Don't Be Fooled by These Four Hair Loss Treatments As the demand for cosmetic treatments continues to grow, some marketers have fallen for the temptation of presenting certain types of products and treatments as being more than they are. There are a lot of treatments out there that promise much, but don't always deliver. One of the top offenders: hair loss treatments. First, it's important to point out that hair loss is a treatable medical condition with a strong medical industry behind it --it even has its own board-certification program for doctors and a number of medical research organizations. However, like many other cosmetic fields, it is also rife with misinformation, questionable products and unqualified doctors. The Food & Drug Administration has done a somewhat reasonable job in recent years of cracking down on phony hair loss products and exaggerated marketing claims. However, many consumers still get fooled each year by misleading products, online ads, inappropriate expectations of what potential treatments can do, and doctors who lack the experience and tools to properly treat and track them. Here are four hair loss treatments that consumers should watch out for: Hair Loss Brushes - One persistent hair loss myth is that stimulating the scalp with magnets, brushes and massagers can improve blood circulation to the hair follicles and therefore reduce hair loss and improve new hair growth. There is no reliable medical evidence to support this claim. While there are real medical treatments to stimulate hair follicles and help improve blood circulation - like minoxidil, low level laser therapy and platelet-rich plasma - this can't effectively be done via a special hair brush or scalp massager. Don't get fooled! Herbal Supplements - Good nutrition and certain supplements like biotin and marine-derived proteins and polysaccharides can help support hair quality. However, it's important to keep expectations realistic. A vitamin isn't going to stop hereditary hair loss or regrow hair from scalp where follicles are already dead and gone. Only FDA-approved medical treatments like minoxidil and finasteride have been extensively proven to slow, stop and reverse hereditary hair loss. And only surgical hair transplantation can regrow hair where severe depletion of hair follicles has occurred. Minoxidil - Speaking of minoxidil, this treatment also requires a disclaimer. Although it is FDA-approved and has proven science behind it, the catch is that minoxidil doesn't work for everyone. In fact, over-the-counter minoxidil may only work well in about 38.3 per cent of patients, according to medical studies. Studies suggest that a patient has to have an active enzyme called "sulfotransferase" in order for their hair follicles to respond to minoxidil treatments. It is this enzyme that converts topically applied minoxidil into the active chemical (called minoxidil sulfate) that stimulates the follicles. Not everyone has enough sulfotransferase to "activate" minoxidil. There may be other biological roadblocks too -- like inflammation at or around hair follicles in the scalp and other factors, which can also affect minoxidil's action. The bottom line for patients is that there's a 65 per cent chance that standard over-the-counter minoxidil won't help you. Instead, you may require a prescription for a specially formulated, compounded minoxidil solution for optimal results. A new "minoxidil sensitivity' test will be out soon in the US, which can pre-determine if a patient is likely to respond to standard over-the-counter minoxidil before they start the treatment. Hair Transplants - Thankfully, "hair plugs" are a thing of the past, but it's important for patients to realize that today's hair transplants still don't always turn out the way they should. The biggest problem is that many unqualified doctors (many of which are not certified by the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery) offer this procedure. The risks for hair transplant patients include surgical complications, infections, scarring, poor density and unnatural looking results. Another problem is that many doctors and large national clinics still mostly perform the traditional type of transplant called the "strip" or "linear" harvest technique instead of the less invasive "follicular-unit extraction" (also called FUE). With a strip-harvest procedure, a long linear strip of the scalp is removed ("harvested") from the back of the head in order to supply the permanent follicles for redistribution. Patients are left with a permanent linear scar --like the one actor Jeremy Piven was spotted with back in 2010. This procedure can be painful and requires considerable downtime and activity restrictions during healing. Slideshow continues after slideshow Buyer Beware - It's important for consumers to speak directly with a medical doctor who specializes exclusively in hair loss before starting any treatments or undergoing a surgical procedure and do their best to avoid dangerous cut-rate/discount clinics and those that employ non-medical salespeople. Routine follow-ups using scientific measurement tools will help track your progress and determine if changes to the regimen are needed.
The good news is that there are many hair loss treatments that can work well for both men and women when used correctly, consistently and in the proper combination depending on hair loss status and goals - like FUE hair transplantation, specially formulated minoxidil, low level laser therapy and scientifically formulated nutritional supplements. The key is doing your homework and due diligence to avoid getting fooled! You can find qualified hair restoration specialists at the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery's registry of board-certified doctors, as well as the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery's physician directory. Directory of surgeons accepted by the International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons, a Consumer Organization physician listing. Source: www.baumanmedical.com Can hair-loss concealers "suffocate the follicle"? What are the potential side-effects?With products such as Caboki, there have been many rumors about the fibers "suffocating" the hair follicle, esp if the pores open due to heat or sweating. I am a Norwood 3 at worst, so I can get by with a concealer for the time being, and do plan to get a transplant down the road when I lose most of the hair from the temples. Can concealers potentially speed up the hair loss? Many on the internet swear that they do; I was hoping an MD can separate the fact from fiction. Doctor Answers (4) Hair is dead, so you really cannot "suffocate" the hairs. You can use concealers safely. Hair is dead, so you really cannot "suffocate" the hairs. You can use concealers safely. If you have issues see a doctor for an exam.  Hair Loss & Concealers It is a myth that hair loss concealers cause damage to the hair. These are usually organic or synthetic keratin fibres which are applied on the scalp and cover your scalp. They do not have any interaction with the hair follicles. Why people feel so ( concealers causing hair loss) is because the underlying condition i.e. Androgenetic Alopecia keeps on progressing in the absence of the medical treatment and the person feels that it is the hair fibre which is causing the hair loss.  Suffocating or Clogging Hair Follicles There are many myths and urban legends about hair loss, particularly on the internet, and this is one of the more persistent ones. Hair gets its oxygen from its blood supply at the bottom of the follicle, underneath the skin, not from the top! Hair fibers are safe and harmless for the most part. Do me a favor though - now that you know your ongoing hair loss is not caused by the hair fibers, act to prevent the relentless loss! Don't just wait for it to happen and then expect a hair surgery to "fix" you, because that is not how it works. Hair surgery is best as an adjunct - working WITH therapies like finasteride, minoxidil, LLLT and ketoconazole/zinc shampoos - NOT all by itself! You will look better in the long run and your surgeon will be able to get a better result for you if you keep as much hair as you can in the first place.  Scalp camouflaging agents don't suffocate It's a myth that these agents suffocate the hair follicle. Hairs don't need to 'breathe' - they get they oxygen and nutrients from blood vessels deep down below in the skin rather than from diffusion up above. Topical keratin based hair fibers are safe. Rarely, they irritate the scalp and rarely some of the dyes cause problems. But these are fairly rare products. Most individuals who use these products have genetic hair loss - which is a progressive condition. Generic hair loss gets worse over time if it is not treated. A lot of people using topical fibers will notice their hair is getting worse and worse. Not from the fibers, but from the natural progression of genetic hair loss. We've outlined all the side effects of these topical camouflaging agents in our 2008 paper published in the Dermatology Online Journal. A link is below. Hope this information helps.  5 Reasons Why You're Losing Your Hair It may be an easy fix—like getting more or less of a vitamin—or trickier to treat.
By Amanda Gardner It's true that men are more likely to lose their hair than women, mostly due to male pattern baldness (more on that later). But thinning hair and hair loss are also common in women, and no less demoralizing. Reasons can range from the simple and temporary—a vitamin deficiency—to the more complex, like an underlying health condition. In many cases, there are ways to treat both male and female hair loss. It all depends on the cause. Here are some common and not-so-common reasons why you might be seeing less hair on your head. 1- Physical stress Any kind of physical trauma—surgery, a car accident, or a severe illness, even the flu—can cause temporary hair loss. This can trigger a type of hair loss called telogen effluvium. Hair has a programmed life cycle: a growth phase, rest phase and shedding phase. “When you have a really stressful event, it can shock the hair cycle, (pushing) more hair into the shedding phase,” explains Marc Glashofer, MD, a dermatologist in New York City. Hair loss often becomes noticeable three-to-six months after the trauma. What to do: The good news is that hair will start growing back as your body recovers 2 - Pregnancy Pregnancy is one example of the type of physical stress that can cause hair loss (that and hormones). Pregnancy-related hair loss is seen more commonly after your baby has been delivered rather than actually during pregnancy. “Giving birth is pretty traumatic,” says Dr. Glashofer. What to do: If you do experience hair loss, rest assured that your hair will grow back in a couple of months. “It’s a normal thing and it will work its way out,” Dr. Glashofer says. 3 - Too much vitamin A Overdoing vitamin A-containing supplements or medications can trigger hair loss, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. The Daily Value for vitamin A is 5,000 International Units (IU) per day for adults and kids over age 4; supplements can contain 2,500 to 10,000 IU. What to do: This is a reversible cause of hair loss and once the excess vitamin A is halted, hair should grow normally. 4 - Lack of protein If you don't get enough protein in your diet, your body may ration protein by shutting down hair growth, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. This can happen about two to three months after a drop in protein intake, they say. What to do: There are many great sources of protein, including fish, meat, and eggs. If you don't eat meat or animal products, here are the 14 Best Vegan and Vegetarian Protein Sources. 5- Male pattern baldness About two out of three men experience hair loss by age 60, and most of the time it's due to male pattern baldness. This type of hair loss, caused by a combo of genes and male sex hormones, usually follows a classic pattern in which the hair recedes at the temples, leaving an M-shaped hairline. What to do: There are topical creams like minoxidil (Rogaine) and oral medications such as finasteride (Propecia) that can halt hair loss or even cause some to grow; surgery to transplant or graft hair is also an option. |
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May 2024
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