Simply the Best Magazine, November
1999
Why Toupee in Y2K?
Getting rid of the millennium RUG
Alan J. Bauman, M.D.
Other than hats or helmets, artificial hair replacement—in
the form of wigs, weaves, or toupees—have long been the only
scalp-coverage option for the "hair-impaired." Even Hannibal,
the great Carthaginian military leader, was said to have worn a hairpiece
into battle in 200 B.C. Since the dawn of recorded history, humans
have sought to "cure" hair loss. Preparations for the treatment
of the "folliclly challenged" have been found in the earliest
medical texts. A 5000-year-old recipe for an ancient salve for hair
loss was found on an ancient Egyptian papyrus scroll. It contained,
among other things, hippo fat, crocodile fat and goat fat. (No mention
is made of its efficacy, however.) Hippocrates, the father of modern
medicine, prepared different ointments (circa 400 BC) to treat baldness,
some of which contained such ingredients as pigeon droppings. The
long list of attempted lotions, potions, etc. goes on and on through
the ages and, in more recent years, on some late-night infomercials.
In fact, this year, Hair Club for Men’s artificial "hair
systems" in addition to the infamous "Spray-on-Hair"
both made Time Magazine’s Top 100 Worst Ideas of the Century
list. Fortunately, patients who once might have chosen to cover their
hair loss with attached artificial hairpiece "systems" now
have truly viable medical and surgical options available to restore
and maintain their hair. It is only at the closing moments of this
century that medical science has finally been able to provide those
with thinning hair safe, proven and effective treatment—finally
catapulting us beyond the age of "snake oil" remedies.
Truly effective, medically tested and F.D.A. approved medications
in pill and spray form are now available to slow, stop and even reverse
hair loss. The dramatically effective new prescription pill, once-a-day
Propecia® (Finasteride 1mg) , or twice-a-day Rogaine® (Minoxidil
2% or 5%) the over-the-counter spray, are commonly used alone or in
conjunction with state-of-the-art surgical hair restoration procedures.
Within the rapidly growing field of cosmetic procedures for men, revolutionary
techniques in hair transplant surgery now offer patients a "living
and growing" solution to hair loss.
Cutting-edge surgical treatment redistributes your own hair, recreating
a permanent natural hairline where before there was only shiny bald
skin or thin wispy hair. The new microsurgical techniques have replaced
the old-style "plugs," making unsightly "doll’s
hair" a thing of the past. Today’s procedures are less costly,
more effective, more comfortable and heal faster than ever. Typical
surgical hairlines today are artistically created and are designed
to be subtle and look completely natural—not to mention that
since they are living and growing in your scalp they’re not likely
to fall off in the heat of battle.
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