Plucking Hair Can Help Treat Baldness

Hi Dr. Rassman, I’ve been a “lurker” on your blog for yrs, 46 yrs old and if I were to guess, a Norwood 3. I’ve been taking finaesteride for about 1 1/2 years, shampoo with nizoral a couple times / week. I started using Rogaine foam for a few months, but at $62 CAD / mth, it was starting to add up. I’m single, confidence is severely lacking as a result of my receding hairline, so dating isn’t really an option and needless to say I’m always looking for options. l almost considered going for a consultation with Hair Club, but decided against it for now at least. I did come across this article and wondered if you had heard anything about it.

Thanks for having this blog, allowing for people like me a chance to see your advice, keep up with any new developments etc.

There was an article on SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN April 9, 2015 Hair Regrowth Discovery Suggests Skin Cells Communicate Like Bacteria
“When a researcher at the University of Southern California and his colleagues plucked 200 hairs from mice in a specific pattern in a confined area—ensuring that many neighboring hairs were pulled—more than 1,000 hairs grew back in their place, including some beyond the plucked region. “
This finding does not translate into finding a cure for male pattern balding or hair loss in humans. in fact, if you continued to pluck your hairs, they would eventually stop growing. The finding in the study does not mean that if you pluck your own hairs, more will grow. It does however give us a new perspective on cell signaling. More research would be needed to see how it can be applied for practical human applications.

To address your concern for hair loss that relates to a lack of confidence or dating: There are plenty of confident bald or receding men where hair loss is not a factor. Of course everyone is different and if hair loss or hair recession bothers you, see a doctor for possible treatment options. Norwood 3 hair loss pattern can be easily addressed with a good hair transplant surgery.