New DNA Test For Male-Pattern Baldness Offered
Do You Carry Gene?
POSTED: 1:43 pm EDT April 2, 2008
UPDATED: 6:07 pm EDT April 2, 2008
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BOSTON -- A new genetic test can give men a heads-up on whether they're at risk of going bald. NewsCenter 5's Heather Unruh reported Wednesday on the test.David Twiss loves his father and grandfather unconditionally, but does not want to follow in their footsteps when it comes to his hairline.
VIDEO: DNA Test For Male-Pattern Baldness Offered"I have a bit of a receding hairline,” said Swiss, of Freemont, N.H. “I just comb it forward a little and pretend that it's not even there,” he said.Instead of worrying about it, Twiss is taking a new genetic test to determine his odds of going bald."HairDx is the first genetic test that we can determine if a man will have male-pattern baldness,” said Dr. Robert Leonard, the founder of Leonard Hair Transplant Associates.Leonard is the first in New England to offer the HairDx to men between 18 and 40. All it takes is a mouth swab. The swabs are then sent to a lab.“There are two variants of the gene that they're going to be testing," Leonard said.Ninety-five percent of all bald men share the first gene. Men who have it are at 60 percent risk of going bald before they are 40. The test also identifies whether a man has a less-common gene.“Eighty-five percent of the time if it's present we can tell the guy that he will not have significant baldness,” Leonard said.Leonard said knowing if you are genetically destined to lose your hair can help you keep most of it.“If we catch it sooner and stop the progression then a person is in a far better situation then to replace the hair that is already gone,” he said.It’s an option Twiss would like to have.“With any luck that test will come back and I'll be a OK,” he said.
VIDEO: DNA Test For Male-Pattern Baldness Offered"I have a bit of a receding hairline,” said Swiss, of Freemont, N.H. “I just comb it forward a little and pretend that it's not even there,” he said.Instead of worrying about it, Twiss is taking a new genetic test to determine his odds of going bald."HairDx is the first genetic test that we can determine if a man will have male-pattern baldness,” said Dr. Robert Leonard, the founder of Leonard Hair Transplant Associates.Leonard is the first in New England to offer the HairDx to men between 18 and 40. All it takes is a mouth swab. The swabs are then sent to a lab.“There are two variants of the gene that they're going to be testing," Leonard said.Ninety-five percent of all bald men share the first gene. Men who have it are at 60 percent risk of going bald before they are 40. The test also identifies whether a man has a less-common gene.“Eighty-five percent of the time if it's present we can tell the guy that he will not have significant baldness,” Leonard said.Leonard said knowing if you are genetically destined to lose your hair can help you keep most of it.“If we catch it sooner and stop the progression then a person is in a far better situation then to replace the hair that is already gone,” he said.It’s an option Twiss would like to have.“With any luck that test will come back and I'll be a OK,” he said. Copyright 2008 by TheBostonChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
