Tackling hair loss

MANY men are concerned about hair loss, but not everyone has the deep pockets of Wayne Rooney to seek a hair transplant.

For Kyran Bracken, 37, former England rugby player and Dancing on Ice winner, a hair transplant in 2006 didn’t solve his male pattern baldness.

“It’s certainly worked to an extent, although a hair replacement can still be very limited and it won’t stop the hair you have from falling out. I still feel quite conscious of my lack of hair on the top,” says Kyran, who lives in London with wife Victoria and young sons Lachlan, Jack and Charlie.

“The rugby fraternity will always go for the weakest link and mine was when my hair started to thin out,” says Kyran, whose thick mane of curly locks earned him many admirers in the early days of his career before his hair started to thin in his mid-20s. “I was man enough for the banter, but it was annoying and left me insecure about losing my hair.”

Kyran made his first international appearance for England at age 21 and won 51 caps for his country. He was awarded an MBE by the Queen for his part in England’s 2003 Rugby World Cup win. In 2007 he won Dancing on Ice, earning him a new army of fans. “Having just retired, I was conscious of how I looked on Dancing on Ice,” says Kyran, adding that he had no dancing or skating skills before going on the ITV show. “When I watched the footage back, all I could see was these bald patches, which I hated. My hair stylist recommended I try Hair-Loss Concealer Fibres (a powder than bind to the hair shaft building density and providing greater coverage). The next week, it was as if I had a full head of hair. It made me feel much better.

“It’s becoming more acceptable for men to be interested in how they look. So, dealing with my hair loss is no big deal for me. Men go to the gym to lose weight or dye their hair to hide grey. My advice to guys is that if you’re losing your hair, there are options that can make you look like you have a full head of hair,” says Kyran, who is also a celebrity judge on the British tour for Dancing on Ice.

Aware to beat the blues as Tesco Charity of the Year

Irish charity Aware has been chosen as the Tesco Charity of the Year 2012 and 2013. Charity money raised by the retailer this year will go to fund Aware’s secondary schools depression awareness programme Beat the Blues. And funds raised next year will support a new Life Skills programme, for people recovering from mild-moderate depression.

“Beat the Blues helps our young people to identify sources of support so that if depression is, or becomes, a factor for them or someone they love, they know where to turn for help,” said David Carton, chairman of Aware.

“Early intervention and ongoing support are key to recovery, and we need to en-sure people learn this at a young age.”

Since its inception in 2001, the Tesco Charity of the Year Programme has donated over €10m to eight Irish charities. Its The most recent Year partnership was with the Irish Cancer Society.

Shorter life for male Travellers

Average life expectancy at birth for Traveller males is 15.1 years lower than the general male population. And mortality rates among traveller men and infants are over three times higher than the general population.

That’s according to Dr Ronan Boland, president of the Irish Medical Organisation. He was speaking at the launch of a joint policy document with the British Medical Association Northern Ireland in the European Parliament, Brussels, recently.

In Ireland, lower socio-economic groups have relatively high mortality rates, higher levels of ill health and few opportunities and resources to adopt healthier lifestyles, he said. Indeed, in Northern Ireland, male life expectancy ranges from 73.5 in the most deprived areas to 79 years in the wealthiest.

Did you know...

The amount and type of fat in men’s diets may affect the quality and concentration of sperm in their semen

(Source: Harvard Medical School, US)