CURE FOR BALDNESS?!?!

[baldhighschooler]

     Hey guys! I'm 18, and I'm loving the bald look because it gets me much more positive attention than my thinning bald patched dried grass hair ever did... But I have to admit I would keep a full head of hair if I could. My family has always had long, thick red hair that has been the envy of all men! But I was unfortunately cursed with premature MPB and lost the majority of it when I was 14. Fast forward to the year 2013 where I have my 70 year old grandpa's hairline and a shiny shaved head that squeaks when rubbed. I've been following an explosive news article that has spawned thousands of similar articles online since it's release...

     Apparently, a group of stem cell researchers with the aid of hair transplant surgeons have successfully grown hair on various human subjects utilizing stem cells from the back of their heads. They were able to grow the hair in a lab and graft it to the heads of the subjects... And in tests on genetically bald mice, they were able to inject stem cells underneath skin which stimulated permanent hair growth cycles since the cells clumped to create genetic duplicates of DHT resistant follicles. They're estimating that once the process is perfected and filtered through the proper FDA and USDA handles, it will be on market in the United States by the year 2015, and is projected to be a small fraction of the cost of the expensive hair transplant scams that people have been getting mixed up in since the late 1930s. Current projections suggest that in 5-10 years, the process will become so refined, that it may become a genetic cure for the affliction.

     So guys... What is your take on it? Should I stay in the loop and quite possibly regain my thick auburn mane? Would any of you do it? Does anybody here have any knowledge on this particular subject that might confirm or debunk the news? Please share thoughts!  

[chgobuzzbald]

I imagine this technology will be available in the years ahead, if not a few, then 10 or more. But I do suspect it is coming. Im not sure what I would do though. I have don't transplants to little effect or minimal effect. I did do micro tattooing this year and it worked out great as you can see in my profile pic. HIS Hair is what it is called. It covered the stupid transplant scars and gave me a shaved stubble effect that looks totally natural. Im not sure I want any more hair.

[TheSlyBear]

Not I. I love my smooth shiny head.

[Cave Dweller]

Hey, if you want your hair back, and the process/treatment is not going to screw up your body, then I say why not do it?

I have become so accustomed to the MPB look that bald is a part of the way I see myself. There are times that I have wondered what I would look like with a full head of hair, but I like the smooth dome. I doubt I would invest in the process at this stage of my life. I can see how a younger man might want to do it, though.

[Blitzed]

Let me put on my lab coat. Okay, the Doctor is in. IF it's available in 5-10 years, it will be on a limited basis and very costly. I've read some of the papers on this and while I believe it to be viable, as of now there are many exclusions based on genetics, skin types, race, ethnicity all of which suggest that your chances of successfully having access to it will be limited. Then there's this; In five to ten years you will have been bald so long that a sudden return to your previous auburn mane will strike you and everyone else as foolish. I've been shaving my head for fifteen years and, in the way these things work out, the bulk of the people I now know have never seen me with hair. The way I am is the way they expect to see me and that will be true with you as well. Stay as you are, I know it's a bit of a shock just now but, one day, you'll wonder what you ever saw in hair and, particularly, in having MPB....

[Sir Harry]

Welcome back, BHS! It's good to see you're embracing the bald look; it appears that you have started razor shaving and the chinstrap beard suits you well! To answer your question, it might be worth a look see if a. the price is right and b. getting your hair back doesn't cost you in another department, i.e. "doing the...." While we tend to reminisce about a part of our past that in most cases we will never get back (e.g. the first girlfriend, the first car, etc.) there are some things in our past that as good as they were then, it may be better to leave them there instead of trying to reincarnate/recreate it. Hair, at least in my case, was fun when I was younger, but if my MPB were curable, I don't know if it's worth trying for the ramifications may outnumber the rewards. It's okay to mourn a part of your life that you think was taken from you much sooner than you would have liked, but if you want to try it, at least weigh the pros and cons before following through on hair restoration. Good luck to you and keep us posted on how it's going in school!

[schro]

Not interested. But, if a cure for sebhorreic dermatitis crosses your desk, let me know.

[Mike E. P.]

I might do it, but I'd never pay a prohibitive price and I'd never take a health risk for a full head of hair.

[slymyke]

You are young enough to benefit from this if it really works and you decide to do it later.  I say even if you have been shaving your hair and decide to do it later, who cares what others may say at that time.  I believe we have the right to shave our heads or grow more hair if we want to.... (although I have to admit I am a little harsh on the horseshoe wearers....sorry guys).

[balddaniel]

Count me out I love being BALD!

[Slyest]

I don't love being bald, I just am if I could have great hair I would but only if it was natural. No amount of drugs or surgery would sway me

[Mikekoz13]

To me, a "Cure" is developed for something that is bad. MPB isn't bad... it's just bothersome(to some!).

As CaveDweller said..... if it won't hurt you and it's what you prefer.... do it.

For me personally..... no way. I like being shaved.

[mangosink12572]

Not for me. I love my bald shiny  melon.    Nothing like it.

[baldjoeg]

I like being bald and having a smooth shiny noggin also.

[Echo_Four]

If available I would get the treatment,  no question about it. However I would also lijely continue to shave my head. Having options is good but that doesn't mean I would suddenly dump the sly look!

On the plus side my wife is a doc with phenomenal insurance. I would end up getting it for free... and that's about all I would pay for the procedure.