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Hi, I would like to inquire:

a) Does Provillus works for [tag]alopecia areata[tag] in female patients and what is the response rate?
b) When usage is stopped, will hair loss happen again?
c) Are there any side effects for long term usage of Provillus?
d) Is there a formula for proportion of various essential oils for treament of alopecia areata using aromatherapy?

Provillus contains active ingredient minoxidil which is FDA approved as a hair loss treatment.  This however, is the only ingredient that has been clinically studies and proven to fight male and female baldness. Therefore, in my opinion, Provillus may be effective, but you are better off spending your money on Rogaine for women or generic minoxidil, which is significantly cheaper and will administer the same benefit.  Because there is no real baldness cure, stopping the use of any medication will result in the loss of benefit.  This means that balding will most likely continue in cases of androgenic alopecia however, in your case, even if hair regrowth occurs, there is no guarantee that it won’t happen again, even in other areas of the scalp.  On a positive note, in many cases, men or women with alopecia areata don’t necessarily have to spend their life on a particular medication.

Though many supposed herbal treatments claim to have no side effects, I have found that in many cases, this is untrue.  Read more about Provillus and its benefit, limitation, and potential side effects.

Technorati Tags: Provillus, hair loss, side effects, minoxidil, FDA approved, hair loss treatment, female baldness, Rogaine, baldness cure, balding, androgenic alopecia, hair regrowth, alopecia

This insightful article was written by Dr. Michael Meshkin of Newport Beach, CA who is one of our recommended hair restoration physicians.

Hair loss can be devastating in men and women. When I started in hair restoration 20 years ago I rarely had female patients, however in the past few years, I have noticed that the number of patients with female hair loss has increased tremendously.

Following evaluation and examination if female pattern baldness is due to hyper androgenic conditions she can benefit from anti-androgen therapy. We consider hair transplant surgery if the patient is a good candidate. I have had many female patients that had great results with anti-androgen therapy and also I have treated women that had success with hair replacement. In either case the results had tremendous effect on the clients self esteem.

Dr. Michael Meshkin

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Bill - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

Technorati Tags: Hair loss, hair restoration, female hair loss, female pattern baldness, androgenic, hair transplant, hair replacement

My 17 year old brother has had rapid hair loss for over a year now that is affecting mainly the top of his head and now the hairline is receding as well. There is no male pattern baldness on either side of the family. We have taken him to several specialist & have had all possible blood work & even a scalp biopsy done. He has finally been diagnosed with Chronic Telogen Effluvium. He has C3 & Igg deposits in his follicular bulbs. There are an increased number of catagen and telogen follicles accompanied by shriveled, wrinkled, glassy membranes & fibrous tracts. The lower follicular epithelium is visibly in necrosis in some slide levels. There are few inflammatory cells. It is believed that the cause of the telogen effluvium is medicine induced from Accutane which caused retnoid toxicty. He has been off the medicine for one year & has continued to have hair loss and no hair regrowth. Accutane is now listing hair loss that may be permanent as one of its side effects due to the overwhelming amount of cases of this. Some people have had hair regrowth while other balding men and women have not. Since it has been over a year and based on the diagnosis, is hair regrowth still possible? Will he go completely bald? Would he still be a candidate for a hair transplant down the road? What are the possible treatments for hair loss? He has already tried Rogaine, Tagament, and the laser comb. He is devastated and is becoming more and more depressed.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Technorati Tags: hair loss, male pattern baldness, Chronic Telogen Effluvium, catagen, telogen, telogen effluvium, hair loss, hair regrowth, balding, bald, hair transplant, treatments for hair loss, Rogaine, Tagament, laser comb

I am 69 years old.  18 months ago I had my first Atrial Fibrillation (A.Fib) attack.  The third time they added a beta blocker (Cardizem) to my list of medications (a calcium channel blocker) and it does seem to have slowed down my racing heart.  The problem is that I recently noticed thinning hair when it was once abundant.  Do I have to grim and bear it?  It’s quite painful to me as a woman.  Thanks in advance for your reply.

Finding the reason for unexpected hair loss can be quite challenging.  In most cases, physicians can determine the type of alopecia by the balding pattern. 

Certain medications have been known to cause a type of baldness known as diffuse alopecia.  This condition is characterized by thinning hair all over the scalp. 

Cardizem (also known as diltiazem) and the beta blockers used to treat high blood pressure and atrail fibrillation such as metoprolol, nadolol, propranolol among others have all been reported to cause hair loss.  In most cases, normal hair growth continues once the medication is stopped.  However, keeping your heart running at a normal pace is far more important, so please do not stop taking any medication unless directed by your physician.

Therefore I suggest speaking to your doctor about your hair loss concerns and explore alternative drug options for your condition that will be friendly both to your heart and your hair.  Keep in mind that even if you do switch to a different drug, it could take several months before hair regrowth occurs.

Technorati Tags: Atrial Fibrillation, A.Fib, Cardizem, thinning hair, alopecia, balding pattern, baldness, diffuse alopecia, hair growth, hair regrowth

If you are balding, you may be seeking a treatment that really works to stimulate hair regrowth. But finding a proper hair loss treatment means first understanding the cause of your condition.

With so much information available online, how does one really know the real cause of hair loss? In our research, we have found a multitude of claims: some very legitimate and some preposterous ones. Proposed causes of hair loss include genetics, stress, wearing a hat, smoking, drinking, masturbation, vigorous towel drying, certain medications, too much sex, not enough sex, weightlifting, etc.

But what is the real cause of your balding? Is it only one of these things or a combination? Which ones have some level of legitimacy and which ones are completely false?

Many of the causes listed above are hair loss myths and should be disregarded. Hats, smoking, drinking, masturbation, drying your hair, weightlifting, and sex or lack thereof do not cause men and women to go bald.

The most common type of hair loss, referred to as androgenic alopecia (female and male pattern baldness), is caused by genes alone. Hair follicles affected by these genes make them vulnerable to a hormone called DHT which is found more abundantly in men but women too. As DHT attacks hair follicles that are genetically predisposed, they miniaturize and eventually die. Learn about real hair loss treatment options for genetic balding.

Technorati Tags: balding, hair regrowth, hair loss treatment, hair loss, balding, bald, androgenic alopecia, male pattern baldness, DHT

Dr. Kabaker has been recommended on the Hair Transplant Network for several years. View his profile - on the Hair Transplant Network.

Dr. Sheldon Kabaker is renowned among hair restoration physicians for his superb surgical skill, which he developed and refined over the past thirty years.

During my visit he and his staff performed a small session of 1,100 grafts into a patient’s crown area. Dr. Kabaker removed the donor strip using a single bladed knife and then did a double layer closure so that the internal sutures would reduce tension on the skin level external sutures. He believes this produces a minimal donor scar. He then used a 19 gauge needle to create graft incisions of about 0.9 millimeters in size.

In addition to the quality follicular unit grafting that he performs, Dr. Kabaker has developed a reputation for being an expert at female hairline lowering, below is an example.

This can be a cost effective surgical solution for women who have naturally high hairline that they want lowered. Many women feel that the high hairline makes them look masculine or older.This is not due to hair loss but rather their heredity.

Although transplanting hair to recreate a lower hairline is an option, such transplantation normally requires multiple sessions to create a hairline that is sufficiently dense.

Technorati Tags: Hair Transplant, hair restoration, follicular unit

I’m 25 years old and suffering from Androgenic Alopecia (genetic hair loss).  During my research, I have found that too much salt intake can possible cause or speed up baldness.  Is this true?

Balding men and women are always seeking for real hair restoration solutions. Though to date, there is no baldness cure, there are a few effective hair loss treatment options to seriously consider. But in order to determine a proper solution, one must first determine the cause of loss and avoid the buying into the many myths.

One such hair loss myth is that intaking too much salt can promote alopecia. Though too much salt intake is generally bad for one’s overall health, there is no evidence to suggest that salt intake causes or expedites going bald. Too much salt in the diet can cause high blood pressure, and hence should be avoided.

Learn more about the real causes and treatment options that can help stimulate hair regrowth at the Hair Loss Learning Center.

Bill - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

Technorati Tags: Androgenic Alopecia, genetic hair loss, baldness, Balding, alopecia, bald, hair regrowth

Can drinking alcohol or wine help fight against hair loss and prevent me from going bald?

Balding men and women are always seeking for a cure. Though none exists to date, there are a few effective hair loss treatment options. But in order to determine the proper remedy, one must first address the cause of hair loss.

Because wine and alcohol makes blood vessels dilate, some men and women suffering from androgenic alopecia thought that by increasing blood circulation through drinking, that it could combat baldness and allow hair growth.

It has also been said by some to rub wine or brandy into the scalp to promote hair regrowth in hair loss suffering men and women. Unfortunately, there is no truth to this.

Bill - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

Technorati Tags: bald, Balding, androgenic alopecia, baldness, hair growth, hair regrowth, hair loss

This insightful hair loss article was written by Dr. William Lindsey of Reston, VA who is one of our recommended hair restoration physicians.

I just finished seeing a delightful 62 year old woman who has hairloss. She has some other medical issues that may be contributing to her problem and may be correctable, but she and I had a nice discussion about my philosphy on female hair loss and hair replacement surgery.

We discussed that my hair restoration practice is 98% male patients and that in general, if I take a man and frame his face with a nice tightly packed hair transplant procedure, or correct a vertex bald patch, I can usually make him extremely happy. Even men with a lot of thinning hair, can often achieve superb results by framing the face with what is left in the donor hair region.

However, women with even mildly thinning hair often are driven to come in just by the magazines they pass by on the way out of the grocery store. They may expect and demand the thickness of hair displayed on the front of Cosmo or People magazine, and to give them anything less may make them terribly unhappy.

In my experience, I can only be confident that women will be REALLY happy with a hair transplant if:

• They have a very focused defect, often from an over-zealous facelift removing the temporal sideburn tufts, or from a burn etc.
• They particularly notice their hair loss along their hair “part”.

Technorati Tags: hair loss, hairloss, female hair loss, hair replacement, hair restoration, hair transplant, bald patch, thinning hair, donor hair

Ever since I can remember, barbers have been telling me about how many cowlicks i have.  In particular I have a few that connect to form almost a zigzag on the crown of my head.  I understand that cowlicks usually give the appearance of a bald patch but I was wondering if you could look at my photo and tell me what you think.  Does it look like a crazy cowlick or early signs of hair loss.  I don’t know of any family history of male pattern baldness and I haven’t noticed any extra hair shedding.

This question was posed by a hair loss sufferer on our hair restoration forum and answered by Dr. Michael Beehner of Saratoga Springs, NY who is one of our recommended hair restoration physicians. His professional answer is below.

I had an 18 year old young man in my hair restoration clinic yesterday with that exact same complaint. The best way to be certain it is not an early sign of male pattern hair loss is simply to have your nearby hair loss doctor (medical or surgical) examine the area under high magnification for any signs of hair miniaturization. If there is none (or less than 2-3%, which is pretty much normal), then there is no sign that you are going to lose hair in that area probably for the next 10-15 years.

Technorati Tags: bald patch, hair loss, male pattern baldness, hair shedding, hair restoration, male pattern hair loss, hair loss doctor, hair miniaturization, lose hair