Follicle Facts

• Human hair is composed mainly of keratin, a fibrous protein that is remarkable for its strength, elasticity and resistance to chemical damage.⁴
• The number of hair follicles is fixed at birth - and we do not normally develop more.²
• It is normal to shed around 100 hairs each day.^4,1
• It is estimated that around 6.5 million men in the UK have mild to moderate MPHL.⁵
• With MPHL, the actual rate of hair loss varies. Some men go completely bald in less than 5 years but for most, the process is much slower and hair loss occurs gradually over 15-25 years.⁶
• MPHL does not only affect middle-aged men. Hair loss can begin as early as the teens and by the age of 35, almost 40% of men show some degree of hair loss.²
• Your ethnic background affects your chances of developing MPHL. White men are four times more likely to develop premature balding than black men.⁶
• 'Cures' for hair loss have been around for centuries - in 400BC, the Greek physician Hippocrates regularly prescribed a paste of cumin, pigeon droppings, crushed horseradish and beetroot or nettles for severe cases of hair loss.⁷
• On the average human head, there are about 100,000 hairs (slightly more for blondes and slightly less for redheads).⁴
• The most valuable hair clippings ever sold at auction belonged to Elvis Presley and fetched a staggering £72,791! ⁸