Bald! was a "fly-on-the-wall" documentary about baldness

Baldness

Baldness implies partial or complete lack of hair and can be understood as part of the wider topic of "hair thinning". The degree and pattern of baldness can vary greatly, but its most common cause is male and female pattern baldness, also known as androgenic alopecia, alopecia androgenetica or...

, broadcast on Channel 4

Channel 4

Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...

 in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 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.

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 making them 'invisible' and giving the impression of a full head of hair although it was not shown to work successfully on the programme. Russell was featured quite often in the production, including towards the end where he confirms he has now accepted his hair loss and gives helpful advice and support to other men suffering from it.

Lotions and laser treatment

The subsequent method featured was laser

Laser

A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...

 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

Minoxidil

Minoxidil is an antihypertensive vasodilator medication which also slows or stops hair loss and promotes hair regrowth. Now off-patent, it is available over-the-counter for the treatment of androgenic alopecia. Minoxidil must be used indefinitely for continued support of existing hair follicles and...

 (commonly known by the name Regaine). Russell is also shown using this product.

Hair graft

Next, a man named Lee was shown undergoing his second round of surgery

Surgery

Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...

, in which follicles

Hair follicle

A hair follicle is a skin organ that produces hair. Hair production occurs in phases, including a growth phase , and cessation phase , and a rest phase . Stem cells are principally responsible for the production of hair....

 from the back of his head were excised, and then grafted to the bald patch on top.

Hair replacement

The fourth segment of the programme showed a top hairdresser called James, who has a number of hair strands embedded into a small piece of skin-like material, that was integrated over his bald patch and in between his own hairs.

James's hair is state-of-the-art. It looks as if it is growing directly out of his scalp. It is one of the most impressive parts of the programme.

External links

• Bald! at Channel4.com
• Hair loss and baldness in the light of Bible