Post Hair Loss Questions and Get Answers

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
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 spent 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
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).

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:

Could someone tell me as to what MSM is? I have heard a lot of people mention that they are taking it to treat here hair loss and increase hair growth.

The following response is provided by our very active discussion forum member – “Cousin It”. Thank you Cousin It.

MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) is a compound derived from DMSO. Back in the 70′s DMSO was thought to be a “cure all” of many conditions, from arthritis to constipation, anything that ailed could be helped by this substance. Though it does have a basis in medicine for conditions such a cystitis (bladder infection) it did not live up to its claims.

Anyway, it was found the body converted a portion of DMSO into MSM. Chemists believed this was the active component responsible for these “medical miracles” so they began synthesizing this compound as the next “miracle” supplement. Simply put it is a sulfur compound thought to have beneficial effect on several processes. One of its so called benefits was faster hair and nail growth. Some people swear by it, while some find it does nothing. No actual scientific studies had been done to prove its efficacy. The usual dose ranges from 1-3 grams, some scientists argue it is innocuous, simply a way of supplementing sulfur, while others contend long term use may not be safe.

To learn more visit the Hair Transplant Network or the Hair Loss Learning Center

Technorati Tags: MSM, hair loss, hair growth

Pfizer recently released Rogaine Foam, a hair loss treatment that features the active ingredient minoxidil. Rogaine Foam has a 5% minoxidil concentration like traditional Rogaine Extra Strength, so it is currently only available for use by men. A women’s formula is expected to hit shelves in the near future. Rogaine Foam comes in an aerosol spray can and has the consistency of traditional aerosol shaving creams such as Barbasol.

Minoxidil has been proven time and again to be an effective hair growth stimulator that can both maintain and increase scalp hair counts.

But if the existing lotion formula is effective, then why did Pfizer release a foam version of Rogaine? Well any existing Rogaine user can answer that question pretty easily.

The directions suggest that the traditional Rogaine lotion be applied twice a day for optimal results. These application times should be at least four hours apart. Common sense tells the hair loss sufferer that the best times to apply their Rogaine would be right after their morning shower and a little while before bed at night. However common sense probably never had to deal with that infamously greasy “Rogaine head.”

I have been on Rogaine for 13 months with no regrowth. I have switched to hair support products because I had micropoint links done to add more hair on top. But I have went from shedding 30-40 hairs a day to 60-80 a day and it seems really brittle (More than usual). Is shedding this much hair normal? I am really concerned. Should I keep on the Rogaine also? – Dawn

Dawn,
 
Shedding up to 100 hairs a day is normal, as hair goes through various growth and shedding cycles. Your shedding may have increased after you stopped using Rogaine (minoxidil) because the hair it may have stopped from shedding typically sheds once you get off Rogaine. Call it drug withdrawal. Thus in a sense your hair loss catches up.
 
Often people see no improvement with Rogaine but don’t realize that the Rogaine may have been inhibiting further hair loss. So then when they stop using Rogaine the hair loss can accelerate at least temporarily.
 
Having to apply Rogaine twice a day can be a pain. It also can make the hair a bit guppy. So with micropoints I’d imagine using Rogaine is just too messy.
 
Rogaine’s benefits are typically slowing hair loss and in some cases strengthening and thickening hair that was miniaturizing. Most people do not get much actual regrowth of lost hair.
 
You also have to stay on Rogaine indefinitely to maintain the hair it may or may not have preserved. Thus until a person stops using it they often don’t know if it was working or not.