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Today, physicians and scientists demonstrate that platelet rich plasma (PRP) may actually wake up dormant follicular stem cells and could quite potentially become the next major breakthrough in treating hair loss and growing hair. While some people feel this is yet another marketing attempt to rob balding men and women of their hard earned cash, others are very excited by its potential.

Blood is made from approximately 93% red blood cells (RBC), 1% white blood cells (WBC), 6% platelets, and plasma. When platelets are activated in the body, these sponge-like molecules form branches and release healing proteins called growth factors. Though growth factors have a multitude of responsibilities, the cumulative result is accelerated tissue and wound healing. The basis for the benefit of platelet rich plasma lies in decreasing the RBC count to 5% since they are less useful in the healing process while increasing the platelet count to 94%.

A recent case study on a 26 year old hair loss sufferer suggests that platelet rich plasma can stop and reverse hair miniaturization caused by androgenic alopecia or male pattern baldness. While this 26 year old patient had hair transplant surgery to recover lost hair in the hairline, his posterior crown was traumatized using a 1 mm micro needling roller and platelet rich plasma injected into the crown. The result suggests that PRP not only stopped hair loss, but reversed miniaturization.

We get hundreds of hair loss related questions sent to us on a weekly basis and we do our best to answer them all in a timely fashion. Below, we’ve highlighted some important and controversial hair restoration topics for your review and posted the answers in our news and blogs.

Feel free to ask your own questions and get answers on our hair restoration forum or privately by emailing help@hairtransplantnetwork.com.

The Reality of Today’s Hair Loss Treatments

Can Rogaine Speed up Transplanted Hair Growth? (answered by Coalition member Dr. Robert True)

Knowing You’re Getting the Hair Transplant You Paid For

Do Lesser Known Surgeons Produce Quality Hair Transplant Results?

What are your Thoughts on Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)?

Bill Seemiller – aka Falceros
Associate Publisher/Editor

Technorati Tags: hair loss, hair restoration, Dr. Robert True

Given all the interest that Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) for hair loss has generated, we feel it’s appropriate to address this topic again and state our current position on this experimental procedure.

Rumors that Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) may be the next greatest hair loss treatment since Propecia (finasteride) are circulating all over the internet. Thus, dozens of hair loss sufferers appear to be lining up at hair restoration clinics offering the experimental PRP treatment for pattern baldness. But what’s the real deal with this experimental treatment? Is there really enough information available to advocate its use as a viable hair loss solution?

While discussing this procedure on our discussion forum, people tend to fall into two opposite camps. On one extreme, some are so excited by the preliminary results seen on discussion forum topic “First PRP Treatment in New York” that they believe PRP will solve their balding problems forever. Those in this camp are usually men and women just starting their research and looking to grasp onto anything that promises a possible remedy.

On the flip side, others believe PRP is entirely worthless and could never cause any significant and lasting hair regrowth. Many in this camp are skeptical due to the unsubstantiated claims and empty promises hair loss companies have made for years.

While members of the first camp are too overly ambitious and it’s completely understandable why members in the second are skeptical, since there is not enough data to support either argument, we’d suggest a more scientific approach to analyzing the PRP procedure.

This blog was written by Dr. Steven Gabel of Hillsboro, OR who is an elite member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians.  

This takes the cake, or should be up there, in a list of top 10 bogus hair loss solutions. There is now an IPhone hair loss application called: “HAIR CLINIC:  for man and woman.” I just found this on the internet and had to check it out and it is true. Go to Apple’s website in the application store and you will find it.

They call it “The World’s first Mobile Hair Clinic System.” From briefly reading this, people are supposed to put the IPhone to their head and the application makes the phone generate inaudible high and low frequencies to promote circulation around the hair follicles.

The best part is the disclaimer: may cause headaches if the built in speaker is used close to the ears. The company states that it is not responsible for the headaches.

And all this for $3.99.

Steven Gabel, M.D.

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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 solutions, IPhone hair loss, HAIR CLINIC:  for man and woman, Hair Clinic, IPhone

Evaluating hair loss treatments takes careful research, looking for clinical evidence, and reading real patient testimonies with photos. Recently, a study on mice revealed that drinking green tea may stop and even reverse hair loss.

Mice with identical hair loss were split into groups and given either plain water, or water containing green tea. The results showed that green tea stopped their balding and even stimulated new hair growth in all those in the test group.

Though the results are certainly interesting, how valid is a clinical test on mice for balding humans? Can green tea really stop or even reverse hair loss? View this thread to read the study and offer your input on or experience with green tea.

Bill – aka Falceros
Associate Publisher/Editor

Technorati Tags: hair loss treatments, green tea, hair loss, balding, hair growth

Coalition member Dr. Jerry Cooley of Charlotte, NC has already described how platelet rich plasma (PRP) may be beneficial to wound healing and hair transplant graft survival.  See The Benefits of Platelet Rich Plasma in Surgical Hair Restoration. 

Today, physicians and scientists demonstrate that platelet rich plasma may actually wake up dormant follicular stem cells and could quite potentially become the next major breakthrough in treating hair loss and growing hair.  While some people feel this is yet another marketing attempt to rob balding men and women of their hard earned money, others are very excited by its potential.  

Coalition member Dr. Alan Feller of Great Neck, NY claims that platelet rich plasma may indeed be the “best medical treatment for hair loss since Propecia“.  However, he also admits

The technology as I’ve seen it applied falls a bit short.  Either the original research in the application of PRP to hair loss are unaware of the short comings as presented or more likely, they held back some important steps in the name of technical propriety – which is perfectly fine and understandable.

Blood is made from approximately 93% red blood cells (RBC), 1% white blood cells (WBC), 6% platelets, and plasma.  When platelets are activated in the body, these sponge-like molecules form branches and release healing proteins called growth factors.  Though growth factors have a multitude of responsibilities, the cumulative result is accelerated tissue and wound healing.  The basis for the benefit of platelet rich plasma lies in decreasing the RBC count to 5% since they are less useful in the healing process while increasing the platelet count to 94%.

This insightful information was posted on our hair restoration forum by Dr. Timothy Carman of La Jolla, CA, who is recommended on the Hair Transplant Network.

I have been doing some reading about a topical hair loss treatment called Fluridil that may help block DHT and stop hair loss.  What can you tell me about this drug?

Without going into too great a detail, topical Fluridil preparation acts topically to inhibit the effects of DHT on the hair follicle. Current studies show that, similar to finasteride, there is an increase in the total percentage of hair in the active (anagen) verses resting (catagen) stage (from 76% to 87% at nine months).  I happen to personally know the clinical investigators (Dr. M Sovak, UCSD) and the clinical research facility (UCSD). Their results are clinically significant, and their research work and ethics are highly respected in the scientific research community.

At this time however, Fluridil is not licensed for use in the US. 

The main advantages Fluridil boasts of what is referred to as a “hydrophobic” compound; that is, fat soluble. In addition, it is deactivated when coming in contact with water (a “hydrophilic” environment). This last fact makes so that if it is absorbed into the bloodstream from the scalp, it is deactivated as soon as it hits the blood (an aqueous or “hydrophilic” environment). Hence, since it doesn’t enter the circulation, there reportedly are none of the (normally low incidence anyway, 5%) sexual side effects.

Dr. Timothy Carman

Alfatradiol as a Treatment for Female Pattern Hair Loss

Balding women seemingly have fewer options when it comes to treating their hair loss condition.  Currently, the only FDA approved hair loss treatment for women is Rogaine 2% (minoxidil).

But are there other treatments for hair loss available to women?

A woman suffering from female pattern baldness recently asked about Alfatradiol, the active ingredient found in a medication called Pantostin on our hair restoration forum.

After doing some research, I found that Alfatradiol 0.025% topical solution has been approved for those suffering from Androgenetic Alopecia (genetic hair loss) as a hair loss medication for both safety and efficacy in Germany along with Rogaine (minoxidil).  Alfatradiol is available without prescription and can be found in German pharmacies.  Alfatradiol is not approved as a hair loss drug nor seemingly available in the United States.

A clinical study performed in Germany seemed to reveal that Alfatradiol may perform well at slowing down or stopping the progression of hair loss whereas minoxidil proved to increase hair density and overall hair shaft thickness.

The study can be found below:

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Comparison of the efficacy and safety of topical minoxidil and topical alfatradiol in the treatment of androgenetic alopecia in women: 

BACKGROUND:

Two drugs which are approved for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia in women in Germany were compared with regard to their influence on hair growth.

PATIENTS AND METHODS:

Having attended the annual International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) meetings over the past ten years, while publishing the Hair Transplant Network, I now seem to know or be known by almost all of the prominent hair transplant physicians.

Those who have become famous online for doing outstanding work typically greet me warmly, while others who I have chosen not to recommend often stiffen up and scowl when they encounter me.  One hair restoration physician last week even took me aside in the hallway and threatened to sue me for having his recommendation discontinued.

But, like it or not, most physicians have come to realize that our patient based community and our open forum are here to stay and that we will continue to say when the “emperor has no clothing” even if it may be awkward or embarrassing. As the publisher of this community, I will continue to critique various techniques, treatments and those who perform them, while keeping an eye out for top-notch hair transplant physicians and clinics. I know the active members of this community will also continue to do the same.

In this report I’d like to share highlights from the 15th annual ISHRS scientific meeting that was held in Las Vegas from September 26th to the 30th.

I will focus on what may be of most interest to hair loss sufferers and patients such as presentations on the potential dangers of Dutasteride (Avodart), new advances such as hair multiplication (follicular cell implantation), the effectiveness of low light laser therapy (LLLT) in treating hair loss, the pros and cons of FUE (follicular unit extraction) and other topics.

There are so many hair loss products out there.  How do I know what works and what doesn’t?

If you are looking for a cut and dry answer, I encourage you to read the following Hair Loss Q&A Blog: What works as a hair loss treatment and what doesn’t?

I did, however, want to take the time to present the criteria I use in order to draw a conclusion as to what works and what doesn’t.  Keep in mind that this is not a perfect methodology, but it can act as a guide for you as you are evaluating new treatments.  How do we know which ones are potentially legitimate?  How do we know which ones are “Scams”?

I often make decisions about a product’s effectiveness based on a combination of three things: 

• Personal experience (Products I’ve tried before)
• Scientfic evidence (Is there scientific evidence that the product may be of some benefit to fight against hair loss?)
• Public evidence (visual proof – What are other hair loss sufferers saying?).

I think one must combine these three pieces in order to obtain a well-balanced picture. That doesn’t mean that all three have to exist in order to conclude it works. After all…what works for one might not work for another.

Personal Experience:

Let’s face it…most of us have been duped before and have tried a number of miracle cure products.  Ultimately, we may not be able to conclude for sure if a product works for everyone based on personal experience, but we surely can conclude whether it works for us!