Frisbinator said:
Seriously, I know you're still young, but is losing your hair really that bad? Haven't you got better things to do with $2000? Shave it and be done with it, I say!
(Hopefully you're not a model.)<P><B><U>Male pattern baldness -- some background.</U></B>
5-alpha reductase is an enzyme that was first discovered in the male prostate. It catalyzes the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone, which in turn binds to the androgen receptor and initiates development of the external genitalia and prostate. The gene for 5-alpha reductase has been mapped to chromosome 5.
More recently, 5-alpha reductase was found in human scalp and elsewhere in the skin, where it carries out the same reaction as in the prostate. It is thought that disturbances in 5-alpha reductase activity in skin cells might contribute to male pattern baldness, acne, or hirsutism. The discovery of a plant homolog of human 5-alpha reductase may lead to new drugs, and the race is now on to find inhibitors of 5-alpha reductase.
Now, you will notice that the gene is on chromosome 5. Thus, contrary to what 99% of people commonly believe, male pattern baldness it is an autosomal trait and is not a sex-linked trait. It’s easy to see why people are confused, however, because the condition predominantly affect males and <b><i>appears</I></B> to be passed through generations like a sex-linked trait. This is because expression of 5-alpha reductase is a <B><I>sex-limited trait</I></B>. In other words, alleles of this gene are expressed differently in males compared to females. So although the alleles are passed randomly to male and female offspring, the baldness trait generally only appears in the male offspring.
I am skeptical of a laser treatment. It may stimulate follicle growth in the short term, but my guess is that a true reversal of male pattern baldness will require a biochemical approach.<P>
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