New Hope for Hair Loss | Gene Found for Alopecia Areata

New Hope for One Type Of Hair Loss | Alopecia Areata

Hair loss specialists have long suspected a genetic component in  some causes of premature hair loss. This is because  hair loss seem to be passed down from parents to children.

Now a team of Columbia University Medical Center researchers has identified eight genes linked to a specific type of alopecia called “alopecia areata.”

Alopecia Areataan is auto immune disease that attacks the hair follicles and is one of the most common causes of hair loss. This type of disease affects both the head and body by causing hair to fall out in patches.

Alopecia areata was thought to be an inflammatory type of disease, but Dr. Angela Christiano, the lead author of the study, says alopecia areata is more closely related to related to celiac disease such as rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes.

This is a significant because drugs exists that treat celiac diseases, and newer drugs that target the same genes are in the pipeline. This means that new treatments for alopecia areata may be easy to develop.

Says Dr. Frank of The Anapelli Hair Clinic in New York:

This is a fascinating development from a respected hair loss scientific team at Columbia. It is particularly interesting to Anapelli because we deal with many different types and causes of hair loss. Many of them are treatable with medications, behavior modification and surgery. However, Alopecia Areata may have a random course and without any universally proven treatments. So we look forward to the development of this technology in the genetic determination of those with the condition, and the potential treatments.

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Hair Loss. Vanity, & Who Loves Ya Baby

Hair loss is one of those events that can undercut our confidence by making us feel more self-conscious.

But is this just our vanity — or is it something more?

While how we feel about ourselves need not (nor should not) depend on how we look, there is real value and benefit in taking care of and maximizing our appearance — simply because appearances count. Moreover, we all respond positively to someone who’s taken the time and effort to put their best foot forward in terms of how they look.

It is also possible that nature has tied our physical appearance into our own sense of self-worth. This is because letting ourselves go is not to our social advantage, and nature may be letting us know that by having our sense of self-esteem and self-worth take a hit.

How much of a hit can our self-esteem and self-worth take? Apparently, it can be a lot:

According to John W. Santrock, professor in the School of Behavior and Brain Sciences at the University of Texas, it plays a surprisingly large role. In fact, for adolescents and young adults, Santrock found that the single largest factor affecting self-esteem was physical appearance:

Nathan C. Popkins, professor of psychology at Northwestern University says physical appearance can even affect the development of our personalities: “ . . . physical appearance is a major factor in the development of personality, because people form opinions by what they see in a person physically, and respond to that person accordingly. In turn, people tend to fulfill the expectations they believe others have for them.”

So while it’s true that on the one hand our self-esteem should not (and ultimately does not) depend on our looks or how much hair we have (or used to have), on the other hand, it is perfectly rational and reasonable to want to maximize our appearance. Having our sense of self worth take a hit when our appearance starts falling below the social or (worse) biological norms of attractiveness and beauty may be nature’s way of motivating us to make changes, if possible & reasonable. Fortunately, through modern hair replacement & hair restoration technologies, we can make changes in that aspect of our appearance, if we choose to (e.g., Yul Brynner and Telly Savalas thought they looked just fine without hair, and millions of their fans thought so too!)

(Source: Anapelli Hair Clinic, “Hair Replacement, Appearance, and Self Esteem).

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Hormone Replacement Therapy May Hurt rather Than Help Women

Researchers at The University of Melbourne and St Vincent’s Hospital studied the DNA of over 500 women with server cases of female pattern hair loss and discovered the presence of a new variant of the estrogen receptor beta gene (ESR2).

What has surprised researchers is that this gene which seems to make hair follicles more sensitive to the body’s estrogen levels. This is because the received wisdom in the medical community is that one of the factors involved in female pattern hair loss is low estrogen and hormone replacement therapy (or HRT) is often used to treat hair loss in women with low estrogen levels.

Rod Sinclair, professor of dermatology at The University of Melbourne and one of the lead researchers, says:

Women often notice that their hair thickens up during pregnancy and they often experience hair loss after the delivery of the baby when they are breastfeeding, which is a low-oestrogen state, the same as the menopause stage. [This lead to] the belief that the high estrogen count might be good for the hair, but these findings suggest it’s more likely to be the exact opposite. In situations where women are taking either the contraceptive pill or hormone replacement therapy and they experience hair loss it may be may advantageous to select low-estrogen preparations to minimise the impact on hair. (TimesOfIndia.Indiatimes.Com, May 24, 2010, Baldness in women tied to genes).

The researchers will present their findings at the 6th World Congress for Hair Research in Cairns, Australia this summer.

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Dr. John Frank shares his views on Superbowl 44.

Dr. John Frank, former San Franciso 49er, describes the game as a feel good one with Indianapolis destined to win but with New Orleans determined to win.

It did come down to the fourth quarter and determination did in fact win. Dr. Frank describes New Orleans’s win as America’s win.

The game was exciting, went back and forth but still suspected that Indianapolis was going to win until that last interception thrown by the great Peyton Manning. Yet Peyton deserves a lot of credit for his work and he will sure to be back in better form next year!

By 1988, Dr. Frank had total of 65 receptions for 662 yards and 10 touchdowns earning two Super Bowl rings in the process. In addition to being a professional NFL football player, he was also distinguished by being one of only a few Jews to ever excel at professional football. Than at age 27, at the top of his game, he called it a career — and became Dr. Frank, cosmetic surgeon and hair restoration and replacement specialist:

“Most Jewish boys growing up on the East Coast wanted to be either doctors or lawyers or accountants, and I liked the sciences. I aspired to be a doctor, to make my mother proud,” said Frank, now a San Francisco cosmetic surgeon.” (JOE ESKENAZI, JWeekly.com, John Frank, ex-49er turned surgeon, has a mom to thank).

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Former San Francisco 49er Dr. John Frank On the Saints verses The Colts

The New Orleans Saints, a Phoenix raising not from ashes but from the flood waters of a devastated city — could there have been a more feel good Cinderella game?

Listen below to Former San Francisco 49er Dr. John Frank describe The Saints, who almost everyone and their brother and their cats, dog’s, and goldfish were pulling for, as American’s Team, how the teams blocking tight ends played pivotal roles in the 44th Sunday drama, and how the great Peyton Manning almost, Almost pulled a win out for The Colts, but it was not to be . . .

By 1988, Dr. Frank had total of 65 receptions for 662 yards and 10 touchdowns earning two Super Bowl rings in the process. In addition to being a professional NFL football player, he was also distinguished by being one of only a few Jews to ever excel at professional football. Than at age 27, at the top of his game, he called it a career — and became Dr. Frank, cosmetic surgeon and hair restoration and replacement specialist:

“Most Jewish boys growing up on the East Coast wanted to be either doctors or lawyers or accountants, and I liked the sciences. I aspired to be a doctor, to make my mother proud,” said Frank, now a San Francisco cosmetic surgeon.”  (JOE ESKENAZI, JWeekly.com, John Frank, ex-49er turned surgeon, has a mom to thank).

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1. Former San Francisco 49er NFL Player, John Frank, Talks Super Bowl 44
2. Former San Francisco 49er Turned Surgeon Dr. John Frank Remembers

Dr. John Frank Remembers His Early Days in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers

Dr. John E. Frank was an American football player played tight end for the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL from 1984 to 1988. He helped lead the San Francisco 49ers to victory in Super Bowl XIX and Super Bowl XXIII.

By 1988, Dr. Frank had total of 65 receptions for 662 yards and 10 touchdowns earning two Super Bowl rings in the process. In addition to being a professional NFL football player, he was also distinguished by being one of only a few Jews to ever excel at professional football. Than at age 27, at the top of his game, he called it a career — and became Dr. Frank:

“Most Jewish boys growing up on the East Coast wanted to be either doctors or lawyers or accountants, and I liked the sciences. I aspired to be a doctor, to make my mother proud,” said Frank, now a San Francisco cosmetic surgeon.”  (JOE ESKENAZI, JWeekly.com, John Frank, ex-49er turned surgeon, has a mom to thank).

A Former San Francisco 49er Remembers His Early Days

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While hair loss in men is common, most people do not realize that hair loss and therefore hair lost treatment can differ by race. This is because hair color, texture, and the properties of the scale are genetically determined, and different races have different genetic markers.

When treating hair loss, it’s important to find a specialist that understands and has experiences with these innate differences.

Dr. Frank of Anapelli Hair Clinic discusses Hair Loss and its treatment in African American Men:

The mission of this blog will be to educate you about the causes of hair loss and to keep you updated information about new treatments.

Anapelli Hair Clinic is owned and operated by Dr. John Frank, MD, a board certified Otolaryngologist and a dedicated facial plastic surgeon. For the past five years, he has performed over 2,000 hair transplant procedures in Northern California and New York City and has become a leading experts on hair loss and hair restoration.

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Before & After Photos of Hair Transplants by Dr. Frank of Anapelli Hair Clinic

A New Approach to Treating Hair Loss

While many remedies may exist for the treatment of hair loss, Dr. Frank believes that each scalp should be treated individually and that no two scalps are alike. He believes that the future of hair loss treatment is customization and that treatments should be designed specifically for each individual.

Dr. Frank has been actively researching and searching for alternative hair loss prevention methods and discovered a unique treatment and application of products called Biocapillation™. Biocapillation™ is a blend of European trichological techniques and Israeli technology. For over fifteen years Biocapillation™ has serviced thousands of individuals with hair loss world wide. Dr. Frank is the first person to introduce this technology to North America and is excited to find the best solution for those suffering from hair loss.

The mission of this blog will be to educate you about the causes of hair loss and to keep you updated information about new treatments.

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1. Anapelli Hair Clinic | Hair Loss and African American Men

Welcome to the new Anapelli Hair Clinic Blog!

Anapelli Hair Clinic is owned and operated by Dr. John Frank, MD, a board certified Otolaryngologist and a dedicated facial plastic surgeon. For the past five years, he has performed over 2,000 hair transplant procedures in Northern California and New York City and has become a leading experts on hair loss and hair restoration.

A New Approach to Treating Hair Loss

While many remedies may exist for the treatment of hair loss, Dr. Frank believes that each scalp should be treated individually and that no two scalps are alike. He believes that the future of hair loss treatment is customization and that treatments should be designed specifically for each individual.

Dr. Frank has been actively researching and searching for alternative hair loss prevention methods and discovered a unique treatment and application of products called Biocapillation™. Biocapillation™ is a blend of European trichological techniques and Israeli technology. For over fifteen years Biocapillation™ has serviced thousands of individuals with hair loss world wide. Dr. Frank is the first person to introduce this technology to North America and is excited to find the best solution for those suffering from hair loss.

The mission of this blog will be to educate you about the causes of hair loss and to keep you updated information about new treatments.

Related posts:

1. Treating Hair Loss | Before & After Photos, Hair Clinic New York