Archive for May, 2010
Warne hair loss firm – misleading Ads again!
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned Advanced Hair's latest ad featuring the champion legspinner after upholding a complaint about it being misleading.
It is the third time in as many years the company - known for its "Advanced Hair Yeah Yeah" TV jingles in Australia - has landed in hot water over its ads starring Warne.
Its current newspaper ad features a picture of Warne and says he used the studio's hair and scalp fitness program (AHS-FP), including laser therapy technology, which was "approved" by America's FDA health regulator.
The ad also claims the studio's patented "strand-by-strand" treatment can "provide most with a guaranteed full and natural head of hair again".
But the ASA has taken a dim view of the ad and ordered it to be withdrawn, based on one complaint from an unnamed member of the public.
It said it feared people could infer that the studio's treatments could reduce or stop hair loss and/or encourage new hair growth.
The ASA said the ad was also misleading because its treatments had not received official approval from the FDA but instead had been given "clearance", based on less stringent testing procedures than an approval requires.
"Because the ad featured Shane Warne and ... implied more than a cosmetic effect by suggesting that the AHS-FP could reduce or stop hair loss and/or grow new hair, which had not been adequately substantiated, we concluded that the ad was likely to mislead," the ASA said in a ruling released on Wednesday.
"The ad must not appear again in its current form."
Advanced Hair argued the ad implied the AHS-FP treatment was a "cosmetic process" and gave "the impression of more/thicker hair without implying hair growth/regrowth or the reduction/stopping of hair loss".
It added that a "HairMax LaserComb" used in AHS-FP programs had been cleared by the FDA and submitted a statement from Warne saying he had used it for 18 months and believed the results were "excellent".
Warne has starred in Advanced Hair ads since turning to science to try to slow down his thinning locks in 2005.
In previous ruling handed down in 2007, the ASA warned Advanced Hair that any ads featuring Warne should do no more than suggest that its treatment had a "cosmetic effect" rather than infer it was a cure for baldness.
A separate ruling in 2006 ordered the company to stop using ads promoting Warne's use of an advanced laser therapy, which included a medicine called minoxidil.
AAP
New hairloss treatments open on stock exchange at $0.30
Divine Skin Inc which targets hair regrowth head-on, opened its first day of trading up at $0.30. The newly public company evolved out of its flagship brand, DS Laboratories, which grew quickly without investment capital until 2009, when it conducted a private placement.
The company's rapid expansion came through "exhaustive research, out-of-the-box thinking, and entrepreneurial drive," says founder and CEO Daniel Khesin.
"Great products result when entrepreneurs with specific needs cannot find good solutions in a market, thus exposing new business opportunities," says Khesin, whose own personal experience made him realize that no topical product contained any technology to control a receding hairline.
The best-known ingredient, minoxidil, regrows hair on the vertex of the scalp. Several Divine Skin products contain both minoxidil for the vertex plus additional compounds shown clinically to work at the hairline as well.
Divine Skin develops and markets cosmeceuticals under a handful of brands. DS Laboratories, which targets high-performance topical products to both men and women, specializes in restoring growth and radiance to hair; suppressing dandruff and unwanted hair; balancing natural flora to enhance feminine hygiene; reducing the appearance of cellulite, wrinkles, and double chins; and controlling acne.
The company's second brand, Sigma Skin, is all about men, sold through upmarket retailers like Saks Fifth Avenue in Mexico, Bergdorf Goodman in the United States, and Harvey Nichols in the United Kingdom. Products are designed to reverse hair loss and the signs of facial aging.
The company says it will launch a fourth major line in 2010.
Khesin shares credit for the company's success with his two cofounders. Leo Smirnov, whom he calls "a brilliant designer," joined early to create compelling packaging with sophisticated engineering techniques. Michael Strong, "a talented marketing strategist," joined to refine the distribution network.
ABOUT DIVINE SKIN, INC.
Divine Skin, Inc. is engaged in the development, marketing, and distribution of high performance products that encompass the personal care landscape. Through its distribution network, Divine Skin's products are sold in over 20 countries. Management believes Divine Skin has established itself as a leader in certain categories of topical therapy for personal care applications, including hair loss. The core of Divine Skin's business model is the aggressive pursuit of innovation and technology. Divine Skin currently distributes its DS Laboratories, Polaris and Sigma branded products through a network of specialty retailers, online stores, spas/salons, medical professionals, and wholesalers. The products within these brands contain proprietary technologies that utilize special encapsulation techniques for improved bioavailability and comprehensive formulations that have a wide spectrum of activity against common skin conditions. Examples of Divine Skin's brands can be found on the following websites:
DS Laboratories, www.dslaboratories.com
Sigma Skin, www.sigmaskin.com
Polaris Research, www.polarisresearch.co.uk
SOURCE Divine Skin Inc.
HairMax LaserComb(R) Laser Phototherapy: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Multicentre Trial.
Leavitt M, Charles G, Heyman E, Michaels D.
The use of low levels of visible or near infrared light for reducing pain, inflammation and oedema, promoting healing of wounds, deeper tissue and nerves, and preventing tissue damage has been known for almost 40 years since the invention of lasers. The HairMax LaserComb(R) is a hand-held Class 3R lower level laser therapy device that contains a single laser module that emulates 9 beams at a wavelength of 655 nm (+/-5%). The device uses a technique of parting the user's hair by combs that are attached to the device. This improves delivery of distributed laser light to the scalp. The combs are designed so that each of the teeth on the combs aligns with a laser beam. By aligning the teeth with the laser beams, the hair can be parted and the laser energy delivered to the scalp of the user without obstruction by the individual hairs on the scalp. The primary aim of the study was to assess the safety and effectiveness of the HairMax LaserComb(R) laser phototherapy device in the promotion of hair growth and in the cessation of hairloss in males diagnosed with androgenetic alopecia (AGA).
This double-blind, sham device-controlled, multicentre, 26-week trial randomized male patients with Norwood-Hamilton classes IIa-V AGA to treatment with the HairMax LaserComb(R) or the sham device (2 : 1). The sham device used in the study was identical to the active device except that the laser light was replaced by a non-active incandescent light source. Of the 110 patients who completed the study, subjects in the HairMax LaserComb(R) treatment group exhibited a significantly greater increase in mean terminal hair density than subjects in the sham device group (p < 0.0001). Consistent with this evidence for primary effectiveness, significant improvements in overall hair regrowth were demonstrated in terms of patients' subjective assessment (p < 0.015) at 26 weeks over baseline. The HairMax LaserComb(R) was well tolerated with no serious adverse events reported and no statistical difference in adverse effects between the study groups. The results of this study suggest that the HairMax LaserComb(R) is an effective, well tolerated and safe laser phototherapy device for the treatment of AGA in males.
PMID: 19366270 [PubMed - in process]
Travolta finds himself in a meshy situation in his battle with baldness
John Travolta has found himself in the middle of meshy situation.
The actor, whose changing hairline has been widely speculated to be the result of a hair piece, showed what appears to be his battle with baldness as he and wife Kelly Preston were pictured leaving their Paris hotel on Tuesday, the Daily Mail reports.
And no thanks to the flashing cameras surrounding him, the 55-year-old actor couldn’t hide the revealing grid attached to his thick mane.
The mesh is apparently used in hair weaving treatments used to help those with thinning hair. A patient’s own hair is commonly threaded through the mesh, which is attached to the scalp in an effort to help it grow.
This is not the first time Travolta’s hair has been the topic of discussion.
According to the Daily Mail, the actor was pictured completely bald while in Paris in November 2008, but debuted a full head of hair just a few days later.
Though the actor has never admitted is using any type of follicle treatments, he recently discussed his enjoyment in playing a bald character in his new movie, "From Paris With Love."
"[I like it] a lot, because it's a bald look and it allows me freedom to be bald," he said. "Just like in Pulp Fiction, this unusual kind of Dutch haircut gave me a kind of Euro-trash feeling to the character, this hero hit man."
Implant effect to surrounding hair
I'm pretty new to this site but from what I've read so far the info has been very informative.
I've been considering the FUE / FUT method for hair transplantation because I usually keep my hair pretty short in the back and was wondering if anyone would know the effects of implantation to the surrounding hairs.
I remember reading somewhere that sometimes the surrounding hair of the implanted one falls out due to shock. This is a concern for me because I have sparse thinning occurring and was thinking that the FUT method would be ideal for restoring some of it's fullness but not if it will be causing other hairs to fall out therefore making the area more bald than it was prior to the transplant. Can anyone shed some light on this?
For the record I've been on Propecia for about 10yrs which has worked out great to maintain the hair I still had but it's efficacy has started to dwindle in the past 2yrs leading to this conclusion.
Success adding rogaine after long time fin usage?
SInce I started the foam I have definitely thinned out a good bit which I'm hoping is rogaine-related shedding and not my MPB speeding up but who knows.
Anyways, i was wondering if anyone on here has added rogaine to their regimen after seeing effects from fin diminish a bit and if the rogaine has had any positive effect?
keep up the good fight.
"Bald men still deal with hair-raising issues"
Bald men still deal with hair-raising issues
By John Bogert, Staff Columnist
Posted: 05/11/2010 06:43:20 AM PDT
Are you really bald or is your neck blowing a bubble? Hey, you're so bald a wig won't help, so bald we can see what's on your mind.
The bad bald jokes arrive like illegal immigrants to Arizona, in waves, and without the hair-endowed ever stopping to consider that we may have already noticed.
Same as portly people or people born with an inability to eat bananas (I know of two), bald people forced to live in a hair-obsessed culture are always painfully aware of their affliction.
Oh, you don't think that we are hair-obsessed? Of course you don't. That's because the copiously haired are the most insensitive people on Earth.
Have you noticed (and I know that you haven't) how many hair salons there are in the South Bay alone? Like liquor stores silently tempting the alcoholic-afflicted, hair salons mock us.
Or at least the place where I take my son for haircuts does, with the appointment lady always looking from fur-headed son to me before asking, "Which one of you needs the cut?"
Everybody laughs, even me, because bald people are required to be magnanimous, self-effacing sports in a nation where hair-care products take up acres of drug and grocery store shelf space and most of our sex symbols come fully upholstered.
This in a world where the most primitive form of public affection involves running hands through hair. In children and adults, the simianlike stroking of hair forges a bond in which people like me can no longer share.
You get caressed, we get, "Hey, you're bald!"
Which is why bald people tend to shoulder their way into good company, a list of which I found on famousbaldpeople.com.
Sure, famouspeoplewithhair.com would be infinitely longer. But we take what we can get and what we get is pretty damn outstanding: Andre Agassi, Sir Ben Kingsley, Billy Zane, the famously bald and tough Bruce Willis, handsome Damon Wayans, not so handsome David Ogden Stiers, Dr. Phil, Ed Asner, Elton John, tough George Foreman, the great Homer Simpson, Howie Mandel, Hulk Hogan, James Tolkan, Jason Alexander, Jesse Ventura, John Malkovich, Larry David (coiner of the term "the bald community"), Michael Jordan, Mikhail Gorbachev, Montel Williams, Patrick Stewart, Paul Shaffer, Ron Howard, Samuel L. Jackson, the one and only Sean Connery, the matchless Sir Winston Churchill, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Ted Danson, Telly Savalas, Vin Diesel, Ving Rhames, Willard Scott and that man ahead of his time, the late Yul Brynner.
Seriously, you'd think that Sean Connery alone would give us all a free pass. Or most of the bald NBA, or any black male, which I mention because bald black men set the standard, always looking cool and like they are doing it on purpose.
But we have to come to grips with all this if we happen to be more Larry David than 007. Face it, without athletic cred or fame, most of us are just bald guys. A group that also includes Julius Caesar and Dwight D. Eisenhower.
And there are lot of us. According to the American Medical Association, male-pattern baldness affects roughly 40 million men in the United States alone.
I have to wonder how many of us fretted during our terrifying just-thinning days each time we saw some fossil with Captain Kangaroo bangs combed over his forehead from a ludicrous starting point at the back of his skull.
Or shuddered, as I did growing up in South Florida, in God's own waiting room, where barbershops advertised "Toupee making and cleaning, Ceasars and weaves for gents."
I never did find out what a Ceasar was but I figured that it probably came with a sudden desire to wear shorts, shoes, shirts and socks all in the same exact shade of orange.
And all this consternation that for most of us ends with a six-blade razor routinely applied to the scalp sides is caused by genes.
Nor does it help to know, more or less, what's causing the loss of hair that has about as much practical use as dandruff.
According to familydoctor.org. common baldness, male-pattern baldness, permanent-pattern baldness and androgenetic alopecia all amount to pretty much the same thing.
You're bald, with those who start balding early usually winding up the baldest. The trigger seems to be DHT, a sex hormone that also promotes facial hair growth and (OMG!) prostate problems.
The DHT apparently initiates a process of follicular miniaturization. Wonderful. Doctors, meanwhile, measure hair loss on something called the Hamilton-Norwood I-VII scale. With "I" listed as "cool guy" and "VII" as "don't worry, your mom still loves you."
What we used to hear about baldness being inherited from the maternal grandfather isn't true. Now researchers know that baldness is contributed by both parents. Mom, who has a bald father, marries a bald man and bingo, you get someone like me. Thank you very much.
If there is an upside beyond the emotional self-sufficiency that comes with baldness it is this: One measly little study conducted by some possibly deluded and probably-bald geneticists claims that hair loss possibly developed as part of a "positive evolutionary process."
The suggestion here, and this would seem to run contrary to reality, is that baldness evolved in males through sexual selection. Women, these possible baldies claim, long ago saw baldness as a sign of social maturity. In short, bald males were seen as great and dependable partners likely to raise offspring to adulthood.
OK, I did that. Can I now trade some of that endless dependability for hair?
Is the shape of my head a big deal? (PICTURES)
The picture above is head on, and it's not that noticeable but below are the pictures showing what bothers me:
I think many of us experiencing male pattern baldness are concerned about the shape of our heads because we all know that the natural way out is to shave your head. I honestly love having a shaved head and a beard, although I prefer it at number 2 rather than shaving it to the skin so i would shave my head even without male pattern baldness. However, a number 2 with good coverage covers up the bad head shape, my future totally bald head does not and I fear that I may never ever get over this if it's that bad or I can't do something about the shape.
Hair Transplant Scab Scare
Acell
I am a 22 year old male, I have lost considerable amount of hair from the crown area and top of my head.
I got intouch with Dr. Gary Hitzig from New York. He told about the new Acell powder. He said that he will use this powder and I will get back all my donor hair and my transplanted hair will grow from anywhere between 50% to 400%.
I wanted to know if anyone has got this procedure done?
The low-down on PRP
I'll be posting pics of my current state in a couple of days and I'll be updating you all every month. Some pics of my head are already on this forum. you can probably find them by looking at some of my prior posts.
Hopefully people who've had the treatment will start sharing their experience, that way we could all get a good understanding of what to expect, as far as results.
Wish me luck.
Going bald, and going back…
Age 18 - In highschool, one of the more popular kids, in the 'jock' crowd. Cut my hair short during basketball season, didn't know it at the time but my temples were definitley thinning. After a summer league game, I got into an argument with a player from the other team... he backed down, but as he drove away yelled out the window "nice receding hairline!". Brushed it off, no big deal its always been thin there, right?
Age 20 - Been in college for a few years now, 15,000 student, I am well known on campus, always out at parties, always meeting girls. My hair has continued to thin, I am aware of it now. My roommate will look at me from time to time and say "wow your hair is thinning!" then look at his in the mirror to make sure his isn't. I started taking propecia, who knows if it was working.
I was on the powerlifting team, taking a lot of suppliments (not steroids, but andro to naturally increase my testosterone). Thought maybe the andro was doing it, so I stopped and thought my hairloss did too. I always wore hats to class, thank god I looked good in them. By my junior year I was known as 'blue hat guy' but I didn't care, I had one of the hottest girls on campus as a girlfriend (who didnt mind my thinning hair). If I ever got worried about what my hairloss looked like, I decided it couldn't be that bad right... people still liked me!?
Age 22 - Now its really going... I cant stand it. I decide if you cant beat it, join it. I shave my head during the summer months before school with a straight razor... it definitley looks different! Luckily I would think to myself, I met my girlfriend while I still had hair, and she loved me. I was known as a 'tough guy' at college so no one really would ever say anything about having a shaved head to me... but guys who werent balding shaved thier heads too... it made us look 'tough' as long as I didnt carry myself like I was ashamed of it, even though I was. I would shave as much as I could to reduce the stubble so you couldn't tell where it started and stopped. To make it look like being bald was by choice. Looking at old pics now... I looked handsome, even without hair. I was still confident (at least thats the vibe I put off) but was always wondering if there was anything I could ever do.
Age 24 - Now I am in the coorporate world, got a great job out of college (as a bald guy) ... still was envious of people my age with hair, which seemed to be about everyone I knew. This sucked... I had a lot of money saved up for a big move I was making... more than I needed. On my way home from work one night saw an ad for a HT doctor. Cant hurt to schedule a cosultation right? Within a month I was all set up for my HT (2750 grafts, scar from ear to ear smiling at anyone who walked behind me).
It grew in fast, really fast! I was so excited that hair was on top of my head again! Everyone knew, all my clients, coworkers... they thought it looked great. One client asked if he thinks the same procedure could help him. Had a new intern come to work for my company, I worked directly with him. He was balding... eventually asked me for advice on getting a HT. I cant remember what I told him, but I am sure it was more towards getting one than not. The thing is, these people had no idea how much I worried about looking like a fraud. Everymorning waking up and spending a lot of time on my new hair, making sure it sat right, stayed in place, ect ect...
Age 25 - Now I moved, changed careers, moving up the ladder. Making twice as much as I made before I moved... when I was bald. But I continued to thin around the transplant, still losing hair to shock loss around the donor site, its still noticeable that my hair isnt as thick as someone who has a natural head of hair. My new GF constantly wanted me to take drugs... but thats just denying the inevitable in my mind. Ditched the girl. Played sport all the time, worked out all the time, made lots of money at my new job... this is where things started to change.
Not only was I constantly worrying about what my hair looked like, in wind, in sunlight, in water, when i wake up... the list goes on and on... I was working with a high end exec. who had a horrible wig. My boss at the time was a very very strong willed person, and I remember him saying "That guy needs to embrace his hairloss and get over it..." (about the exec.) Cleary i was doing a good job covering up the fact that my hair on the top of my head was from the back... or was he trying to tell me something too? Still thinning.... and thinning. Was this something I wanted to keep putting money into?
Age 25-30 - Met my wife, switched careers again, cut my hair really short, even the transplants. I dont know how noticable it is to others, but its clear to me that hair doesnt belong there. Its killing me now. Did I do the right thing and set myself on this path to constant HT's to maintain hair on my head, or was it a big mistake. I stop working out... I stop playing sports, I stop being social. My wife notices. Meanwhiel...
I was recruited by a company to do new start ups (so people dont mind that I am pretty much bald!?!), and unfortunatley in the economy that medical device company went belly up. quickly landed a job in the most uncomfortable industry possible. Pharmacueticals... you wouldn't believe the number over ex-college cheerleaders these companies hire! I always joke about 'why hire me?!'... because of my hairloss. I found the courage to tell me wife during this time... shes ok with it and completely understands... also found the courage to tell her I am through with it.
In the past 2 years I have become increasingly more comfortable with my natural hairloss. I'm not mad anymore. I am not buying into the hype from the media that balding is a bad thing (ever watch late night tv??). Balding is natural, way more natural than moving hair around on your head. Would you rather have someone walk past and think 'another bald dude' or walk past and think 'whats up with his hair?' ...
I am now in the process of getting scar reduction and laser hair removal. Life was good when I was bald, and I never had to worry about what my hair looked like (which now consumes my life... or did). My hair no longer defines who I am in this life. I have realized that 99% of other people don't care that I am bald... I have a beautiful wife, an amazing job in an industry that is stereotyped for hiring goodlooking people, and good friends. Will you be able to tell when its all said and done that I once had a HT, of course (even though the idea is to back to as much of normalcy as possible) ... but I don't care. I made mistakes and now I can tell people about them instead of HIDING them. I can help others make choices. I can go back to living my life ...
Balding can be a debilitating thing, especially when your the first of your peers to experience it. Depending on how strong of a person you are, you think its the end of the world... I did.
I grew up a lot since then. I read posts on forums from young guys in their early 20s or late teens and think of myself and how I was thinking those same things. Luckily for me, even though my hairloss consumed me (with and without the HT)... I never let it hold me back and never lost confidence in who I was as a person. It saddens me to read posts from other people; 'if I go bald I'll kill myself' ... 'bald people are discriminated against... i have statistics to prove it!'. Wake up people. No one cares that your bald except you. It took me a while to learn that... but I am so happy I did.
For anyone going through this, or having any questions about HT's or balding in general, I will always be available to talk to.
