A: I love this question! It may seem like a trivial thing to be concerned about, but there are a large number of men, and probably some women too, that let a perceived receding hairline affect their self-esteem. So, the first step is to determine if the hairline is actually receding.
This is a simple test that provides anecdotal evidence pertaining to the migration, or lack there-of, of your hairline. First, you will need a permanent marker, or preferably a small stapler with a base that can be opened to expose the entire stapler body. A stapler is preferable because, depending on how oily your skin is, the marker may fade or wear off in the shower before the experiment has concluded. A staple tends to remain in place until actively removed. You need to swing the base of the stapler open so that you can place it firmly against the skin along your hairline. Take a deep breath, and using the base of your palm, give a sharp rap to the stapler driving the staple through the skin and curling the ends of the tines against your skull for a secure hold. If the tines penetrate the skull rather than curling you have nothing to worry about. Most staples aren’t long enough to actually reach the brain. Make sure to have some sterile gauze handy to apply pressure to the staple site for a few minutes to inhibit any bleeding that might occur. Now, we wait. Once a week for the next four weeks you need to measure the distance from the staple to your hairline. Make note of any differences that you may find. Make sure to regularly clean the staple wounds with alcohol as swelling from infection can give false results. If you don’t have access to a stapler, or prefer to take your chances with a less sure method of testing your can simply draw a line with a permanent marker along your hairline. In this case, do not clean the area with alcohol. If the marker fades, or washes off you will need to start the test over from the beginning and ignore any previous test results from before the new mark. Such a waste of time and effort.
If you discover that your hairline is indeed “moving North” there are several options available to you. There are “hair clubs” that offer hair replacement services. There are toupees which aren’t usually confused with natural hair, but might keep your head a little warmer. There is spray-on hair. There are chemicals that have shown some promise of restoring a small amount of hair growth. There is always the option of just giving up and shaving your head. But, there may be a better solution on the horizon! Mrs. Dr. Brooks and I have started testing a theory using concentrated radiation to stimulate follicle revitalization. We have seen interesting activity in supposedly dead cells exposed to our prototype radiation machine. We are nearing the stage of live testing. So, if you or anyone you know have “hair challenged” pets we would be very interested in hearing from you. Someday soon we should be able to request names for human trials. It is very exciting! Worrying about hair loss may soon be a thing of the past!
I hope this has answered your question.
