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Finasteride in the treatment of men with frontal male pattern hair loss
The long quest for an effective hair restorer entered the realms of folk medicine, quack pharmacy and even the magical. Indeed, the fact that men are willing to try unpleasant, expensive and, sometimes, frankly absurd traditional remedies underlines the impact that hair loss can have on self-esteem and quality of life.
Fortunately, recent studies show that modern drugs - such as finasteride and minoxidil - can either restore or prevent hair loss in male pattern baldness. For example, a recent study underscores finasteride's effectiveness in men with vertex male pattern hair loss. But what about frontal hair loss?
Finasteride specifically inhibits type II 5alpha-reductase. As a result, finasteride decreases serum and scalp dihydrotestosterone. And clinically this seems to restore hair.
Gender And Ethnicity May Determine Choice Of Techniques For Hair Restoration
People of Asian descent, black people and females may require different surgical techniques for hair restoration than the typical standards used for Caucasian males, according to a clinical study presented to the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS).
Hair restoration specialists use a variety of transplant techniques to harvest groups of individual hair follicles from a denser area, usually the fringe above the ears and around the back of the head and graft those into a thinning area, most commonly the crown and front of the scalp.
"While hair transplantation for blacks, Asians and females is quite similar to that used for Caucasian males, there are several differences that must be considered to ensure the best results," said Pierre Bouhanna, M.D., Expert Aupres du Ministere de la Sante and Attache de Consultation a L'Hopital Saint-Louis, Paris, France. "Many parameters of the scalp and the hair shaft have to be carefully determined in order to choose the surgical techniques that will be most effective. Patients in these groups should ask their hair restoration specialist about these special considerations."
Micropigmentation – New Innovative Hair Loss Remedy
MHT is a specialist form of scalp micro-pigmentation (scalp tattooing). The MHT technique utilizes a range of specifically blended pigments, which when applied to the scalp provide a consistent replication of the size, shape and density of real hair follicles. Founded in the UK , MHT scalp pigmentation effectively gives the appearance of a short, cropped, ‘buzz’ hair cut similar to the style sported by Hollywood star Vin Diesel.
HIS Hair the pioneers of an innovative hair loss treatment for male pattern baldness, alopecia, receding hair lines, hair transplant scar camouflage, increased hair density and concealing balding are now offering their unique treatment in the US.
Following the huge demand for pioneering Micro Hair Technique (MHT) scalp pigmentation, HIS Hair has opened two new clinics in Los Angeles and New York City. HIS Hair’s stylish procedure has been developed to replicate the natural appearance of ‘real looking’ hair and help to restore any lost confidence.
Rogaine Foam Review
Minoxidil, Finasteride and Low Level Laser Therapy are the ONLY three FDA-approved, clinically-proven hair loss treatments on the market today.
The most well-known product name for Minoxidil is Rogaine, which contains both Minoxidil and the treatment vehicle, called propylene glycol, which helps the Minoxidil get absorbed into the skin.
Rogaine originally came in 2% strength, but now is more commonly sold at 5%. A 12.5% version called Xandrox is also available.
Although Rogaine has been claimed to help up to 85% of men using this topical lotion, it also has developed a reputation for complications that forced many men to stop using the product, for reasons unrelated to the effectiveness of the product in hair maintenance or regrowth.
For many men, the application of Rogaine left already brittle hair saggy and greasy, cosmetically making the user look more 'bald' than he otherwise looked.
A Rare Cause of Hair Loss: Trichotillomania (hair-pulling disorder)
Hairloss PI has delved into a number of proposed causes behind hair loss, above and beyond the obvious candidate of genetics. There is one form of hair loss however that is of our own making, quite literally. This form of hair loss, often afflicting the young, is commonly referred to as hair pulling disorder.
Trichotillomania is an irresistible urge to pull out hair from your scalp, eyebrows or other areas of your body, sometimes resulting in significant hair loss, in many cases permanent hair loss.
Hair pulling from the scalp often leaves patchy bald spots, which people with trichotillomania may go to great lengths to disguise.
For some people, trichotillomania may be mild and generally manageable. For others, the urge to pull hair is overwhelming and can be accompanied by considerable distress. Some treatment options have helped many people reduce their hair pulling or stop entirely.
Does Nizoral Shampoo Increase Hair Regrowth in Men? Study
I wrote in an earlier post about a study suggesting that topical ketoconazole increases hair growth in mice (Nizoral) through an unknown mechanism. As interesting as rodent studies can be, the truth is that nothing beats experiments done on humans. That's especially true of hair growth studies.
Luckily, I found an old paper by Piérard-Franchimont et al. who compared the effects of topical ketoconazole to ordinary shampoos and minoxidil on people suffering from hair loss. Ketoconazole is the active ingredient in Nizoral, which is available as 1% and 2% strength. The latter was the one used in the study. Since the study included two separate experiments, I'm going to concentrate on the first one in this post and discuss the second one later.
Top 5 Hair Loss Shampoos for 2012
Before the introduction of cutting-edge hair loss medications like Rogaine and Propecia; before the development of state-of-the-art hair transplant surgery; the only available hair loss treatments were soaps, sprays and tonics pandered by the likes of questionable snake-oil salesmen to the embarrassed, balding masses.
Fortunately, along with today's wave of hair loss surgery options and prescription medications, newer, more effective hair loss shampoos, conditioners, foams and lotions have also emerged—to help manage receding hair lines on a day-to-day basis. But what makes today's hair loss shampoos and topicals any more effective than the mysterious hair loss potions of the past? To find out more about these treatments' active ingredients and how exactly they can assist with premature hair loss or thinning hair, we've compiled a list of five of today's most popular hair loss shampoos*.
Important Note: Before reading this list, please be aware that no shampoos currently available are FDA approved as a treatment for Male Pattern Baldness. If a hair follicle has become inactive, no topical shampoo will be able to reverse that; what certain shampoos and treatments can do for hair loss patients is to cosmetically conceal the early signs of hair thinning.
Does Nioxin prevent Hair Thinning or Hair Loss from Male Pattern Balding?
Whether you are male or female, if you have experienced thinning hair for whatever reason, you would at some point have heard of an alleged hair loss cure-all generally known as "Nioxin".
Nioxin and its shampoo based products is however not a medically recognised treatment for any form of hair loss, including Male Pattern Balding.
As of this writing, there are only three FDA approved treatments for Male Pattern Baldness, being (i) Minoxidil (commonly known as Rogaine), Finasteride (commonly known as Propecia), and Low Level Laser Therapy. All these treatments have been approved because they have been verified as having some effect (on most, but not all men) in reducing or halting the pace of Male Pattern hair loss, however they are not approved for hair regrowth, although some minimal regrowth has been observed with all three treatments.
Top 10 Myths about Hair-loss and Balding in 2012
If you’ve have had the suspicion that you were going bald, you probably have had a strong need to figure out just what is “happening under the hood.” There is a sea of rumors floating out there that attempt to explain the “root” of the problem. After all, the great Hippocrates, father of modern medicine, thought that baldness could be cured by a mixture containing horseradish and pigeon droppings. The desire to have a simple solution -– particularly one that is within our control –- is understandable. But today, let’s debunk some of these myths and learn what the facts really are.
Myth #1
Genes for hair loss come only from the mother’s side of the family.
Fact: Although the inheritance from the mother’s side is slightly stronger, androgenetic hair loss (common baldness) can be inherited from the mother’s side of the family, the father’s side –- or both.
Going Bald at 22: In Search of a Cure
Prince William - went bald in his 20s
I'm thinning. Such a dramatic realisation hit me like a cold shower in December: unwelcome and harsh. It's the painful ill fortune of such calamity, a stark and unforgiving tale of life.
Why me? I question, as I awaken hunched under the falling water that is my life, why must someone so young endure such hardship?
It saw me through my teenage years: a canvas of expression. Atop my sullen teenage face, tired and loathing, was a dark mop of mouldable wonder - I used to spend hours straightening it, waxing it, sculpting it, caressing it. Now, I cannot: my hair is slowly diminishing.
At the tender age of 22, I am the cold recipient of 'male pattern baldness', and I'm far, far too young to have to deal with a hairless life, too young to accept or acknowledge the suitably stereotyped 30-plus catastrophe.
Scouring the web for information on how to stop this disastrous loss has proven to be a burden - and a horrible way to spend an evening. Typing 'baldness prevention' into Google did not provide good news.
Warning: Hair Extensions Cause Permanent Hair Loss
Women use hair extensions for a variety of reasons. Sometimes they want a new longer look, or to add fullness to their hair, or they just want to try something that seems fun.
However, the use of hair extensions can cause damage to the scalp and breakage of the hair they are attached to leading to hair loss -- a feature no woman wants.
Hair extensions are typically attached to your own hair using either hot fusion bonding that attaches the extensions using a hot glue, cold fusion bonding that uses a keratin-based polymer to attach the hair instead, or the weave method where the hair stylist braids the hair into your own hair.
Costs for hair extensions range from $300 to $3,500 but can go even higher depending on how much hair and the quality of the hair is added.
Dermatologist have observed that the extensions can put excess tension on the hair follicles and cause the hair to fall out by creating a form of traction alopecia. Dr. Benabio describes in his dermatology blog that constant pull on the hair follicle damages it so over the long term, the follicle can no longer produce new hair.
New study links Protein Consumption with rate of Baldness
A fresh study on baldness unveils that protein shakes might cause loss of scalp hair.
An Australian study conducted by renowned hair transplant surgeon Jennifer Martinick claims that protein shakes – widely used as a health supplement and weight loss aid – might lead to or exacerbate balding by building up particular chemicals in the body.
"As today’s young people are too preoccupied with their looks and body image, they often use protein shakes to tone up their physique, not realising that it might trigger hair loss", the surgeon says, indicating that diet might be an overlooked area when people talk about hair loss treatment. Experiencing hair loss as early as in 20s or 30s might be attributed to unhealthy dietary habits, she adds.
