Hi Debbie,

Are there any decent hair regrowth products that actually work? I've started going bald, it's happened gradually over the last five years. Is there anything I can do?

Thanks,
Mark

UKTV Style's Agony Aunt replies:

Hi Mark,

Baldness for men is, I suppose the equivalent of wrinkles for women. Both sexes know these things are inevitable, but somehow we fantasise that there is some miracle cure out there that can prevent them from happening.

Women waste hundreds of pounds buying magical creams, having poisons injected into their faces, and if the going gets really tough, surgically removing the wrinkles where possible.

Men, too are prepared to spend a huge amount of money on products that claim to be able to restore their hair's youthful vigour and growth, but which, in all likelihood, will fail to live up to the hype. In the meantime, they get stressed out about it, which has been demonstrated to actually make the problem worse, so first off - try to stop worrying!

There are products that demonstrate some slight improvement in hair thickness, but interestingly enough, having a positive attitude might turn out to be a better and cheaper alternative!

Phytopharm, a botanical pharmaceutical company, recently ran a full-scale placebo-controlled trial using a herbal remedy based on a Mediterranean lily. The remedy was mixed with a cream and applied to the scalp daily. One group were given the extract to use, the other group (the placebo group) were given a plain cream with no magic ingredient. An astonishing 38% of male volunteers improved, with the placebo! In fact, more than with the plant extract! Needless to say, the company didn't proceed with the product.