Los Angeles, California, October 14th, 2008 – Richard Farrell, owner of Farrell Hair Replacement announced today that he will be conducting his Farrell personal design consultations in London, UK and Dublin, Ireland in November 2008.

(Bloomberg) -- Those with slick domes, thinning tops and receding hairlines may one day be helped by the discovery of genes that put people at risk for baldness and a stem cell that may replenish hair follicles. Two studies released today in the journal Nature Genetics may help explain why some people lose their hair, and how they may eventually be able to grow it back, scientists from London- based GlaxoSmithKline Plc, the U.K. and Sweden said.

Many conditions, diseases, and improper hair care result in excessive hair loss. People who notice their hair shedding in large amounts after combing or brushing, or whose hair becomes thinner or fall out, should consult a dermatologist. With a correct diagnosis, many people with hair loss can be helped. The medical term for hair loss is alopecia. Pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia), the most common type of alopecia, affects roughly one-third of men and women. It's typically permanent. Another type of alopecia, alopecia areata, can be temporary. It can involve hair loss on your scalp or other parts of your body.

Hair loss may develop gradually or suddenly. It results from hereditary factors, aging, local skin conditions, and diseases that affect the body generally (systemic diseases). Many different drugs can also cause hair loss. When it occurs on the head, hair loss is generally referred to as baldness. Androgenetic alopecia is the most common type of hair loss, eventually affecting about half of all men (male-pattern baldness) and 10 to 20% of women (female-pattern baldness). A slightly elevated level of the male hormone dihydrotestosterone probably plays a major role, along with genetic factors. The hair loss can begin at any age, even during the teenage years.

Hair changes, including thinning, color loss, dryness, changes in texture, and hair loss, are common features of autoimmune disease. Of these, hair loss can be the most devastating. Overall, hair loss can have many medical causes including hormonal imbalances, medication effects, and autoimmune diseases. Among the autoimmune diseases that cause hair loss or baldness, aleopcia areata is the most common. Alopecia areata may affect small localized scalp patches (alopecia areata molocularis) or it may affect the entire body (alopecia areata universalis). Treatment is available for alopecia areata although, in general, the more hair lost, the less successful the treatment will be.

Matt Lauer and Janice Lieberman discuss the medical treatments and procedures used to treat hair loss, including Propecia, Minoxidil/Rogaine, Laser Therapy and Hair Transplantation.

About 70 percent of female hair loss is genetic. Other causes include stress, illness, medication and diet. Crash diets, tight ponytails/braids/weaves/extension, thyroid disorders, pregnancy, going off birth control and general anesthesia can all result in hair loss.

While studying the role of stem cells in skin regeneration, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania medical center say they've been able to regenerate new hair follicles in adult mice. They weren't trying to cure baldness, but they say that they may have, by combining stem cells with a secret compound. This is different from hair loss drugs like Propecia and Rogaine, which help people maintain their hair but don't grow new hair. As Dr. Nancy Snyderman said, this treatment could be on the market for humans within three years.

You brush your hair and the brush becomes full of strands that should be on your head. The drain in your shower gets clogged and suddenly you see your scalp no matter how you part or style you hair. Is this a sign of a serious illness? Will it stop? Are you going bald? Dr. Judith Reichman, "Today" health contributor, was invited to appear on the show to share some insight on female hair loss. Here's even more

“Why me?” can be a question that men may ask themselves when they first notice that they have male pattern hair loss--a condition that affects two out of three men. Despite the fact that male pattern baldness is very common, many men who are faced with hair loss feel embarrassment and have low self-esteem. According to Phillip Ginsberg, D.O., J.D., an osteopathic physician who practices in Philadelphia, Pa. when a male is experiencing hair loss it is important to know what is causing the hair loss and become educated about the available treatment options.

On average, there are 100,000 to 150,000 hairs on the human scalp. The hairs grow from hair roots, or follicles (saclike structures under the skin). Blood vessels at the base of each follicle provide the nourishment necessary for hair growth. Hair growth in each root occurs in a cycle independent of the other roots. At any time about 90 percent of the hairs on the scalp are in the growth phase, while the other 10 percent are in the resting phase. The growth phase lasts an average of four to five years, after which the follicle enters the resting phase, which lasts about two months to four months. At the end of the resting phase, the hair falls out naturally and is replaced by a new hair. Consequently, some hair loss is a normal part of the hair growth cycle. In fact, on a typical day, about 50 to 150 scalp hairs are lost. Baldness (or alopecia) results when hair loss occurs at an abnormally high rate; when hair replacement occurs at an abnormally slow rate; or when normal hairs are replaced by thinner, shorter ones.

Russell started to lose his hair seven years ago when he was 21. Now, having tried every spray and potion on the market, he's taking clippers to his head and shaving off his fringe of hair. Totally bald, he instantly looks 10 years younger than when he was clinging on to his last few strands. But he admits that it's been a tough journey to accept his bald state.

Despite the fact that the hair loss industry generates worldwide revenues of several billion US dollars, there seem to be only a few options proven to deliver measurable results. One such option is hair surgery. Hair surgery alone is estimated to make revenues of three billion dollars from the nearly 300,000 hair transplants that are expected to be performed around the world this year. In addition to that, there are billions of dollars to be made annually from the sales of diverse hair loss products. But how many of them really work? One would not be exaggerating to say that 90% of all non-surgical, hair loss treatments are a scam. Having said that, billions of dollars are spent every year wastefully on useless rubbish. One thing is wasting money and the other no less important thing is losing the battle against time while the hair loss continues, most likely becoming irreversible. But how can you tell which treatment is a waste of time and money without trying it out?

The first and foremost mistake is having unrealistic expectations. This will always lead to frustrations, no matter how good or bad the treatment was. Irrespective of what the marketers of any hair loss product say, do not believe that you can recover all of your lost hair. Most treatments only enable you to slow down the balding process or, in better instances, to keep the existing hair. The best possible achievement you can expect from any treatment is to regrow the hair you have lost in the previous three years. But this is only possible if you start treating your condition at an early stage. This brings us to the second mistake many hair loss sufferers make - denying their hair loss and starting to treat their condition only after they have already developed a bald patch. The later you start treating the baldness, the less chances you have of regrowing lost hair. In order to regrow hair you must have fine miniaturised hair left in your bald areas. This hair is often called peach fuzz. Once your hair follicles have died and there is no hair left, no miracle can rejuvenate them.

For most people, hair loss is mild and occurs later in life. However, when hair loss is premature or severe, it can be a source of distress. Although there is no cure, a number of treatments are available that can effectively slow or reduce hair loss and stimulate partial regrowth. Surgical treatment involving hair transplantation is available from some specialist dermatologists and can be helpful for some men with advanced balding.

Hair loss affect about 70% of women who are approaching menopause. Hair loss usually lasts for the whole menopause transition (until the mid 50's), but some women may experience them for the rest of their life. Menopause is not an illness, but a natural process in a woman's body. The symptoms of menopause are just indicators of changes between the hormones estrogen, testosterone and progesterone. These changes result in a hormonal imbalance in a woman's body and cause the common hair loss in women.

Look around a crowd, and you'll see that lots of middle-aged men are losing their hair. As Baby Boomers, they have every right to demand, What is science doing about this? Quite a bit, it turns out. A British company, for example, says five guys are walking around with hundreds more hairs than they had before, thanks to an early test of what's been called hair cloning. An American outfit hopes to start testing a similar approach next year.

ThymuSkin® hair products preserve hair follicles and/or stimulate dormant but live follicles into regrowth. Basically, one can start the program with two or three of the most important products, ThymuSkin® Shampoo, ThymuSkin® Treatment and ThymuSkin® Gel. The fundamental principle for the shampoo is for cleansing the scalp with tiny penetrating thymus peptides. Since these peptides are broken down into the smallest of sizes - only 300 angstroms in length - they do diffuse themselves into the hair follicles better than any other mode of cleanser. They clean out each follicle of accumulated oil, dirt, debris, and other waste and prepare the scalp for receiving the treatment lotion.

The cuticle is thin and colorless and serves as a protector of the cortex. Structure of the hair root Below the surface of the skin is the hair root, which is enclosed within a hair follicle. At the base of the hair follicle is the dermal papilla. The dermal papilla is fed by the bloodstream which carries nourishment to produce new hair. The dermal papilla is a structure very important to hair growth because it contains receptors for male hormones and androgens. Androgens regulate hair growth and in scalp hair androgens may cause the hair follicle to get progressively smaller and the hairs to become finer in individuals who are genetically predisposed to this type of hair loss.

Ringworm can show small round or oval patches of alopecia and be very similar to AA to look at. Traumatic hair loss, breakage and scaling can be brought on by itching of the scalp and/or hairdressing mishaps, both painful and distressing. Trichotillomania is a condition, not widely known, because those suffering would not wish the loss of hair and the sparse regrowth to be seen. It is a habitual pulling of hairs from the scalp that can be very distressing for the person themselves and the family around them.

Dihydrotestosterone, also known as “DHT,” is an incredibly potent androgen found in the human body, primarily in males. DHT is a byproduct of the male hormone testosterone. While testosterone is critical for male development and masculine characteristics, it is susceptible to the effects of an enzyme found naturally in our bodies called 5-alpha reductase (5AR). When this enzyme reacts chemically with testosterone, a chemical conversion occurs that transforms testosterone into DHT. DHT attaches to androgen receptors in the scalp, which can shrink the hair follicle and eventually lead to the hair follicle dying off and falling out. While there is always some naturally occurring DHT in the body, excess levels of it cause hair loss by attacking genetically susceptible hair follicles in the scalp, as well as causing prostate problems for men. These side effects can occur at any age, but become particularly prevalent as males become older.

Spencer David Kobren vividly remembers the day he saw the light. Or to be more precise, the day he saw a little telltale patch of white. It was Dec. 31, 1986. Kobren was 22. He knew his life had changed irrevocably. "It was devastating, man," he says, his tone mournful and anguished. "I felt like I was losing a limb. Once you cross that line, there's no going back." His hair, lush and dense as a tropical forest, was starting to disappear. So began an odyssey to restore what time and genetics were slowly robbing. Kobren tried lotions made of keratin and potions infused with amino acids. He tried hanging upside down. He consulted psychics. He tried zapping his noggin with electrical charges, wrapping it with hot towels, rubbing it with cayenne pepper, shooting it up with hormones. He spent years and thousands of dollars on a fruitless, hairless quest.

The hair follicle is a structure that encases the lower part of the hair shaft. Each follicle contains blood vessels that nurture new hair growth. All hair follicles are present at birth; throughout the lifetime each follicle grows and sheds single hairs in a repetitive cycle (show figure 1). The growth phase for a single new hair lasts two to three years. At the end of this time, growth ceases and the follicle enters a resting phase. After three to four months in the resting phase, the hair is shed and the next growth cycle begins. On a normal scalp, approximately 80 to 90 percent of follicles are growing at any time. Each day, about 75 follicles shed their hair while the same number enter a new growth phase.

Everyone loses some hair every day. Losing up to 100 hairs a day is normal. But if hair loss runs in your family, you could lose a lot more hair. Over time, you may end up with bald spots or hair that slowly gets thinner. About half of all people have this type of hair loss by around age 50.1, 2 Other factors, such as diseases and medicines, also can cause you to lose more hair than normal. Although hair loss is fairly common, it can be a tough thing to live with, especially when it changes how you look. But there are ways you can treat your hair loss.

Hair loss can occur from many causes, including aging, illness, infections, scalp conditions, stress, hormone changes, and medications. Hair loss can also occur with HIV. There are additional reasons that hair loss may occur with HIV besides the virus itself. Many medications used to treat HIV can cause hair loss. People with HIV are susceptible to a wide variety of viral, bacterial and fungal infections. Such infections can involve the scalp, causing hair loss. The infections can also involve other organs, stressing the body. Premature aging can occur with HIV, resulting in accelerated graying of hair and hair shedding.

Unlike the receding hair line creeping over a man's scalp, hair loss sneaks up on a woman. Maybe she sees a few more hairs in her favorite brush. Her ponytail feels skinnier. Her part widens. Eventually she notices she can see her scalp peeking through in a photograph. Whatever the telling sign, female pattern hair loss can be traumatic. But women today are less likely to suffer in silence than a decade ago; doctors report that women increasingly are coming forward to seek remedies. Locks we love In some cases, pinpointing the cause is the first step to a cure, though the source of hair loss in women is not always as clear as it is in men. The hormone fluctuations of puberty, pregnancy and menopause can cause hair to shed. So can the stress of general anesthesia, illness, anemia, crash diets and thyroid abnormalities. Some women -- and a few men, too -- suffer a compulsion to tug at the hair, damaging the follicles.