More than 50 percent of men over the age of 50 have some form of hair loss, making the hair

loss industry worth a whopping $3.5 billion. Unfortunately, many hair loss solutions are
worthless.

"Most of the products and services that are being sold in this industry don't work," says Spencer
Kobren founder of the American Hair Loss Association and host of The Bald Truth podcast.

It's often difficult to separate the snake oils from the solutions because many people advocating
for or against different products tend to have stakes in the industry too. There is also a lot of
misinformation out there about what causes hair loss and how it can be prevented. We dug into
the hard science to expose the myths, truths, and important information you should know about
what you can actually do to keep (or get back) your hair.

Hair Restoration Never Looks Natural: Myth

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Hair Restoration Never Looks Natural: Myth

Hair restoration surgeries have had a questionable past but Kobren says that is an outdated
reputation. "Most people still think of hair transplants as these plug-y, unattractive, cornrow-
type of procedures," he says. "Those really don't exist anymore." He says that he has seen and
heard of plenty of great restorations that have turned men's lives around.

However, he also says there is still bad work out there that can be devastating. In order to get
the best result possible, Kobren recommends checking the credentials of everyone involved in
your potential hair restoration team because the procedures are team efforts, not just the work
of one doctor.

Baldness Comes From Your Mother's Side: Myth

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Baldness Comes From Your Mother's Side: Myth

It is a complete myth that baldness is inherited from only the mother's side of the family. You
hair future is determined by genes from both sides of your family and you have likely ended up
with some mix of your parents' hair genes.

"It's not a 100 percent accurate prediction of what's going to happen to you but if there's hair
loss somewhere in your family, there's a good chance you may be dealing with it," says Kobren.
So, if your father's side has a long history of a similar pattern of hair loss and your mother's has
no hair loss, you are still at risk of having that paternal pattern.

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