Thursday, October 23, 2008

Another Happy client

Often our Hair replacement clients are so happy with their new look - they are often moved to tears.

This gives us a great deal of satisfaction in what we do, as here at Folicure Hair Restoration we treat each client as an individual - not a number.

Most of our top designers are hairloss sufferers themselves, they understand what it means  when we say "it's not just getting your hair back - it's regaining a piece of your life".

One of our newest clients, Mr John Gardener of Texas , was so happy with his new found image, that he sent us these before and after photos:



We're sure you will agree - John's new looks instantly wipes 15 years off his age!

One question we have to ask John: "Where is your contagiously big smile in the 'After' photos?"

We're guessing it's because John was concentrating hard on focusing his webcam - Hey, utilizing modern technology just isn't as simple as getting your hair back... too bad Folicure don't make computers ;-)




Thursday, October 16, 2008

Newly Discovered Gene Increases risk of Hair Loss

About one in seven men has a combination of genes -- one new and one first discovered in 2001 -- that increases his risk of male pattern baldness sevenfold, compared to men without the combination.

It's a scientific finding that won't grow hair on your head. But it could lead to better testing for a susceptibility to male pattern baldness, a problem that affects 40 million men in the United States.

Two independent research teams made the discovery, and both teams published the information Sunday in the journal Nature Genetics.

They found that certain variations in a chunk of DNA located on chromosome 20 appear to increase the risk of male pattern baldness. However, this DNA section doesn't have a clear link to hair or skin, so they're not sure why it affects hair loss.

The researchers also confirmed that a second gene region, first discovered in 2001, is linked to male pattern baldness. That gene, found on the X chromosome, affects the androgen receptor gene, which binds to male hormones.

Overall, 14 percent of the (mostly white) men who were tested had variations in both gene regions, and those men were seven times as likely to have male pattern baldness as men who didn't have both of the so-called risk variants, according to a team led by Tim Spector and other researchers at King's College London.

"This is a very exciting and convincing finding," says Justine Ellis, Ph.D., of the University of Melbourne, who was not involved in the research. "This looks to be the next most important genetic variant, after the androgen receptor variant, that predisposes to hair loss in men."

The finding could help explain female hair loss too, she says. Women with the chromosome-20 variations were at greater risk of hair loss, but the link was not as strong as it was in men.

"Female pattern hair loss has many similarities to male baldness, but it is unclear whether the same genes act in females as males," she says. "This study suggests that there is at least an overlap."

There are already home test kits available that can be used to determine if you carry baldness-related changes in the androgen receptor gene, says Paradi Mirmirani, M.D., a dermatologist in Vallejo, California.

"[But] it was clear that the androgen receptor was not the whole story; many men without this gene variation still had male pattern baldness," Mirmirani says.

There are probably many genes waiting to be discovered that play a role in balding, experts agree. However, better testing could help identify men who could benefit from early treatment with available hair loss treatments, such as minoxidil or finasteride, says Mirmirani.

"If this new gene region and androgen receptor together better delineate men who are predisposed to hair loss from those who are not, then the discovery could be used to give a prediction of risk," Ellis says. "However, we are far from understanding all of the genes, and so such tests would not provide an absolute answer."

For example, you can still have both risk variants and a full head of hair, said Axel Hillmer, Ph.D., of the University of Bonn and lead author of one of the studies. "We find this combination of risk variants also in men over 60 without hair loss."

Hillmer's research team found that the chromosome-20 risk regions varied in populations -- from 3 percent in the Papuans, who live in New Guinea, and 86 percent in the San, a South African tribe.

It's even found in 35 percent to 60 percent of East Asians, a population that is less likely to develop male pattern baldness than other groups. "The chromosome-20 variant does not explain this," Hillmer says.

Mirmirani does not currently recommend that patients use home tests for the androgen receptor hair-loss gene. Any genetic testing would need to occur at a thorough medical evaluation to eliminate the other causes of hair loss, she explains.

One study was funded in part by GlaxoSmithKline, deCODE Genetics, the Wellcome Trust, and other groups.


In the News: The Fallout of Hairloss

MSNBC recently ran an article across their syndicated websites titled:

"The fallout of hair loss: Suffering in silence"

Some interesting excerpts from that article include the following:

"A March 2008 review of hormonal therapy for female-pattern alopecia in the Dermatology Online Journal refers to it as a “common but puzzling condition” that strikes 10 percent of pre-menopausal women and 50 percent to 75 percent of women 65 years and older. As for treatment, the paper concludes that “the need for effective agents is highlighted by the paucity of effective treatments and the substantial psychosocial impact of alopecia on women.”

“In the past when women came in with thinninghair, it was attributed to emotional stress or anemia,” he says. “It wasn’t really understood that women experienced hair loss in a fashion that is similar to the hair loss we see in men.”

"...androgenetic alopecia, or AGA, is just one piece of the puzzle. Polycystic ovaries can cause hair loss on the scalp. (They also can cause facial and body-hair growth.) Hair loss also can be triggered by diseases such as lupus. Women sometimes lose hair following substantial and rapid weight loss or a high fever, or after going through major surgery or extreme stress."

"Alopecia areata, a condition in which a person’s own immune system attacks hair follicles, causes women to lose not only patches of scalp hair but sometimes eyebrows, eyelashes and pubic hair. Even tight hairstyles that pull on the scalp such as braiding, ponytails and hair extensions can contribute to hair loss, as can psychiatric disorders such as trichotillomania, or compulsive hair-pulling."

"Some conditions — such as hair loss after childbirth — are relatively common.

“After my pregnancy, my hair came out in clumps,” says Eryn Staats, a 30-year-old audiologist from Columbia, Ohio. “But my OB/GYN told me it kind of goes with the territory.”

Hair loss after chemotherapy is also a given, although in most cases the hair loss isn’t limited to the scalp."


"Hair transplants are only performed after a woman’s hair loss has stabilized, however, and the procedure can be financially out of reach for some. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery lists the 2007 average price at $5,874. Results also can take up to a year, which may seem like a lifetime to a woman bombarded by countless commercials for “miracle-grow” cures or shampoos that promise thick, lustrous locks."

"For Rankin and the millions of other women dealing with hair loss, a viable, reliable solution can’t come too soon."

...we have a solution for you: Individually tailored custom systems from Folicure Hair

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Folicure coming to New Tour Cities

The end of the year is approaching fast, Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner.
As the Holidays near, we find ourselves once again surrounded by family and friends.

This Holiday season, it's time to bestow a gift upon yourself - it's time to get your hair back ...  instantly and most importantly, undetectably.  Everyone will wonder what your secret to such a youthful appearance is!

Time is running out so come and see us for you individually tailored custom hair system.
Call today and schedule a free consultation.


877-888-701

or... Visit our website at: