DR JEFF FOSTER is The Sun on Sunday’s new resident doctor and is here to help YOU.
Dr Jeff, 43, splits his time between working as a GP in Leamington Spa, Warks, and running his clinic, H3 Health, which is the first of its kind in the UK to look at hormonal issues for both men and women.
See h3health.co.uk and email at [email protected].
Q) I’M a 26 year old man and my hairline is drastically receding.
I’m so self conscious and I’m considering a hair transplant.
What are your thoughts on them and am I too young to have one?
Jordan French, Maidstone, Kent
A) By the time men hit middle age 50 per cent will have some degree of male-pattern hair loss.
Gone are the days where men just have to accept going bald as an inevitability of ageing as there is now a range of treatments available – some good and some less so.
In general, there are really only three products that treat male-pattern baldness: minoxidil, which comes as a tablet, spray or foam, finasteride tablets, or surgery.
Everything else has little or no evidence that it will help.
The earlier you consider having a hair transplant the more likely it is to succeed as you will have more quality hair to operate on.
You may not need surgery yet, but having a specialist look at it will help you plan for the future
Q) HOW much water per day should I be drinking?
Is it four litres or less?
I also saw claims online that water should be sipped and not gulped, plus that certain amounts should be drunk at certain times of day, eg one glass before bed to avoid having a stroke.
If I drink a glass of water before bed I’d be up in the night to use the toilet but I want what’s best for my health.
Margaret James Reading
A) There has been a recent drive towards getting people to drink more water, through buying special water bottles, apps or other bits of tech that help us remember to drink.
Virtually all of this is nonsense.
Most adults need just over two litres of water a day and this can include water found in food.
More does not always mean better.
We have developed highly effective kidneys, which regulate the fluid levels in our bodies.
We also have a complex feedback mechanism that results in thirst, which will tell us when we need to drink.
The idea that checking our urine for its colour is a good indicator we are drinking enough is just made up.
If your urine is dark, it simply means that your kidneys work.
There are some people with medical conditions that do need to be careful about drinking enough, or too much water, but if you are fit and well, just drink when you’re thirsty and don’t get sucked in by tech and influencer fads.
