From filler to CoolSculpting: Woman ranks 10 best cosmetics procedures and reveals which to avoid – Yahoo News

An aesthetic industry professional has ranked all the cosmetics procedures shes had done and revealed which to get and which to avoid.

Lacey is a 27-year-old content creator living in Los Angeles, California, who shares fashion and beauty advice to her 17,000 followers. Most recently, the cosmetics industry worker went viral on TikTok when she shared all the treatments and cosmetic work shes had done, ranking them from worth it to never again.

Lifes good working in the aesthetics industry, she captioned the TikTok video, which has been viewed more than 650k times since it was posted in December last year.

First, Lacey began by revealing she had platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections in her under eyes. She ranked the overall treatment a nine out of 10 because it left her under eyes swollen for the first day and gave her a really weird feeling during the treatment. Still, the injections naturally brightens and fills under eyes once its fully healed.

PRP treatments have grown in popularity in recent years. More commonly known as the vampire facial, the unusual treatment involves drawing a persons blood and placing it into a machine that separates the platelets from the rest of their blood. Then, the part of the blood that contains a high concentration of platelets is re-injected into the skin.

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, PRP has been used as a possible treatment for hair loss. Some dermatologists have also used the treatment to give patients younger-looking skin, such as reduced wrinkles, acne scars, or deep creases.

For her second cosmetic procedure, Lacey shared that she had a brow lamination and keratin lash lift, which she ranked an 100000/10. She said: [Im] obsessed with it and it lasts for at least 12 weeks. Bye, mascara.

Brow lamination is a relatively new chemical treatment to help make the eyebrows appear neater and fuller. Its done using different chemical solutions to coat the brows, before brushing the hair upward to remove any curls. Laminated eyebrows can last anywhere from six to eight weeks.

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Meanwhile, a keratin lash lift is a semi-permanent treatment that uses keratin to enhance the natural look of eyelashes. A keratin lash lift can last from four to six weeks and typically costs $100-$200.

Another cosmetic procedure Lacey recommended was a microneedling treatment using PRP therapy and exosomes, which helps stimulate growth factors using collagen. Microneedling is done using small needles to prick the skin mainly on the face to generate new collagen and skin tissue. This helps create smoother, firmer, more toned skin while minimising scars, wrinkles, and large pores.

Lacey gave the microneedling treatment a 10 out of 10 ranking, saying that shed get it all day everyday. While she warned her followers that you will smell like youre rotting on the first day of the treatment, she added: I swear its worth it

The cosmetics industry professional has also had some injectable fillers placed in her lips and chin. Lacey said she loved getting her lip filler with Restylane Kysse, which is designed with XpresHAn Technology for natural-looking lips lasting up to one year. Lacey said the fillers made her lips appear much more natural and gave the injections a 10 out of 10.

As for her chin filler, Lacey said the treatment can be used for a temporary fix and is amazing for facial balancing. Chin filler is a non-surgical procedure that involves injecting temporary dermal filler into the chin to help its shape and firm the surrounding area of the skin. Lacey gave her chin filler treatment an 8.9 out of 10 and said a chin implant may be better for those who prefer a more long-lasting option.

After Lacey revealed her favourites of the cosmetic procedures shes had done, it was time to go through the ones shed never do again. Beginning with a lip filler treatment using Juvederm, which is a popular injectable gel containing hyaluronic acid, Lacey gave this procedure a -20 out of 10.

Looks nice for, like, three months then migrates like crazy, she said.

The next procedure that she disliked was called Morpheus 8, a microneedling treatment that combines radiofrequency with the microneedling technique. During the treatment, tiny needles that emit radiofrequency energy are stamped into the skin to create a controlled injury to boost collagen and elastin production. Lacey gave this treatment a zero out of 10 for its high pain level but minimal results.

CoolSculpting was another cosmetic treatment that Lacey simply gave a one out of 10. CoolSculpting, which is the brand name for cryolipolysis or fat-freezing, is a non-invasive cosmetic procedure that uses cold temperatures to break down fat cells. It uses cooling paddles, which are applied to areas on the body to suction the skin to break down fat cells. Although Lacey said that the CoolSculpting procedure works for some, it made her body proportions really weird after the treatment.

Although the last two on her list werent exactly cosmetic procedures, Lacey said that applying sunscreen and retinol to her face made it so smooth and bright. Meanwhile, the one that received an infinity out of 10 ranking was having a reputable provider who can recommend what you need based on your goals.

With any cosmetic surgery, invasive or non-invasive, a patient must be made aware of the risks that are involved. Recently, model and TV personality Blac Chyna documented the process of removing her facial filler and silicone implants due to their physical dangers.

The physical dangers of getting illegal fillers are many, said Blac Chynas plastic surgeon, Dr David Matlock, after spending more than eight hours removing the injections from her butt. You can have infections, abscesses, sepsis, sepsis patients can die from that.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has previously warned against injectable silicone and dermal fillers for large-scale body contouring due to risks such as long-term pain, infections, and serious injuries, such as scarring and permanent disfigurement, embolism (blockage of a blood vessel), stroke, and death.

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From filler to CoolSculpting: Woman ranks 10 best cosmetics procedures and reveals which to avoid - Yahoo News

For long Covid patients who lost their taste or smell, a new treatment offers hope – NBC News

A numbing procedure usually used to treat pain and post-traumatic stress disorder is being tested as a way to restore smell and taste in people with long Covid.

It's called a stellate ganglion block. In the procedure, a doctor uses a temporary, local anesthetic like what a dentist would give before filling a cavity and injects it into a specific bundle of nerves called the stellate ganglion on both sides of a person's neck. The nerves are part of the sympathetic nervous system, which controls automatic bodily functions, such as blood pressure, digestion and heart rate.

The area is not known to have any impact on how a person perceives odors, however, leaving some experts skeptical of the approach. Other doctors say they have seen real improvements in patients who either can't smell anything or find previously delicious food and drinks now taste repulsive.

Smell disorders tend to become more common with age, and affect millions of people. As many as 1 out of every 8 people in America over age 40 have some kind of olfactory dysfunction, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.

A survey last yearfound that about 15% of people with Covid-related olfactory loss still had trouble smelling correctly six months later.

Not many treatments are available for smell disorders. Doctors may try olfactory retraining, in which patients concentrate on sniffing four scents usually rose, eucalyptus, lemon and clove twice a day for at least three months. Smell therapy has shown promise in some clinical trials.

At Cleveland Clinic, doctors are offering stellate ganglion blocks to long Covid patients, with the hope of launching a clinical trial.

Jennifer Henderson, 54, of Franklin, Ohio, got Covid in January 2021 and immediately lost the ability to taste or smell anything. A year later, her senses came back, but were wildly distorted.

She first tried olfactory retraining "religiously" for months, without success. Peanut butter and ranch dressing still smelled like chemicals.

Chicken was the worst, she said. "It tasted like rotting flesh. I had to spit it out."

Finally, in November last year, she received the stellate ganglion block at the Cleveland Clinic. The effect was immediate. She held a fresh cup of coffee up to her nose and burst into tears.

"It was the best smell ever," Henderson said. "I just cried like a baby."

Dr. Christina Shin, a physician specializing in pain management at the Cleveland Clinic, said that nearly every day at least one or two patients are referred to her from the long Covid clinic affiliated with the hospital system for help with their smell and taste.

She has treated roughly 30 long Covid patients with the block. About half get better, she estimates, though the level of improvement varies between 25% and 90%.

Dramatic responses like Henderson's have made the rounds on social media, igniting enthusiasm in long Covid communities. But many doctors are cautious because no one really understands how it works.

Some experts theorize that it may increase blood flow to the brain. Others suggest the block acts as a "reset button" for the sympathetic nervous system.

Some question whether it works at all.

"There is no scientific evidence that this is effective," said Dr. Justin Turner, an associate professorin the department of otolaryngologyhead and neck surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

"Given the lack of data suggesting efficacy, it's really hard to advocate for this for patients who have a problem that typically resolves with time," he said.

As many as 80% will recover on their own within about six months, said Dr. Zara Patel, a professor of otolaryngology at Stanford University.

That's because stem cells in the nasal cavity have the ability to turn into brand new olfactory receptor neurons that detect odors.

"Throughout our lifetime, probably every three to four months, each olfactory receptor neuron dies off, and a new olfactory receptor neuron comes in and takes its place," Patel said.

Sometimes those new neurons get confused after they regenerate, leading chicken to smell like rotten flesh, as in Henderson's case.

Distorted smell, called parosmia, isn't just about difficulty during mealtimes. The condition can have a profound and deeply upsetting impact on a person's life.

In 2021, researchers in the United Kingdom surveyed people with Covid-related parosmia. Some worried about the effect it had on how they felt about their children.

"A lot of my maternal bonding feelings for my children are tied up with smell," one woman said in the study.

Some reported that the problem was ruining their sex lives. One person wrote about a partner's "rotten breath." The stench was "unbearable, no matter how hard I tried to put it out of my mind."

Some patients fall into despair.

"I have had many patients crying in my office telling me that the parosmia not just the smell loss, but the smell change is destroying their life," said Dr. Nyssa Farrell, an assistant professor of otolaryngology-head & neck surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

However, she was wary of anecdotes of people getting better after a stellate ganglion block.

"It kind of sounds like voodoo," Farrell said. "I'm a scientist and I don't just believe what people say."

With desperate patients in mind, she started a small study to see if the block would work well enough to justify launching a large, randomized clinical trial that would give the needed evidence.

Among 20 patients with trouble smelling correctly, 10 reported "slight to moderate" improvement after the stellate ganglion block. It wasn't a strong result, but enough to move forward "to see if this is a placebo effect or if this is real," Farrell said.

A larger study is in the planning stages.

A stellate ganglion block is not the only potential remedy under investigation for loss of smell. Patel, of Stanford, ran a study looking at whether an injection of platelet-rich plasma deep into the nasal cavity might help prompt olfactory neurons to form correctly.

The procedure involves drawing the patient's own blood, removing its red and white cells, leaving behind plasma full of platelets and growth factors known to regenerate different types of tissue.

"Hopefully, what platelet-rich plasma is doing," Patel said, is getting those neurons to regenerate in a way "so that the correct signal is sent back to the brain."

Among 26 study participants, those who got the plasma injection were 12 times more likely to report improvements in their smell loss than those who got placebo shots.

Patel is now offering the procedure to all of her patients who have lost smell.

Excitement for stellate ganglion blocks' potential for treating long Covid ramped up in December 2021 when Dr. Luke Liu, a pain specialist in Anchorage, Alaska, reported the successful treatment of two long Covid patients.

Many of their ongoing symptoms, including muscle pain, fatigue, dizziness, brain fog and loss of smell and taste, improved within a week of getting the injections, he said.

Liu theorizes that a "glitch" in the autonomic nervous system plays an important role in lingering Covid and similar post-viral illnesses.

"In the case of long Covid, that glitch prevents the nervous system, and probably the rest of the body, from healing itself from a viral infection," he suggested. "The stellate ganglion block acts by pushing the reset button to that system. By doing so, it allows the entire system to reboot and become more synchronized and organized."

Liu has treated roughly 300 patients, and says about 65-70% "do really well and don't need any other intervention."

Still, he cautioned, it's too early to call stellate ganglion blocks a cure. About 5% of patients, he said, don't have any lasting improvement. About a third must go back to the clinic every few weeks or months for additional injections.

Henderson, who was treated at the Cleveland Clinic, has had to return three times. Her smell and taste are better, she said, but not back to normal.

"This should be treated as a scientific clue rather than a solution at this point," Liu said, adding that larger studies are needed.

The bundle of nerves targeted in the block procedure is right next to the carotid arteries, a pair of major vessels that supply blood to the brain. If inserted incorrectly, the medication can disrupt vocal chords and lead to trouble breathing.

The risks drop tremendously when a highly experienced doctor performs the stellate ganglion block, which has been used for decades by pain specialists to treat complex pain syndromes, Farrell said. She partnered with an anesthesiologist for her studies.

"She does stellate ganglion blocks for a living," Farrell said. "For her, the risks are very low."

The cost of the procedure varies widely and some insurance companies do not cover the block to treat smell disorders.

Liu said that he charges $500 per block, and is disheartened by anecdotes of other clinics billing their patients thousands of dollars.

"To me, this is taking advantage of people who are suffering."

CORRECTION (April 1, 2023, 11:50 a.m. ET): An earlier version of this article misspelled the name of the assistant professor of otolaryngology-head & neck surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. She is Dr. Nyssa Farrell, not Ferrell.

FollowNBC HEALTHonTwitter&Facebook.

Erika Edwards is a health and medical news writer and reporter for NBC News and "TODAY."

Kristen Dahlgren is an Edward R. Murrow award winning journalist. She reports for NBCs Today show, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, and also appears on MSNBC and CNBC. Prior to her current posting, Dahlgren spent 9 years working for NBC News Channel NBCs affiliate feed service. She has reported from around the world and covered some of the biggest stories in recent years including Hurricane Katrina, the Japanese tsunami and the Newtown massacre. Dahlgren is based in New York.

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For long Covid patients who lost their taste or smell, a new treatment offers hope - NBC News

The Med Spa on the Corner Is Probably Breaking the Law – JD Supra

Look better. Feel better. Fountain of youth promises are making med spas one of the fastest-growing segments in healthcare. Botox injections, laser hair removal, IV hydration and therapy, medical weight loss, and hormone therapy seem to be available on every corner.

But most med spas are not compliant with Texas law. Either they are formed as the wrong entity type, they lack proper oversight and ownership, or all the above.

The consequences can be significant for everyone involved.

Med spa owners face potential civil and criminal liability for the unauthorized practice of medicine. Physicians associated with those med spas could find themselves subject to disciplinary action from the Texas Medical Board. And patients are caught in the middle.

The med in med spa stands for medical because many of the services they provide are medical in nature. Botox, Disport, Juvederm, and Kybella injections, microneedling, chemical peels, laser hair removal, dermaplaning, and CoolSculpting are considered nonsurgical medical cosmetic procedures by the Texas Medical Board.

IV hydration and therapy, platelet-rich plasma injections, medical weight loss injections, and hormone therapy are also medical services. If a procedure involves injecting a patient intravenously or subcutaneously, it is probably a medical procedure.

Before any medical procedure, a physician or midlevel provider (like a physician assistant or nurse practitioner) must perform a good faith exam, establish a medically appropriate treatment plan, and document everything in a medical record.

Midlevel providers must be supervised by a physician under a Prescriptive Authority Agreement. The physician must review a sample of the charts regularly and generally be available to the midlevel if they have questions.

This does not happen in many med spas.

Then theres the business side. The practice of medicine in Texas is regulated by the Texas Medical Practice Act, the Texas Medical Board, and administrative rules. Because med spas provide medical services to the public, they must comply with all these rules just like any other medical practice.

Med spas must be formed as an acceptable legal entity type. In Texas, medical practices are limited to professional associations (PAs), professional limited liability companies (PLLCs), and general partnerships with other licensed physicians. Many med spas are incorrectly formed as corporations or regular LLCs.

This is not just a technical problem. It leads to improper ownership. Medical entities, like med spas, cannot be owned by non-physicians. They must be owned by persons licensed to practice medicine in Texas.

There is a lot of information on the Internet, much of which is incomplete or wrong.

Texas is a Corporate Practice of Medicine state, which means that physicians cannot be employed to provide medical services by companies not owned by licensed physicians. In practical terms, a non-physician cannot start a company and then hire a physician to provide medical services to patients of that company. With very few exceptions, medical services can only be provided through professional entities owned by physicians.

These same prohibitions apply to midlevel providers like Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners. Physician Assistants can co-own a medical practice with a physician only if the physician controls a majority interest in the practice. Nurse Practitioners cannot own any percentage of a medical practice.

These are just a few of the compliance issues for Texas med spas. There are also in-office and website disclosure requirements, registration requirements, reporting requirements, and restrictions on the type of marketing or advertising the practice can engage in.

Patients are caught in the middle. Those injured at a non-compliant med spa may not know where to turn.

These types of complaints to the Texas Medical Board are growing at an alarming rate. If the non-compliant med spa has a Medical Director, the Board can discipline the physician for inappropriate supervision or unprofessional conduct. Physicians associated with non-compliant med spas are putting their medical licenses at risk.

For the unlicensed med spa owner, the Medical Board can shut down their business. In extreme cases, the unlicensed med spa owner could be charged with practicing medicine without a license. If the patient suffers a physical or psychological injury, the owner could be charged with a third-degree felony which carries jail time of two to ten years and a fine of $10,000.

If the patient hires an attorney to sue for malpractice, the med spas insurance company may deny coverage if the med spa was not formed or owned in compliance with Texas law.

Med spas are big business and growing rapidly. But with great reward comes great responsibility. Entrepreneurs owe it to themselves and patients to set up the med spa the right way, with the right supervision, and the right ownership.

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The Med Spa on the Corner Is Probably Breaking the Law - JD Supra

Top AEW star provides an update on injury, likely to be out for "weeks" – Sportskeeda

Modified Apr 04, 2023 19:50 IST

The AEW roster has undergone another shake-up after one of its top stars suffered an injury that could potentially set them back for months. Matt Jackson has now updated fans on his partially torn bicep, and it seems like he might not be out for as long as initially believed.

According to reports, Jackson suffered his injury sometime during the nine-man Trios Championship match at AEW Revolution. The House of Black ended up walking away with the gold, coincidentally allowing the star to get some much-needed time off to rehab his injury.

During the latest episode of Being The Elite, Matt Jackson explained his injury and the alternate forms of rehabilitation that he'll seek instead.

Jackson continued, emphasizing that he feels good and is hopeful that he'll recover soon.

While not a fully-fledged member of The Elite, Don Callis also recently suffered a gruesome injury during a backstage attack at the hands of The Blackpool Combat Club.

Missed out on last week's AEW Dynamite or Rampage? Catch up with the results right here.

The Brawl Out Incident brought many of AEW's backstage issues to light and became an unfortunate stain on the promotion. While fans were upset by the controversy, it seems like it also deeply affected The Young Bucks.

During the premiere episode of AEW: All Access, The Jackson brothers revealed that they had private talks about hanging up their boots.

Despite this, there were rumors that The Young Bucks could potentially jump over to WWE once their contracts expire. Fans will simply have to be patient until then.

RIP Bushwhacker Butch. We spoke to Luke moments before his passing here

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Top AEW star provides an update on injury, likely to be out for "weeks" - Sportskeeda

Want Longer, Thicker Hair? The Hair Whisperer Has The Answers – British Vogue

It was a friend with a particularly bounteous mane who first mentioned his name: Ricardo Vila Nova. She had been to see the Hair Whisperer in his sleek little salon in a corner of Harrods, and compared the feeling afterwards to scalp freedom. Freeing my own head from itchy, flaky torment was something that really appealed to me. Could this be the person who would make my scalp sing again?

Vila Nova, who is as glossy of hair and warm of manner as you could hope, began with an in-depth analysis. After plucking two of my strands, his state-of-the-art microscopical scanner revealed their construction. Its almost like an MRI, he explains. You can see the hairs genetic constitution, along with the factors that have contributed to any degeneration, whether thats hormones, nutrition, inflammation, medication or toxins. Once hes identified what is impacting the hair, a bespoke treatment plan is conjured up to tackle the root cause (pun intended).

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For me, the issue was inflammation, which, according to the scan, was sitting below my epidermis, causing itchiness, dermatitis and occasional shedding. No surprise really, given my scalp is prone to flaring up when Im stressed, eating badly or generally run-down. If inflammation continues to build up lets say youve overindulged or you take medication that could upset liver function it penetrates to a deeper level of the skin, which is when the hair starts suffering, Vila Nova explains. Thats when more serious issues, such as hair loss (which Harvard Health Publishing estimates affects around a third of all women at some point in their lives), can come into play.

If you are genetically predisposed towards a skin condition, such as eczema, dermatitis or psoriasis, youll likely know its pretty much impossible to remove the issue completely. But what you can do is manage it, keeping it dormant while boosting scalp and hair resilience, achieved by way of a 360-degree approach. Putting a balanced lifestyle a healthy diet, exercise and as little stress as possible, all of which are important to the side, the programme Vila Nova prescribes consists of multi-step treatments.

There will be scalp reparation, washing, steaming and rehydration or reconstruction, he says. Just a few of the rigorous treatments that follow include a deeply relaxing head massage, scalp microneedling (where a dermaroller is used to create micro-channels in the scalp, allowing any subsequent treatment serum to penetrate deeply) and steaming to help soften and hydrate.

Afterwards, Im instantly converted. My scalp has never looked or felt so clean. I leave swinging a bag filled with my three-step home routine (comprising a shampoo, protein mask and scalp treatment) to be used once a week between monthly appointments.

Vila Novas fastidiousness is no surprise given that his background is in skincare he worked as an aesthetic facialist in the 90s. He became one of the first to bring the same principles applied to looking after the skin into haircare. All you had back then was shampoo to clean the surface of the scalp and masks. If you wanted to help the scalp or enable hair to regenerate or recover, it would be medication and steroids.

Amanda Gorman On Natural Hair, Winged Eyeliner And How She Gets Into The Writing Zone

Hannah Coates

Youll remember American poet and activist, Amanda Gorman, from President Joe Bidens inauguration in 2021. Resplendent in a yellow coat and ruby red Prada hairband, she gave a moving reading of her poem, The Hill We Climb, as the eyes of the world looked on. Two years later, Gorman has now been unveiled as Este Lauders first global changemaker. Here, she talks to acting senior beauty and wellness editor, Hannah Coates, about her writing process, hair accessories and the wellbeing workout she loves.

While the scalp doesnt need certain ingredients common in facials, like retinol or vitamin C, it does need hydrolipids, hydration, collagen and protein plus a balanced pH to make it strong and healthy, all of which is incorporated into Vila Novas luxurious treatments. Nowadays, with more than 20 years under his belt, he also embraces a number of hi-tech tools in his clinic, such as PRP (or platelet-rich plasma injections, where blood is taken from the patient, run through a machine to separate the platelets and then re-injected), which he says is excellent for treating alopecia, healing and boosting regrowth. With injectable technology, the response is much faster its not instant and it takes time, but you do notice a longer-lasting effect in terms of how the hair and scalp feels, how strong it is, how it recovers, he says.

PRP is also his secret weapon against postpartum hair loss, a common issue among his clientele. During pregnancy, your own growth factors rise naturally in the blood, and growth factor is the main ingredient in PRP, he explains. Even a laboratory couldnt create the same amount of growth factors as a pregnant woman. Once the baby has been delivered, the growth factors decrease and thats when hair starts falling. I give my clients a one-month window, maximum, after birth to collect their growth factors we reuse them, and then extend the pregnancy effects on the hair.

However significant your concerns are, what used to be a serious, medical experience at the trichologist is now something to look forward to. Optimal health of the body, the mind, and yes, the scalp too is the goal, and Vila Nova notes that his clients, who fly in from all over the world to see him, are those who want to make their hair stronger, double in quantity and enjoy a super comfortable scalp.

As for me, thanks to a thorough diagnosis and a clear understanding of whats going on up there, so far its made it much easier not to despair when the itchiness and flaking gets out of control. Not only will I know when its time to get some rest, eat better or address my stress levels, Ill also know its time to call Ricardo for more scalp therapy. Like I said, Im a convert.

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Want Longer, Thicker Hair? The Hair Whisperer Has The Answers - British Vogue

What is ‘male pattern baldness’? – Livescience.com

Androgenetic alopecia, also known as male pattern baldness (MPB), is the most common cause of hair loss in men. It begins as a receding hairline or bald spot on the top of the head, progressing over time to the sides and rear of the head. The factors that drive this type of hair loss can also cause hair thinning, where hairs grow smaller in diameter, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (opens in new tab) (AAD).

Male pattern baldness affects males of all ages. Two-thirds of American men will experience some degree of hair loss due to MPB by age 35, and approximately 25% of men begin the process before they reach age 21, according to the American Hair Loss Association (opens in new tab) (AHLA).

People may lose their hair for many reasons, including serious diseases, reactions to certain medications, and in rare cases, extremely stressful events, but most hair loss in men can be ascribed to genetic and hormonal factors. However, the exact mechanisms behind male pattern baldness aren't fully understood, and it is likely to have more than one cause.

People with MPB tend to carry genes that make their hair follicles highly sensitive to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a byproduct of testosterone, according to AHLA (opens in new tab). An enzyme called Type 2 5-alpha-reductase converts a small percentage of the body's testosterone into DHT; this enzyme can be found in various body parts, as well as in hair follicles. Hair follicles around the temples, mid-anterior scalp and hairline appear to be most sensitive to DHT, and in general, balding scalp may have a higher concentration of DHT than non-balding scalp, according to a 2020 study published in the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology (opens in new tab).

DHT binds to androgen receptors on hair follicles, causing the follicles to shrink and their life spans to shorten. Eventually, these hair follicles stop producing hair.

Hair follicles in balding scalp may carry more androgen receptors (opens in new tab) than those in non-balding scalp. In addition, certain genetic variations in the androgen receptor (AR) gene may make hair follicles more susceptible to the effects of DHT (opens in new tab), which in turn increases the risk of MPB. The age at which MPB starts may also be determined by genetic variations (opens in new tab) in the AR gene.

In a 2017 study published in the journal Nature Communications (opens in new tab), scientists analyzed genetic profiles of 10,846 participants and found that, in addition to genes involved in the hair growth cycle, androgenetic alopecia may also be linked to genes involved in the sleep-wake cycle and the formation of fat cells within the body.

Changes in the activity of stem cells may also play a role in male pattern baldness. For example, a 2020 study in mice suggests that hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) in aging skin show different gene activity (opens in new tab) than those in young skin, and this may be linked to declines in hair growth. In addition, stem cells derived from fat tissue in the scalp tend to secrete more inflammatory proteins in balding areas than in non-balding areas, according to a 2022 study published in the journal Experimental Dermatology (opens in new tab). Such inflammatory markers have been linked to impaired activity in genes involved in hair growth (opens in new tab).

Researchers have also found that disrupted functioning of testosterone receptors (opens in new tab) in the scalp may lead to the degeneration of blood vessels that nourish hair follicles. This can result in a reduction in supply of oxygen and nutrients necessary for hair growth.

Hair loss can often be treated with a variety of at-home treatments, including over-the-counter and prescribed medications, according to AAD (opens in new tab).

Over-the-counter minoxidil (brand name Rogaine) can help during the early stages of hair loss. Many people see some regrowth when using this medication, but it may take about six to 12 months to see results. Minoxidil appears to be particularly effective when used along with another treatment, such as microneedling, a type of treatment that uses small needles to cause tiny punctures in the skin, AAD said.

Microneedling may stimulate hair follicle growth (opens in new tab) and allow topical treatments, such as steroid creams, to reach deeper layers of the scalp. Available evidence suggests that this strategy is safe and effective for MPB, but more large, gold-standard clinical trials are "strongly recommended to provide more definitive evidence," according to a 2022 review published in the journal Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (opens in new tab).

Prescription medication, such as finasteride (brand name Propecia) can also stimulate hair growth, according to AAD. However, this medication carries a risk of side effects that minoxidil doesn't, such as decreased libido and changes in cognition, including brain fog, according to a 2012 review published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine (opens in new tab).

Other procedures to regrow hair involve injections of corticosteroids into the bald areas, hair transplants and platelet-rich plasma treatment, a procedure that involves injecting blood plasma into the area with hair loss, AAD said. Platelet-rich plasma treatment, in particular, is considered a safe and effective alternative to hair loss medications, because it carries a low risk of serious side effects (opens in new tab).

In addition, there are surgical treatments available for hair loss, including hair transplants and scalp reductions, which involve removing balding tissue from the scalp, according to Stanford Medicine (opens in new tab).

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What is 'male pattern baldness'? - Livescience.com

Could a drug made for lung patients help older women have babies? – The Irish News

Egg-freezing 'packages', paid leave for fertility appointments and discounts for IVF: these are among the perks being offered by banks, law firms, supermarkets and other employers as a way to retain and recruit female employees.

But while this support will put fertility treatment within the reach of many more women, it won't necessarily increase their odds of motherhood.

As with natural conception, with IVF (in vitro fertilisation, where an egg is fertilised by sperm in a lab) a reduction in the number and quality of eggs means success rates fall with age.

A woman under 35 has a one-in-three chance of having a baby per round of IVF using her own eggs; by her mid-40s, the odds of success are 4 per cent.

Infertility not being able to conceive despite having regular unprotected sex for a year affects one in seven UK couples.

The emotional rollercoaster of infertility treatment was eloquently highlighted recently by actress Jennifer Aniston, who described spending years "throwing everything" at trying to become a mother.

The 54-year-old said in November last year: "It was a challenging road. I was going through IVF, drinking Chinese teas, you name it." She added that, for her, "the ship has sailed".

But scientists continue to tease out the secrets of women's reproductive health from rejuvenating ageing ovaries to preventing miscarriages to make motherhood more achievable for millions.

Here, we look at some of the most promising options.

One reason a woman's fertility falls with age is that her ovaries release eggs less regularly, starting in her 30s when she still has thousands of eggs left. Tackling this is "one of the biggest challenges in reproductive medicine", says Professor Rebecca Robker, a biomedical scientist at the University of Adelaide.

She recently led a study showing that pirfenidone, a drug used to treat lung fibrosis (where a stiffening of the lung tissue makes it difficult to breathe) can more than double the number of eggs produced by ageing ovaries.

In experiments on 12-month-old mice (equivalent to 35 years in humans), Professor Robker found ovaries become stiffer with age (they had more fibrosis). But when mice were given pirfenidone, it softened the ovaries, making them produce more eggs than untreated mice, the journal Science Advances reported last year.

Researchers believe fibrosis 'traps' eggs in the ovaries, preventing their growth and release and pirfenidone gives them room to expand and break free.

Professor Robker said: "We might anticipate that an anti-fibrosis treatment would provide a woman of advanced reproductive age a greater chance of producing any eggs, as well as a chance of producing more than one."

She hopes to start clinical trials of these drugs in future.

Could an injection of a woman's own blood make later-in-life motherhood easier to achieve?

Doctors at Lubeck University, Germany, are investigating whether platelet-rich plasma (PRP) blood processed to be extra-rich in platelets, which are cells involved in clotting and blood vessel repair can 'wake up' resting eggs in women in their late 30s and early 40s.

"Age-related infertility is one of the most pressing problems in reproductive medicine," says Georg Griesinger, a professor of reproductive medicine, leading the trial. "As IVF doctors, we frequently encounter older patients who only produce one or two oocytes [eggs] or none. The only option for these women is to use oocytes from a donor, but many want to have a child that is genetically theirs."

PRP is already used in other areas of medicine, including orthopaedics it's thought that proteins released by the platelets speed up healing of damaged tendons. Now, doctors are studying whether these proteins can also activate immature eggs, coaxing them into maturing so more eggs can be collected before IVF.

Early studies of the technique in Greece have been promising, with women who have gone through the menopause becoming pregnant after treatment.

In a new trial, 140 women will have a teaspoonful of PRP or a placebo injected into their ovaries. The number of eggs they then produce will be counted, with the first results due next year.

If the treatment is effective, it is simple enough for widespread use and could cost less than 900 a patient, says Professor Griesinger.

"Platelet-rich plasma isn't without promise," adds Grace Dugdale, a reproductive biologist and founder of preconception website Balance Fertility. "However, the results so far are mixed and there are also potential safety concerns, including whether it might increase the risk of cancer."

A new drug aims to overcome one of the main IVF hurdles: implantation failure.

In IVF, the egg is fertilised in the lab, creating an embryo, then transferred to the woman's womb.

The embryo needs to implant in the womb lining (endometrium) to continue growing. But in more than half of IVF cycles the embryo doesn't implant properly, so the woman either doesn't become pregnant or quickly miscarries. Currently, there are no drugs to improve implantation.

A new treatment from Spanish biotech company Oxolife aims to boost implantation rates by improving the structure of the endometrium and its blood supply, providing the embryo with oxygen and nutrients. In animal trials the drug, OXO-001, increased implantation rates by up to 15 per cent, according to unpublished results.

A small-scale trial on women showed the tablets were safe; they are now being trialled on 350 women undergoing IVF. The women will take either OXO-001 or placebo tablets daily before and after embryo transfer, with pregnancy rates compared.

The first results are due next month: 75 babies have already been born to women taking part in the trial, although it's not yet known how many of these took the active drug.

The company website states OXO-001 "acts directly on the endometrium to enhance and improve the embryo implantation process", although the exact mechanism is undisclosed.

"The endometrium is like a nest that receives the embryo and if that nest isn't well prepared, implantation will not take place," says Dr Agnes Arbat, a doctor and clinical pharmacologist and Oxolife's CEO. "Clinicians tell us they'd be more than happy with a 3 per cent increase in implantation rates. Based on the data we have, we're hoping for 5-7 per cent."

Grace Dugdale says: "Implantation failure is an issue in IVF there are definitely times when a good embryo inexplicably fails to implant. There are lots of causes and, while we don't know exactly how this drug works, new treatments are definitely needed."

Doctors are increasingly interested in the role of the vaginal microbiome the delicate balance of 'good' and 'bad' bacteria in the vagina in fertility. The theory is that if 'bad' bacteria overgrow, they can travel to the womb, hampering implantation chances.

A 2016 study in Denmark of IVF patients found women whose vaginal microbiomes were 'out of balance' (where harmful bacteria start to outnumber the beneficial ones) had just a 9 per cent chance of getting pregnant, compared to 44 per cent of those with normal microbiomes. (An imbalanced vaginal microbiome is very common, occurring in 20 per cent of the general population and 30 per cent of IVF patients, often without symptoms.)

Now researchers at Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark are testing whether a probiotic powder packed with 'good' bacteria can boost a woman's chances of becoming a mother. Almost 350 women with an abnormal vaginal microbiome have received the treatment with preliminary results due in weeks.

Professor Glenn Gibson, a microbiologist at Reading University, says: "This research on the vaginal microbiome is being well carried out and its results could have large implications for IVF and resulting pregnancy rates."

The ability to grow large quantities of a woman's eggs in the lab could lead to a kinder form of IVF, say Edinburgh University scientists. An early IVF step is egg stimulation (a woman injects herself daily with fertility hormones for ten to 12 days to increase the number of eggs she produces).

Side-effects include breast tenderness, bloating, nausea and mood swings, and a risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), which causes the ovaries to swell painfully.

Up to a third of women undergoing IVF have mild OHSS; one in 100 develop moderate or severe OHSS, which is potentially fatal. The hormone injections are also expensive potentially adding 1,000 to the bill for an IVF cycle. Courses may need to be repeated. The new approach could bypass this.

"Women are born with a large store of immature eggs," says researcher Evelyn Telfer, a professor of reproductive biology at Edinburgh.

"They ovulate only 0.1 per cent of them; the other 99.9 per cent degenerate and die. We're working on a way of preserving these immature eggs and growing them outside the body."

In 2018, Edinburgh researchers became the first in the world to grow human eggs to maturity in the lab thanks to a discovery that a certain level of tension in ovarian tissue helps keep eggs in their immature state; relaxing the tissue kick-starts development. They have now started studies in sheep to check if the offspring from lab-grown eggs are healthy.

Successful animal studies could mean the first women could be treated in five to 10 years. In future, instead of undergoing the stress and expense of multiple rounds of hormone injections to produce eggs for IVF, women could have a sliver of one of their ovaries removed through keyhole surgery.

The immature eggs would then be triggered into growing in the lab, with one small piece of tissue potentially yielding thousands of eggs more than enough for their IVF needs.

Sarah Norcross, director of the fertility charity Progress Educational Trust, says: "Although this is some way off, the principle of being able to generate greater numbers of eggs is really exciting.

"Anything that reduces the grim regimen of hormone injections that women have to go through as part of IVF would be welcomed by a lot of them."

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