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Dozens of alleged treatments for female and male pattern baldness are manufactured and advertised every year. The question is – do any of these products actually work to stop hair loss or regrow lost hair?

Zenagen advanced hair solution is a shampoo that claims to block DHT (dihydrotestosterone), reduce hair shedding, and speed up hair growth all for approximately $17 per month. But is there any clinical evidence to suggest this shampoo is a successful solution for hair loss?

Recently, new forum member “Grany” who claims to be a physician asked the members of our community for feedback on Zenagen shampoo. You are encouraged to offer your input and/or experience with Zenagen on our hair restoration forum.

Bill Seemiller – aka Falceros
Managing Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog, and the Hair Restoration Forum
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Technorati Tags: male pattern baldness, hair loss, Zenagen, hair solution, DHT, dihydrotestosterone, hair shedding, hair growth, Zenagen shampoo, hair restoration, Bill Seemiller, Falceros

When flipping through the channels on TV late at night, I sometimes get sucked into the Scalp Med infomercials promising a new thick head of hair.  It also claims to be FDA approved.  Is this the hair loss cure we’ve all been waiting for?

Scalp Med infomercials are very popular this time of year, especially as the holidays approach.  Sold as a treatment for female and male pattern baldness, Scalp Med boasts that the “results will provide you with thicker, cleaner, healthier, and more beautiful hair”.  The Scalp Med infomercial presents dozens of rich consumer testimonies praising Scalp Med and providing us wild dreams of restoring a full head of hair.  While one woman claims, “it was nothing short of a miracle for me”, another male consumer boasts, “there’s nothing better out there”.  Oh really? 

Scalp Med is Just Overpriced Minoxidil

While Scalp Med is technically a viable hair loss treatment, what they don’t readily tell you is that that the only “active” ingredient in both the men’s and women’s solution is minoxidil, and significantly overpriced at that. 

Because minoxidil has been FDA approved as a treatment for male and female hair loss, Scalp Med can make the same claims Rogaine can.  The extra cash you could be saving by purchasing Rogaine (minoxidil) most likely goes toward marketing and the ”inactive” ingredients that do nothing to stop genetic baldness or regrow hair. 

Hello.  I wanted to ask you if Finpecia, the generic version of Propecia is just as effective for hair loss as the brand name.  How can I be sure?

Assuming you are buying Finpecia from a legitimate resource and it contains the same quantity of the active ingredient finasteride in Propecia, it will be just as effective in stopping hair loss.  Be careful of buying medication online.  Whereas several online pharmacies may be legit, there are horror stories of patients buying what they thought was finasteride and ended up being something entirely different.

Bill – aka Falceros
Associate Publisher/Editor

Technorati Tags: Finpecia, Propecia, hair loss, finasteride

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

Would Provillus hair treatment really help in baldness type of hair loss?  I have had this since I was 13 years old and I am not 24 years old.  It has been on and off ever since.  At the moment, I’m using minoxidil 2%.

Though Provillus hair loss treatment comes in both a topical and oral solution, the only proven ingredient in this product is minoxidil which is in the topical formula.  Some anecdotal evidence exists that saw palmetto (an “active” ingredient in their oral solution) might help block DHT, the hormone responsible for male pattern baldness.

In my opinion, if your alopecia is genetic, I would stick with Rogaine (which contains minoxidil) and consider Propecia (finasteride) for men only, which are both FDA approved to treat baldness.  Be sure to consult with a physician and learn about the benefits, limitations, and potential side effects of these medications.

But based on your description above, of “on and off”, I’m wondering if you have alopecia areata, which is characterized by rapid hair loss in a targeted area leaving you with a bald patch in certain areas of the scalp or body.  In about 50% of all cases, those suffering from this condition experience hair regrowth without any treatment.  However, some treatments have been used including a combination of minoxidil, steroid injections, clobetasol or fluocinonide, creams, cyclosporine (a topical immunotherapy), and anthralin or topical coal tar.  Because Provillus topical treatment contains minoxidil, this could probably be used instead.  However, generic minoxidil is less expensive.

The viability of laser therapy for hair loss has been heavily debated for some time by reputable hair restoration physicians. While some physicians reject its use entirely, others use it as a daily part of their practice. Some hair transplant surgeons also feel that laser therapy can assist with postoperative healing and expedite transplanted hair growth.

Though laser hair loss treatment is often incorrectly promoted as FDA “approved” and its benefits oversold, the real question is – can low level laser therapy (LLLT) have any benefit for balding men and women trying to restore their hair? If so, how does it work and what should be expected from its use?

Recently, we interviewed several leading hair restoration physicians and asked them to share their experience with laser therapy in treating hair loss at their clinic. A special thanks to Coalition surgeons Dr. Joseph Williams, Dr. Glenn Charles, and Dr. Alan Feller who have offered their expertise, experiences, and opinions on this highly important and controversial topic.

Click here to read exclusive interviews with these leading physicians about the effectiveness of laser therapy. Also learn how laser therapy is said to work and what role the FDA clearance of the Hairmax laser comb has.

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

Technorati Tags: laser therapy, hair loss, hair restoration, hair transplant, hair growth, low level laser therapy, LLLT, balding, hair restoration, Hairmax laser comb

“Let the buyer beware” is an important catchphrase to memorize when considering many of the hair loss treatment options marketed heavily in the media. Many of these popular treatments will promise the assurance of results or your money back guaranteed! Though these radiant offers are quite striking, failure to deliver the promised results may bring your money back, but what about your hair?

Below is a summary and product review of 3 popular hair loss products on the market today. Follow the links for more detailed information about each product below.

Provillus, making promises to “re-grow beautiful healthy hair” consists of a topical treatment containing minoxidil 5% (same as Rogaine) and azelaic acid (a supposed DHT blocker but to my knowledge has not been formally tested as to its efficacy to treat baldness). Their topical solution is in fact, similar, if not exactly the same as Xandrox, also used to treat baldness. Provillus also consists of an oral solution that contains a number of “all-natural” ingredients such as saw palmetto some of which have anecdotal evidence suggesting some level of efficacy in inhibiting DHT (the hormone responsible for female and male pattern baldness). To learn whether or not this product really works, read this detailed product review.

Hairmax MD is a topical formula to be applied to the scalp twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. Containing many ingredients such as Vitamin E, aloe vera, jojoba oil, and flower pollen extract, this “all-natural” hair loss remedy makes claims that it is “guaranteed to work or your money back” and promises to deliver “fuller, thicker hair”. Does this hair loss product usually deliver what it promises? Read this detailed product review to find out!

One of our well respected veteran hair loss forum members “Mr. Jobi” has been using Revita shampoo as a hair loss treatment for over 7 months.  Below he has summarized his thoughts on and shares his personal testimony and review of Revita shampoo for hair loss.

Millions, maybe billions of dollars are spend every year on hair loss products for male pattern baldness. These hair loss treatments may consist of pills, sprays, rinses, etc and of course shampoos. Unfortunately, most of these hair loss treatments have little to no scientific evidence that they provide any benefit for hair loss sufferers whatsoever. Nonetheless, finding the right shampoo regardless of your balding condition is an important cosmetic decision everyone has to make. This in turn can impact your appearance & the overall manageability of your hair.

In this discussion, I will share my input and personal experience with Revita shampoo by DS Laboratories.

Before we start, let me first state that to date there are only 2 proven hair loss medications on the market: finasteride (marketed as Propecia) and minoxidil (marketed as Rogaine).  Dutasteride (marketed as Avodart) also delivers promise though it has not yet been approved for male pattern hair loss. There have also been studies indicating that topical ketoconazole has anti DHT properties & some positive hair count effects. With this in mind, due to the legitimate nature of the ingredient and its popularity within the hair loss community, I have documented the scientific hair loss study on ketoconazole 1% at the bottom of this review.  See the documented scientific hair loss study of ketoconazole 2%.

Hair loss sufferers are always looking for a superlative way to restore their hair.  But with all the hair loss treatments on the market today, no wonder balding men and women are confused.  Which hair loss drugs work?  Which ones don’t?  Get past the hype of fancy marketing and learn which hair restoration products really work at the Hair Loss Learning Center.

Recently we’ve reviewed 3 popular hair loss medications that have been said to combat hair loss.  These products are listed below.  Click on the link to read the entire article.

Saw Palmetto: Herbal hair loss remedies such as Saw Palmetto are attractive to bald patients due to the perception that there are no side effects.  But is it an effective hair loss treatment?  Read this recently posted hair loss article to learn more.  Read additional information about saw palmetto.

Hair Max MD: Learn whether or not this popularly advertised hair loss drug can effectively regrow hair.

Rogaine for Female Hair Loss: Read this article to see if Rogaine is an effective hair loss treatment for women.

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 treatments, balding, hair loss drugs, hair restoration, hair loss medication, hair loss, Herbal hair loss remedies, Saw Palmetto, bald, hair loss article, regrow hair

Vitamin E (Tocopherol) as a Hair Loss Treatment 

There are a number of herbal supplements out there that claim to work as a treatment for hair loss.  Whereas there is no question that marketing is over-reaching at best in order to sell a product, the real question that any hair loss sufferer asks is: will this product help combat baldness or is there any chance that it will regrow hair?  To date however, it is important to understand that there is no hair loss cure, therefore realistic expectations must be kept when considering any hair restoration product.

Below I decided to take a look at an herbal supplement that has been said to combat hair loss.  This product is an “active” ingredient in a few hair loss remedies such as HairMax MD.  Vitamin E is also sold as a stand alone product in nutritional stores. 

Vitamin E (Tocopherol)

Vitamin E consists of 8 molecules, four of which are known as tocopherols (one of the ingredients in HairMax MD), the other four known as tocotrienols. Both tocopherols and tocoltrienols consist structurally of a chromanol head and a phytyl side chain. The difference between these 2 types of molecules has to do with the phytyl side chain where tocopherols are fully saturated and tocotrienols are not. Tocotrienols contain three double bonds at the 3, 7, and 11 positions. Ultimately, these two types of molecules are distinct entities and not derivatives of one another. (Theriault et al, Clinical Biochemistry (1990) 32(5):309).