3 ms·

As someone with thinning hair, it's horrible how little study/research is being performed to understand how hair grows and treat hair loss. Most of the product

As someone with thinning hair, it's horrible how little study/research is being performed to understand how hair grows and treat hair loss. Most of the products on the market today were discovered by accident and have serious side effects. This condition impacts millions++ of people, yet everyone from physicians to pharmaceutical companies is fine with the status quo of "here, this may work for you" effectively woo medicine.

HexPhantom 10mo ago
The fact that we're only now uncovering fundamental mechanics like "hair is pulled, not pushed" kind of highlights how under-invested this area has been
estebank 10mo ago
As someone with a race in my head between white hairs and a receding hairline, hair loss does afflict millions of people, but it has no medical impact on people's life, beyond increasing the need to wear a hat when outside in the Sun for long. Is it that surprising that medical professionals would spend their time on other afflictions instead?
- creata 10mo ago
  > it has no medical impact on people's life, beyond increasing the need to wear a hat when outside in the Sun for long The impact on mental wellbeing can be pretty severe, though.
  - BobaFloutist 10mo ago
    That sounds like a social concern, not a medical one.
    - missedthecue 10mo ago
      A social concern where the path of least resistance toward resolution is probably effective medical advancements. For example, studies show bald men face greater challenges in both straight and gay dating in every country where it's researched (so it's not cultural context dependent). Probably easier to figure out the follicular science than change universal attraction preferences.
SoftTalker 10mo ago
As someone who has lost at least 80% of his hair as an adult, I don't care about it at all. Get a short haircut and forget about it.
- missedthecue 10mo ago
  You aren't the only person with opinions on it though. Reminds me of the infamous HN thread where a (woman) poster mentioned offhand she and her husband were saving up for transplant for the sake of the survival of their marriage!
arcticbull 10mo ago
> Most of the products on the market today were discovered by accident and have serious side effects. Topical minoxidil / finasteride has roughly zero side effects (due to the limited systemic exposure) and has something like a 90% efficacy rate. With 90%+ efficacy it's not a case of "this might work for you" it's "this will almost certainly work for you." It's cheap and it works. Even oral 1mg finasteride has basically the same side effect profile after 1 year as placebo, side effects always* stop whether you stop taking it or continue taking it. And as an added bonus it significantly reduces your risk of low-grade prostate cancer (30% ish) while not increasing your risk of high-grade prostate cancer. Many of the side effects reported are in people taking 5mg doses for prostate hypertrophy, and the incidence of side-effects is dose dependent. Studies show that sexual side effects are primarily nocebo, if participants were told to expect them the rate was 3X higher than placebo, if they weren't told, they were about the same. * the category of persistent side-effects has been defined primarily for data collection purposes, there's very little evidence for persistent side effects at all let alone a high incidence thereof. Many of the side effects people claim are related are things that would otherwise happen to you at the age you start to lose your hair regardless. It's good to collect more data though. > As someone with thinning hair, it's horrible how little study/research is being performed to understand how hair grows and treat hair loss. Given the size of the market I'd say there's a ton of research being done. It's just a tough nut to crack. There's some good data on PP405, for example.
- lossolo 10mo ago
  > With 90%+ efficacy it's not a case of "this might work for you" it's "this will almost certainly work for you." It's cheap and it works. Maybe for thinning hair only. If you're Norwood class 5–7, it won't help you unless you're a super responder (an outlier).
  - arcticbull 10mo ago
    Yep, you have to start early; it regrows about 2-3 years of losses and prevents further losses.
deadbabe 10mo ago
It’s not really a big deal to be worth spending so much effort on. Baldness doesn’t affect your quality of life. The only reason men care so much is because long hair was often associated with nobility and power. Ancient gods or classical royalty were usually depicted with long luscious hair. Society has conditioned men to feel like less of a man if they lose their hair. But that’s BS, bald is also a good look for men. Just embrace it. Isn’t it crazy that even if we came up with a “cure” for baldness, some men would still choose to be bald anyway?
- philistine 10mo ago
  Jean-Luc Picard raised a generation of proud bald heads. We need to continue dreaming of a future where it doesn't matter.
- steve_adams_86 10mo ago
  I'd stay bald. I like the way I look. I think, conventionally speaking, I look more masculine without hair. It's all subjective.
- lossolo 10mo ago
  Are you bald, or are you just imagining things? It affects your quality of life. Because I know a lot of people who struggle with baldness including some in my family, I take it seriously. If you think depression is worth spending time on, then baldness is worth spending time on too. Some people have a head shape that doesn't suit being bald, and they don't look good bald at all. In today's Western world, the majority of women won't choose a bald person if there’s a similar alternative with hair, it's simple biology. Only a minority of people look attractive bald. Good luck on dating apps being bald, seriously. You have no idea what you are talking about. What you're saying is basically "Let them eat cake". Here are some meta analysis + studies that support this: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37605428 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37605428 "2024 mixed methods international survey paper summarizes prior experimental and cross sectional work and notes that studies often find more negative perceptions linked to baldness (e.g., being seen as older, less attractive, less successful)" https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11977830 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11977830
tim333 10mo ago
Bill Gates kind of argued the other side of that in his old Malaria talk https://youtu.be/ZLkbWUNQbgk?t=258 https://youtu.be/ZLkbWUNQbgk?t=258

HexPhantom 10mo ago

The fact that we're only now uncovering fundamental mechanics like "hair is pulled, not pushed" kind of highlights how under-invested this area has been

estebank 10mo ago

As someone with a race in my head between white hairs and a receding hairline, hair loss does afflict millions of people, but it has no medical impact on people's life, beyond increasing the need to wear a hat when outside in the Sun for long. Is it that surprising that medical professionals would spend their time on other afflictions instead?

creata 10mo ago
> it has no medical impact on people's life, beyond increasing the need to wear a hat when outside in the Sun for long The impact on mental wellbeing can be pretty severe, though.
- BobaFloutist 10mo ago
  That sounds like a social concern, not a medical one.
  - missedthecue 10mo ago
    A social concern where the path of least resistance toward resolution is probably effective medical advancements. For example, studies show bald men face greater challenges in both straight and gay dating in every country where it's researched (so it's not cultural context dependent). Probably easier to figure out the follicular science than change universal attraction preferences.

SoftTalker 10mo ago

As someone who has lost at least 80% of his hair as an adult, I don't care about it at all. Get a short haircut and forget about it.

missedthecue 10mo ago
You aren't the only person with opinions on it though. Reminds me of the infamous HN thread where a (woman) poster mentioned offhand she and her husband were saving up for transplant for the sake of the survival of their marriage!

arcticbull 10mo ago

> Most of the products on the market today were discovered by accident and have serious side effects. Topical minoxidil / finasteride has roughly zero side effects (due to the limited systemic exposure) and has something like a 90% efficacy rate. With 90%+ efficacy it's not a case of "this might work for you" it's "this will almost certainly work for you." It's cheap and it works. Even oral 1mg finasteride has basically the same side effect profile after 1 year as placebo, side effects always* stop whether you stop taking it or continue taking it. And as an added bonus it significantly reduces your risk of low-grade prostate cancer (30% ish) while not increasing your risk of high-grade prostate cancer. Many of the side effects reported are in people taking 5mg doses for prostate hypertrophy, and the incidence of side-effects is dose dependent. Studies show that sexual side effects are primarily nocebo, if participants were told to expect them the rate was 3X higher than placebo, if they weren't told, they were about the same. * the category of persistent side-effects has been defined primarily for data collection purposes, there's very little evidence for persistent side effects at all let alone a high incidence thereof. Many of the side effects people claim are related are things that would otherwise happen to you at the age you start to lose your hair regardless. It's good to collect more data though. > As someone with thinning hair, it's horrible how little study/research is being performed to understand how hair grows and treat hair loss. Given the size of the market I'd say there's a ton of research being done. It's just a tough nut to crack. There's some good data on PP405, for example.

lossolo 10mo ago
> With 90%+ efficacy it's not a case of "this might work for you" it's "this will almost certainly work for you." It's cheap and it works. Maybe for thinning hair only. If you're Norwood class 5–7, it won't help you unless you're a super responder (an outlier).
- arcticbull 10mo ago
  Yep, you have to start early; it regrows about 2-3 years of losses and prevents further losses.

deadbabe 10mo ago

It’s not really a big deal to be worth spending so much effort on. Baldness doesn’t affect your quality of life. The only reason men care so much is because long hair was often associated with nobility and power. Ancient gods or classical royalty were usually depicted with long luscious hair. Society has conditioned men to feel like less of a man if they lose their hair. But that’s BS, bald is also a good look for men. Just embrace it. Isn’t it crazy that even if we came up with a “cure” for baldness, some men would still choose to be bald anyway?

philistine 10mo ago
Jean-Luc Picard raised a generation of proud bald heads. We need to continue dreaming of a future where it doesn't matter.
steve_adams_86 10mo ago
I'd stay bald. I like the way I look. I think, conventionally speaking, I look more masculine without hair. It's all subjective.
lossolo 10mo ago
Are you bald, or are you just imagining things? It affects your quality of life. Because I know a lot of people who struggle with baldness including some in my family, I take it seriously. If you think depression is worth spending time on, then baldness is worth spending time on too. Some people have a head shape that doesn't suit being bald, and they don't look good bald at all. In today's Western world, the majority of women won't choose a bald person if there’s a similar alternative with hair, it's simple biology. Only a minority of people look attractive bald. Good luck on dating apps being bald, seriously. You have no idea what you are talking about. What you're saying is basically "Let them eat cake". Here are some meta analysis + studies that support this: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37605428 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37605428 "2024 mixed methods international survey paper summarizes prior experimental and cross sectional work and notes that studies often find more negative perceptions linked to baldness (e.g., being seen as older, less attractive, less successful)" https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11977830 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11977830

tim333 10mo ago

Bill Gates kind of argued the other side of that in his old Malaria talk https://youtu.be/ZLkbWUNQbgk?t=258 https://youtu.be/ZLkbWUNQbgk?t=258