Now hair's a funny thing, this man is 80!



Ron Williamson at 80: Only the beard is greying

When strangers mistake him for a man 30 years younger, Ron Williamson doesn't turn a hair.



He explains that he is in fact 80 - but his luxuriant dark-brown mane refuses to show any sign of age.



The secret of his follicular success, he claims, is two fold - good genes and a healthy blob of his favourite hair cream.



'I have used Brylcreem all my life,' said Mr Williamson, a former social worker, at his home in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.



'I even used my dad's when I was tiny. I have kept the same hairstyle more or less through the years.



'There were a couple of times I tried to change it. In the days of mods and rockers I attempted to slick it back, but within hours it popped up again.



'Most people assume I am younger than I am because my hair is still dark. They say I am in my 50s or 60s, but I think they are just being kind.



'My beard is greying now, but that only started three or four years ago.'



Images of Mr Williamson throughout his life show him with the same full head of dark hair.

Mr Williamson, a father of four and grandfather of nine, said: 'I honestly don't know what the secret is, but I think it's good genes.



'My father and grandfather both had a full head of hair in their late years. Four years ago I had treatment for prostate cancer which included chemotherapy. I lost all my body hair but not the hair on my head, which was strange.'

Mr Williamson, who has been married to Maureen for 34 years. He is a keen walker and last year fulfilled an ambition by travelling south to complete the entire Thames Path, covering almost 200 miles over 16 days without aid or back-up.

Mr Williamson at three with flowing locks and tamed into a quiff at 17

It is estimated that four in five men in their 80s suffer from some degree of baldness.

Keith Hobbs, clinical director of the Battersea Scalp and Hair Clinic, said: 'He is certainly doing pretty well to have a full head of hair and not be looking grey. It's pretty rare for someone his age, but it seems like both his parents gave him very good genes.



'As for keeping his head hair during chemotherapy, the amount of loss depends on the drug used, the dose, and the person's individual reaction to it.



'Sometimes the hair loss is so slight as to be hardly noticeable.'

