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Health Tip
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Make A Great First Impression With Your Appearance
Beyond taking a shower every morning, here is some basic tips:
Check your face
You don't necessarily have to shave, but at least ensure that your face is clean and free of "debris." A quick look in the mirror to check for nose hair, stuff in your beard or crust in your eyes doesn't take more than a few seconds, and is well worth the effort.
Groom your hair (ear, nose, chest, head, etc.)
Hair growth happens with regularity, so make trimming and upkeep part of your routine. Wash and condition your hair every day (or every other day, depending on your hair type and length). Set aside one day a week (preferably a Saturday or Sunday, when you have more time) to tend to ear, nose and chest hair.
Clean your hands
In the business world, handshakes can make or break you; in the dating world, a woman expects to see nice hands. So all you have to do is cut your nails regularly, scrape away the dirt with a "nail cleaner" or a nailbrush (which you can keep in the shower to save time), wash your hands frequently (to avoid sweaty, sticky hands), and use lotion on occasion (to keep them smooth).
Apply lip balm
There is nothing worse than looking at chapped lips, and trust me, no girl will want to kiss them. Find a good lip balm and use it regularly. Just don't put too much on, or it will end up looking like lip gloss. And if you don't like applying it in public because of the unmanly look it portrays, then do it in private when you go to the bathroom.
Dress well
You don't need a suit (unless the occasion calls for it), but you should always wear clean clothes that are wrinkle-free and smell good. In other words, wear clothes that were just in your drawer or closet, not your hamper.
On a related note, select clothes that fit. After you put on your clothes, take a look in the mirror for a few seconds to make sure they fit properly. Yes, their preferred fit will vary over time as styles change (along with your body and taste), but the key here is to pay attention to what you're putting on.
Use some sort of scent
Many guys go to town wearing some sort of fragrance, using everything from scented soap and deodorant to aftershave and cologne. Other guys prefer not to use anything. Like most things in life, the answer is moderation. Pick one scent (otherwise you'll combine fragrances, which will result in a weird smell) and go with it. Just make sure it isn't too strong and make sure not to bathe in it. One final note: Don't skimp on cost here; cheap cologne will act like repellant.
Shine your shoes
People tend to look at your shoes right away. If dress shoes are appropriate, make sure they're shined. If you're wearing casual shoes, make sure they look clean and new. Tattered shoes tell the world that you either don't have money or don't care -- neither option is attractive.
Study Offers Insights Into Male Pattern Baldness
WEDNESDAY, April 14 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers are reporting that they've linked a gene to a rare condition that makes people develop thin "peach fuzz" hair, potentially paving the way toward greater insight into male-pattern baldness.
The finding won't immediately lead to a better treatment or cure, said Angela M. Christiano, co-author of the study, published April 15 in the journal Nature. And though it's "just a tiny little piece of the puzzle," it could provide perspective about a component of male-pattern baldness known as shrinkage, said Christiano, director of the Center for Human Genetics at Columbia University.
Contrary to popular belief, male-pattern baldness doesn't cause hair to stop growing. Instead, hair still grows but it's short and fine, like peach fuzz, Christiano said.
"If you look at a very bald scalp, they are still making tiny little peach-fuzz hairs," she said. "A follicle is still there. The hardware is still there to grow a hair of some kind."
People with a rare condition called hereditary hypotrichosis simplex have the same problem, although it begins at birth.
In the new study, Christiano and her colleagues examined the genetic makeup of members of two Pakistani families and one Italian family whose members have inherited the condition. The researchers discovered a gene in which a mutation appears to cause the problem.
The gene, called APCDD1, is located in a region of chromosome 18 that has been shown in previous studies to be linked to other forms of hair loss. The researchers also found that APCDD1 inhibits a signaling pathway that has long been shown to control hair growth in mice, but has not been extensively linked to human hair growth.
In addition to providing more insight into hereditary hypotrichosis simplex, the gene research "gives us an inroad into understanding male-pattern baldness" because the conditions are similar, Christiano said. It may be a matter of reprogramming the hair software because the hardware is still there, she said.
Part of the challenge of studying baldness is that mice don't suffer from the equivalent of male-pattern baldness, making animal research less effective in understanding how hair growth works, she said.
Dr. Doris Day, a dermatologist in New York City, said that about half of people older than 50 have hair loss. "It can be debilitating, especially to women, who have fewer options for treatment," Day said.
Drugs such as Rogaine and Propecia treat baldness, but they do so by preventing future hair loss rather than growing new hair, Christiano said.
Also, Day said, the medications have side effects. "Most of the drugs block hormones or enzymes," she said. "However, they are not specific to the scalp so side effects can include decreased libido as well as potential damage to the liver."
"The medications need to be taken indefinitely in order to remain effective," she said, "and for some people, the medications do not adequately control the hair loss."
A gene-based treatment, by contrast, might allow hair to grow normally. And understanding the genetic basis of baldness could help researchers find better treatments for other conditions, such as alopecia, which causes hair loss, Christiano said, adding that she has alopecia.
More information
The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about hair loss.
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