People will go to almost any lengths to hold on to their hair

　　人们为了保住他们的头发不择手段

　　At first I tried just combing my thinning hair over the top of my head. Then I grew the back part long. Next I tried it short and, finally, I shaved it all off. But, let’s face it, not everyone looks good bald. I know this is superficial, but I just want my hair back! And I’m not alone.

　　History shows we’re not the first people worried about hair. Egyptians made elaborate wigs for their kings. The Bible tells about Sampson, the hero who lost all his strength when he lost his hair. Early Native Americans took human scalps as war trophies.

　　Everyone loses at least 100 hairs a day, but some people miss them more than others. "I find that balding young men are afraid that their social situation will get worse," says Dr. Carl Dzubow, who studies hair loss. Studies even show that the balder you are, the more depressed you may get.

　　History is full of stories of intelligent people throwing their money at hair problems. Useless potions from the past, called snake oils, have now been replaced with products that show potential. The drug Rogaine has been approved for use in many countries and actually seems to slow hair loss. Other options are wigs, which can be expensive, ugly or both, or hair transplants, which can be expensive and painful. Either way, you can hold your money or your hair, but not both.

　　Today scientists are experimenting with gene therapy and other methods that had, until now, been reserved for deadly illnesses. Why are these companies spending such huge amounts of money on research? Because the potential rewards are also huge: hair replacement is a multi-billion dollar industry and the company that creates an effective cure will make a fortune. Of course, it also helps that these companies are run by men who are also worried about their thinning hair….

　　一开始，我只是试着把我稀薄的头发梳过头顶。然后我把后面的部分留长。接下来我试着剪短，最后我把头发全部剃光。但是，我们必须承认，并非每个人光着头都好看。我知道这只是外表的问题，但我就是希望我的头发长回来！而有这样想法的人并不只有我。

　　历史显示，我们并非头一个担心头发问题的人。埃及人为他们的国王制作精巧的假发。《圣经》里提到参孙的故事，这位英雄在掉头发时就失去了他的力量。早期的美国原住民取下人的头皮，作为战争的战利品。

　　每个人每天至少会掉100根头发，但是有些人比别人掉得多。“我发现秃头的年轻男性害怕他们在社交方面的处境会变差。”研究落发问题的卡尔·杜包博士这样说。研究甚至显示，你的头越秃，你就越沮丧。

　　历史上充斥着聪明人花钱处理头发问题的故事。过去那些被称为蛇油的没用药物，现在已经被展现潜力的产品所取代。“落健”增发剂这种药在许多国家获准使用，而且真的好像可以减缓掉发速度。其他选择还有假发，那可能很贵、很丑，或者既贵又丑。还可以植发，这可能又贵又痛苦。不论是哪一种方法，你只能选择保住你的钱或头发，不可能两样皆得。

　　现在科学家正在实验基因疗法和其他目前专用来治疗绝症的方法。为什么这些公司要花这么多钱在研究上呢？因为潜在的回报很大：毛发移植是价值数十亿美元的产业，发明有效治疗方法的公司会赚大钱。当然了，不无帮助的是，经营这些公司的人也在担心他们逐渐稀薄的头发……