For all those men worried they may go bald in later life, a new product has hit the market that promises to let them know either way – the ‘baldness calculator’. It sounds improbable, but the program promises to tell users the exact age at which they will start losing their hair.
The program was designed by German scientists due to the high incidence of hair loss in the country, where half the male population suffer from hereditary hair loss. By looking at users age, occupation, hometown, family history and stress levels, the scientists say that they can predict whether there will be hair loss.
So far, half a million German men have made use of the program within 10 days of it being unveiled. Over half of those using it – 60% - have been relatively young men aged between 18 and 30. Dr. Adolf Klenk, who is head of research and development at hair care company Dr Kurt Wolff, is not surprised that many users are young men. He pointed to the fact that at that stage of life, they are socialising a lot and starting to think about finding a long-term partner. As hair loss can cause severe loss of self-confidence, at that stage of life they are particularly concerned that hair loss will make them less attractive.
He added that there were various risk factors that made men more likely to go bald, including a history of hair loss in the mother or father’s family, increased and prolonged stress and a poor diet. He then warned that men who regularly wear headgear, including headsets and helmets, might be pulling their hair out or reducing density.
Dr Kurt Wolff has also created a range of shampoos and hair tonics to combat hair loss, which have gone on sale in the UK. They contain caffeine and after tests on 500 volunteers, showed that the stimulant promoted hair growth.