average density significantly diminished from 138 to 47/cm(2). A main difference was found between classes 1-3 vertex and classes 4-6. CONCLUSIONS: The parietal/occipital ratio decreased significantly only when baldness was clinically manifest. The parietal/occipital ratio cannot be a better measure of baldness severity than the rough Hamilton/Norwood scale. The perception of early baldness does not depend on the diminished hair density, but also on the progressive thinning of the hair shafts. Copyright 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel

Online pharmacy ref source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11834847&dopt=Abstract baldness, alopecia, hair loss