TIP SHEET

HEALTH

HOPE SPROUTS ETERNAL

BY KAREN SPRINGEN

Ken Washenik, 44, uses every available weapon in his battle against baldness. More than 15 years ago he started rubbing Rogaine onto his scalp twice a day. Five years ago he added the pill Propecia to his daily regimen. And over the past two years he's relocated 2,200 follicles from the back of his head to the sparser region on top. His next step? Washenik, a New York University dermatologist who recently took over as medical director of the hair-transplant company Bosley, is tackling the holy grail of hair loss: trying to figure out how to clone the cells responsible for hair growth.

OK, so curing baldness won't save lives. But it will undoubtedly ease the emotional suffering of millions. Each year those 80 million follicularly challenged men and women pour $2 billion into the quest for the magic pill, medical procedure--or at least the perfect wig, says Chris Webb, editor of The National Hair Journal. tip sheet offers a guide to what's available now--and what's on the horizon:

MEDICATIONS. Buyer beware. So far, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved only two antibaldness medications: minoxidil, sold over the counter as Rogaine, for both men and women, and finasteride, a prescription pill sold as Propecia, for men only. Both drugs are pricey: a year's supply of Rogaine costs about $200, Propecia about $720--and, like other baldness treatments, they're not coveredby insurance. For best results, many men have combined both drugs. Check theNorth American Hair Research Society's Web site (nahrs.org) for more information.