As Oscar season draws near, many actors – particularly men – face the annual struggle of trying to conceal their hair loss.

61-year-old Richard Jenkins, nominated for Best Actor for his role in The Visitor, will be hoping that not too much attention is paid to his significant hair loss as he makes his way down the red carpet. Hair loss expert Alan Bauman said: “Richard Jenkins is a ‘Norwood Class 7′ (7 out of 7), an extensive pattern of hair loss. Any degree of restoration of his own living and growing hair would have to proceed with careful planning in order to achieve a satisfactory result.”

71-year old Frank Langella has also been nominated in the Best Actor category for his role in the historic drama Frost/Nixon (in which he wore a thick hairpiece!). According to Dr. Bauman, “Frank Langella is a ‘Norwood Class 5′ (out of 7), so he’s also already experienced severe hair loss over the course of his life.”

So, what solutions could these actors turn to in order to help them present a fuller head of hair to the cameras next year? A hair transplant is one option. If there is enough donor hair available at the back of the scalp, this can be transplanted into the balding areas to give coverage. Importantly, transplanted hair densities don’t have to equal the original density in order to give coverage to the scalp.

“Transplantation restores hair follicles permanently into the thinning or balding areas, and medication like Propecia or Minoxidil or even low level laser therapy can be used to maintain and enhance the existing hair,” said Dr. Bauman.