How To Regrow Hair Scams
Posted by: juliesimms on: May 24, 2009
What You Need To Know
I have been losing my hair slowly for a while and my wife said I should look into getting my hair back. It really hasn’t bothered me that much becasue I still have hair it is just starting to get a little thin on top. Anyway, I have spent a considerable amount of time researching regrowing hair and hair regrowth products. What I have found is a lot of “snake oil” and not much relief from baldness.
MPB or male pattern baldness is caused by a testosterone derivative hormone. As this hormone travels through to body it caused hair growth to shut down in areas of the scalp that a person has a genetic predispositon for hair loss at. An old wives tale stated a man gets baldness from the mother’s side of the family. This is not true as the gene for male pattern baldness can be passed from either the father’s line or the mother’s line. The predisposition gene and the amount of DHT, the hormone, determine whether or not a man will experience male pattern baldness. When people are interested in how to regrow hair this is usually the condition they are trying to combat.
There can be other causes for complete baldness including radiation, drugs, and nutrition but these are rare and do not cause the classic patterns of MPB. One of the patterns is a widow’s peak where the hair recedes faster on both sides of the band area than in the center. This leaves an arrow shaped pattern of hair above the forehead. For the record I have this pattern and the other common pattern which is thinning or baldness on the crown of the head.
FDA Certifies Only Two Treatments
The US Food and Drug Administartion as cerified only two substances for the effective treatment of hair loss. All other treatments have not been certified by the FDA no matter what the advertisment information may tell you. Both of the current drugs were originally accepted for other treatments and hair regrowth was an added side benefit. Both of the drugs are anit-androgens which block the hormone DHT from binding with the hair follicils causing them to fall out.
The first drug’s name is Finasteride and is marketed by the Merck Company as either Propecia or Proscar. This was originally approved by the FDA to treat enlarged prostrate. During clinical studies a large number of patients noticed a marked inprovement in the amount of hair on their head. In a five year study 90% of men experienced either hair regrowth or a decrease in hair loss. This drug is taken orally in tablet form but should not be taken by women as there is a possibility of birth defects.
The only other drug approved by the FDA is Minoxidil. It is currently marketed as Rogaine by the Upjohn Corporation. This drug was origanilly used to treat high blood pressure. Minoxidil is a vasodilator which means it enlarges the blood vessels. There is specualtion that this may allow a larger blood supply to reach the hair folliciles which would counteract the affects of DHT. In a recent study of Minoxidil one out of two men showed an increase in hair growth. This drug is applied as a topical solution and is usually marketed as a 2% solution.
These are the only two drugs currently approved for hair regrowth by the FDA. There are others being studied but none have been through complete clinical trials.
June 11, 2009 at 12:11 pm
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