Bald!

Bald! is a "fly-on-the-wall" documentary about baldness, broadcast on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom in April 2003. The show followed a number of men as they tried to hold back the advancement of hair loss, and the methods that they tried to cope with the problem.

Methods shown in the show

Spray-on hair

The first method shown in the programme was 'Spray-on Hair' which was used by a 28-year-old man called Russell. The product is a coloured hair spray which is applied to existing hair follicles making them appear thicker, supposedly covering up thinning and bald patches. Effectively giving the impression of a full head of hair, it was not shown to work successfully on the programme. By the end Russell confirms he has now accepted his hair loss and gives advice and support to other men suffering from it.

Lotions and laser treatment

The subsequent method featured was laser treatment, with a man named Ian who was having a year's course. Ian was also shown in the programme using a number of hair-restoring lotions such as minoxidil (commonly known by the name Regaine).

Baldé

Baldé is a surname of West African origin. Some notable people with the surname include:

Hair loss

Hair loss, also known as alopecia or baldness, refers to a loss of hair from the head or body. Baldness can refer to general hair loss or male pattern hair loss.

Hair loss and hypotrichosis have many causes including androgenetic alopecia, fungal infection, trauma (e.g., due to (trichotillomania), radiotherapy, chemotherapy, nutritional deficiencies (e.g., iron deficiency) and autoimmune diseases such as alopecia areata. Hair loss severity occurs across a spectrum with extreme examples including alopecia totalis (total loss of hair on the head) and alopecia universalis (total loss of all hair on the head and body).

Terminology

Baldness is the partial or complete lack of hair growth, and part of the wider topic of "hair thinning". The degree and pattern of baldness varies, but its most common cause is androgenic alopecia, alopecia androgenetica, or alopecia seborrheica, with the last term primarily used in Europe.

Signs and symptoms

Symptoms of hair loss include hair loss in patches usually in circular patterns, dandruff, skin lesions, and scarring. Alopecia areata (mild - medium level) usually shows in unusual hair loss areas e.g. eyebrows, backside of the head or above the ears where usually the male pattern baldness does not affect. In male-pattern hair loss, loss and thinning begin at the temples and the crown and either thins out or falls out. Female-pattern hair loss occurs at the frontal and parietal.