Hair Loss & Grey Hair Remedy Reviews

Examining Flutamide's Hair Growth Promoting Properties

Posted by Dody in: Hair Loss

Flutamide is a non-steroid antiandrogen binding to androgen receptors and thus competing for this place with follicle-harming dihydrotestosterone (DHT). It is a very powerful antiandrogen, available only by doctor's prescription. Oral flutamide is used in women to treat hirsutism (excess body hair) and acne and in men to treat prostate cancer. One clinical study has shown that flutamide is as effective in treating hirsutism as spironolactone and finasteride. Antiandrogenic effects of flutamide have lead to its use as a hair loss treatment in women and it is sometimes speculated that its topical applications might also be suitable for men.

In one small study flutamide was successful in producing a small but definite reduction in hair loss in hyper-androgenic pre-menopausal women with female pattern hair loss. In another study of a human scalp graft that was transplanted onto mice, it was shown that topically applied antiandrogens, such as flutamide and finasteride, are effective in extending hair length and diameter as well as in increasing the number of hairs per graft. It has been nine years since this study was published and to date no clinical evaluation of flutamide's effects on human hair growth has been conducted. Therefore, given the current level of clinical data, it seems fair to say that the margin of success as a hair loss treatment is too small for flutamide to be regarded as an effective medication for hair loss, while the health risks involved are too high.

Tags: hair loss, flutamide, hair growth, antiandrogen

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Sulfasalazine for Alopecia Areata

Posted by Dody in: Hair Loss

Alopecia areata is an unpredictable, autoimmune, hair loss disease affecting about 2% of the population. There are several existing treatments for alopecia areata but none of them offers stable and satisfactory results. A recently-conducted study with sulfasalazine shows that there is some hope of regrowing hair, even in patients with severe cases of alopecia areata. Sulfasalazine is an anti-inflammatory medication first used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. It has also been used to treat inflammatory bowel disease, seronegative arthropathies and psoriasis. During a period of three years, 26 patients with recalcitrant or severe alopecia areata (> 40% hair loss) were enrolled in an open-label, uncontrolled clinical trial. Efficacy evaluation was performed with clinical examination. 22 patients completed the treatment. Based on the response to sulfasalazine, patients were divided into three brackets: no hair regrowth (< 10% terminal hairs), partial hair regrowth (10%-90% terminal hairs), and complete hair regrowth (90%-100% terminal hairs). Overall, 68% (15 patients) responded to the therapy; 27% (six patients) achieved complete hair regrowth, and 41% (nine patients) had partial hair regrowth. Seven patients (32%) had no hair regrowth. 10 patients (45%) suffered a partial or complete relapse after finishing the treatment. Side effects following the treatment were observed in seven patients (32%). The study concluded that sulfasalazine could be considered a therapeutic alternative in the treatment of alopecia areata because of its low incidence of severe side effects, good tolerability and acceptable efficacy.

Source:

An uncontrolled, open label study of sulfasalazine in severe alopecia areata.

Aghaei S.

Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Jahrom, Iran.

Tags: hair loss, alopecia areata, hair regrowth, sulfasalazine

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Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) Speeding Up Hair Growth

Posted by Dody in: Hair Loss

It is often said that you cannot speed up your hair growth but it does not seem to be absolutely true. Many people who have tried a dietary supplement called methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) for longer than two months report faster hair growth and in some of them this extra intake of organic sulphur leads to improving the thickness of their existing hair. These effects obviously last only as long as you use this substance. Therefore, MSM's hair growth-promoting properties have led to its inclusion in a number of hair loss therapies.

MSM is an organic sulphur compound that can be found in a number of foods and in small amounts it is also produced in the human body. It is widely available as a nutritional supplement. MSM has been clinically proven to be beneficial in treating knee osteoarthritis and it is believed to be helpful in treating a variety of other health conditions such as allergies, snoring, interstitial cystitis, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, back pain, fibromyalgia, etc. But many of those claims are not supported by any clinical evidence. The fact that MSM speeds up hair growth and thickens or stiffens the hair shaft is the author's own observation, supported by reports from several other individuals who have experimented with its extra intake. Although no defined daily dose exists and, for most conditions, 1.500-2.000mg of MSM a day are recommended, in order to speed up and thicken your hair 800-1.000mg daily should be a sufficient amount. MSM does not have any known adverse side effects. It is not very recommended to use MSM by people who are covering their grey, as it will speed up the growth of all of their hair and, since the white hair typically grows faster than regular pigmented hair, it will only exacerbate their situation, requiring more frequent hair colouring.

Tags: methylsulfonylmethane, MSM, hair growth

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Latest Study Results of HairMax LaserComb's Safety and Effectiveness

Posted by Dody in: Hair Loss

HairMax LaserComb Laser Phototherapy Device in the Treatment of Male Androgenetic Alopecia: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Sham Device-Controlled, Multicentre Trial.

The use of low levels of visible or near-infrared light for reducing pain, inflammation and oedema, promoting the 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 is a hand-held, low level, laser therapy device that contains a single laser module that emits nine beams. The device parts the user's hair by combs that are attached to the device. This improves the delivery of the distributed laser light to the scalp. By parting the hair, the laser energy can be delivered to the scalp of the user without being obstructed by the individual hairs on the scalp.

The primary aim of the study was to assess the safety and effectiveness of the HairMax LaserComb laser phototherapy device in the promotion of hair growth and in the cessation of hair loss in males diagnosed with androgenetic alopecia. This double-blind, placebo device-controlled, multicentre, 26-week trial randomly allocated male patients with Norwood-Hamilton classes IIa-V to treatment with the HairMax LaserComb or the placebo device. The placebo 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's treatment group exhibited a significantly greater increase in mean terminal hair density than subjects in the placebo device group. Consistent with this evidence for primary effectiveness, significant improvements in overall hair regrowth were demonstrated in terms of patients' subjective assessments. No further details on those improvements were provided though. The HairMax LaserComb 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 is an effective, well tolerated and safe laser phototherapy device for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia in males. This study was conducted by a private dermatology practice in Maitland, Florida. Further independent studies on a larger scale will be needed to confirm the positive findings from this report, as this very much looks like a sponsored study.

Tags: HairMax, HairMax LaserComb, low level laser therapy, androgenetic alopecia

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Examining Fo-Ti's Benefits for Reversing Gray Hair

Posted by Dody in: Grey Hair

Fo-Ti is a traditional Chinese herbal remedy derived from the root of polygonum multiflorum, a climbing plant native to China, now also widely grown in Taiwan and Japan. It is available in two forms: as unprocessed white Fo-Ti and processed red Fo-Ti, the red variety being considered the stronger of the two. Fo-Ti has been used in China for thousands of years as a longevity tonic under the name He Shou Wu (black haired Mr. He). This name refers to the 9th century legend of an old villager named Mr. He who took Fo-Ti and restored his black hair, youthful appearance and vitality and managed to father his first children at the age of 60. He lived to 130, maintaining his black hair. Other health benefits attributed to Fo-Ti root include its ability to reduce cholesterol levels in the bloodstream and thus protect against heart diseases; its ability to rejuvenate endocrine glands, which strengthens the body; its anti-cancer properties, sedative effects and ability to improve mental health; plus its ability to enhance the memory and beneficial effects on female fertility.

The properties that have attracted the attention of hair care product manufacturers are those related to Fo-Ti's assumed ability to counteract premature aging processes (such as reversing gray hair) and maximize the length of hair growth cycles. Therefore, Fo-Ti can be now found as a principal active ingredient in many herbal/natural remedies for reversing gray hair and stopping hair loss. But none of these benefits has ever been confirmed in any clinical study. The empirical evidence of Fo-Ti's positive effects on human hair seems to mainly consist of references to the legend of Mr. He from the 9th century A.D. The current consumer reports are mixed at best and the personal experience of the author of this review with using Fo-Ti to reverse his gray hair is negative. The most frequently reported side effects include digestive problems, diarrhoea and allergic reactions. Fo-Ti should not be digested by pregnant and breast feeding women or children. Nonetheless, being one of the main healing plants of traditional Chinese medicine, Fo-Ti may possess various other health benefits not directly related to hair and, therefore, it could be used successfully to improve your overall health.

Tags: white hair, gray hair, Fo-Ti, He Shou Wu, poygonum multiflorum

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Adenosine Stimulates Hair Growth and Thickens Hair in Women

Posted by Dody in: Hair Loss

Adenosine is a nucleoside naturally occurring in all cells of the human body. It plays an important role in biochemical processes such as energy transfer and signal transduction. In one small clinical study conducted a few years ago, adenosine was shown to thicken miniaturised hair of Japanese men affected by androgenetic alopecia. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study with 30 Japanese women suffering from female pattern hair loss has been conducted recently in order to investigate the efficacy and safety of adenosine-based hair loss therapy in women. Volunteers used either 0.75% adenosine lotion or a placebo, which were applied topically twice daily for twelve months. The efficacy was then evaluated by dermatologists, research investigators and by self-assessment. Phototrichograms were used to help with the evaluation. The study concluded that adenosine significantly improved the hair loss condition in women by stimulating hair growth and by thickening their hair shafts. No side effects were observed during the trial. Further independent studies on a larger scale will be needed to confirm the positive findings from this report. Adenosine is already commercially available in hair loss cures such as Adenogen manufactured by the Japanese cosmetics firm Shiseido and in several generic products such as Dermenodex, Spectral DNC and Nioxin.

Source:

Adenosine increases anagen hair growth and thick hairs in Japanese women with female pattern hair loss: a pilot, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Oura H; Iino M; Nakazawa Y; Tajima M; Ideta R; Nakaya Y; Arase S; Kishimoto J

The Journal of dermatology, 2008 Dec;35(12):763-7

Tags: adenosine, female pattern baldness, hair growth stimulant

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