The photos above are of Josh Frydenberg taken about five years apart. He needs to talk to Professor Rodney Sinclair (pictured) from Epworth Hospital and the University of Melbourne.
Going bald is now optional. He appeared on our radio show this week to talk about why we lose our hair as we get older – and what we can do about it.
Prof Sinclair explained that there is a genetic predisposition to balding that some men inherit – and it can be from your mother or your father. “Men who go bald young invariably have a bald father,” he says.
But they found the mother’s side also played an important role. The androgen receptor gene, which controls how the androgen or testosterone signal is received by the hair follicle and how the hair follicle will then act on that signal, comes from mum.
“Changes in that gene were highly associated with premature balding and that gene comes from the mother’s side of the family,” he says.
But regardless, all of us will start to lose hair at some stage of our lives – even women.
The early signs of thinning hair for women include a wider part line, a thinner ponytail and an increase in hair shedding.
Putting a ‘handbrake’ on balding
So is there anything we can do to reduce hair loss as we age?
Prof Sinclair says if you’re not happy about thinning hair, there are things you can do, and yes, you can actually stop hair loss and even grow some new, replacement hair!
For thinning hair, try a simple volumising shampoo from your hairdresser. Salons also stock products containing prostaglandins that can reduce hair shedding and make dormant follicles start producing hair again for some regrowth. These are available without a prescription.
There are over-the-counter lotions or foams that will re-grow some hair, or by-prescription tablets that will boost your hair growth – that’s for both men and women.
“These can be used to put a handbrake on the hair loss process and if you continue to take them, you’ll never go bald,” Prof Sinclair says.
Turning back time?
US President Donald Trump recently revealed he’s a fan of baldness drug Finasteride. So why does he still have the comb over then we asked the Professor?
“It will take your hair back four or five years but they won’t take it back to what it was like when you were a teenager,” Prof Sinclair laughs. “If he’d started a bit earlier, he wouldn’t need the comb over.”
This is all good news – spread the word!
You can check out the podcast of our full interview with Prof Sinclair below:
