FDA Approves a Robotic Hair Follicle Harvesting Device

Hair transplantation is currently the only natural method of hair replacement, providing satisfactory and lasting results. The two main techniques currently used are called follicular unit transplantation (FUT) and follicular unit extraction (FUE). The FUE method provides the best cosmetic results as it leaves no scars at the back of the scalp but it has its weaknesses when it comes to the efficiency of the follicle harvesting. The hair follicles are being harvested individually, which often leads to their transaction and thus to their destruction. The newly approved device for follicle harvesting eliminates this problem and makes the whole procedure easier for both, the doctor and the patient, greatly increasing the efficiency. The only bad news at the moment is the fact that this device has only been tested and approved for people with black and brown straight hair.

What Do You Know about Aldactone and Hair Loss?

To start with, one should realize that there are several forms of hair loss with each of them having its own causes and treatment methods. This brief review will deal exclusively with the hereditary form of hair loss also known as male or female pattern baldness. Every hair loss sufferer has heard about Propecia being the only approved medicinal pill for treating hair loss in men. It is an antiandrogen drug, blocking the activity of the metabolite of the male hormone testosterone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and thus protecting the hair follicles and eventually the hair from its harmful effects. The main weakness of this pill is that it can only be prescribed to male patients.

But 25% of women are also suffering from the hereditary form of hair loss and they cannot use this medication. The female form of baldness is usually less focused on the top and front of the scalp. It is diffuse, so women lose their hair less noticeably. However, due to this balding pattern they also make less suitable candidates for hair transplantation as they lack the hair density in the donor area and the hair that would be transplanted from the back of their scalp would not be necessarily resistant to balding as it is with male patients.

However, not so many doctors and only a few female hair loss sufferers know of spironolactone which is widely available as generic Aldactone. This pill can be used to treat female pattern hair loss quite effectively. However, since it has never being approved by any significant health authority for such purpose caution is required. Other applications of Aldactone (the active substance spironolactone is a diuretic that helps reduce fluid retention in the body) include the treatment of hyperkalemia, heart failure, excess body hair in women and severe acne in women. Due to its antiandrogen effects, it can also be used as a common component in hormone therapy for male-to-female transsexual and transgender people. As you can see, the therapeutic properties of spironolactone are plentiful which obviously carries the risk of negative side effects, Therefore, this medication should always be used on doctor’s prescription even if you only use it to treat hair loss.

Scarring Alopecia - a Rare form of Hair Loss

Scarring alopecia also known as cicatrical alopecia is a relatively rare form of hair loss, affecting both sexes and all age groups. It is caused by the destruction of hair follicles, replacing them with scars and it leads to permanent hair loss. In many cases these inflammatory processes are painful and accompanied by burning and itching scalp and they can be rapidly progressive. Although it is not exactly known what causes scarring alopecia, it is known to affect the upper part of the hair follicles, destroying stem cells and oil glands. Once these get destroyed the hair follicle is irreversibly dead. This type of hair loss is not being associated with other health conditions and typically occurs in otherwise healthy people.

The treatment of scarring alopecia is different from other types of hair loss and largely varies from patient to patient. The most typical treatment involves anti-inflammatory medications that are applied to the scalp such as corticosteroids or used orally such as antibiotics with the goal to reduce the activity of the lymphocytic inflammatory cells, which leads to the destruction of the hair follicles. Unfortunately, hair loss caused by cicatrical alopecia is not reversible but the treatment can help eliminate inflammatory processes and thus save follicles from further destruction. Some hair growth stimulant such as Rogaine can be used later on in order to stimulate new hair growth from follicles that have not been yet completely destroyed by the scars.

LaserComb and ScalpRoller – Could They Help Treat Hair Loss?

Many hair loss sufferers wish to avoid medicinal or even herbal hair loss treatments at all cost in their fear of negative side effects and are therefore looking for non-medical treatments. Hair transplantation involves a surgery and besides it being expensive it is not suitable for every patient and requires a lifetime commitment to medicinal treatments. Wigs, hair pieces and hair systems are also quite expensive if you include the cost of maintenance and replacement and are uncomfortable to wear. Hair loss concealers on the other hand are usually considered to be only a temporary solution, suitable for special occasions when you want to look younger and more attractive.

This is where LaserComb and more recently also ScalpRoller come in the spotlight. LaserComb uses low-level laser therapy, which has been used for more than two decades to speed up the healing of scalp injuries, to promote new hair growth. This device is not inexpensive but considering it longevity it is quite affordable. Although some people swear by it, it has not been proven to help regrow significant amounts of hair. A new revolutionary approach to regrowing hair seems to be through tiny scalp injuries that can induce new hair growth in the balding scalp. Although this approach has been known only for a few years and it is being still examined there is one simple product that is being available to the consumer already now. It is called ScalpRoller and it is a clone of dermarollers that are used to treat wrinkles and scars but it differs in the size and the quality of the needles. This product has not been in the market for too long yet so it is impossible to estimate its actual efficacy in treating hair loss.

Avodart as a Prevention of Prostate Cancer

Avodart (dutasteride) is a drug similar in its activity to finasteride (Proscar/Propecia), having almost identical areas of application. It has been approved to treating benign prostatic hyperplasia and is being studied for its use in the fight against male pattern baldness. The Korean clinical trial has been completed already more than a year ago but its results have not yet been released and therefore Avodart has not been approved for treating male form of hair loss. The main concern here is not its efficacy but its side effects. Many hair loss sufferers buy generic Avodart online and they have confirmed the fact that it is a more powerful pill than Propecia (finasteride) in promoting new hair growth. The big question mark is its side effects, which are supposed to be more severe than for finasteride as dutasteride is a dual 5-alpha reductase inhibitor. A recent study of dutasteride by GlaxoSmithKline confirmed that Avodart (dutasteride) is effective in reducing the risk of prostate cancer, which makes it yet more similar to finasteride. Although there is no consensus among the doctors on whether dutasteride, or any other hormone-blocking substance, should be used for cancer prevention some doctors suggest it might be prudent to use dutasteride in some very high risk patients. Another finding of this study is an increased incidence of heart failure in patients treated by this drug, which needs further examination but does not add credibility to Avodart due to its already now long enough list of potential side effects.

Nizoral Shampoo as effective as Rogaine in Treating Hair Loss

Nizoral shampoo is a widely used and effective anti-dandruff shampoo that is often being mentioned also as one of the top treatments for hair loss. Hair loss sufferers have always been using Nizoral shampoo to treat inflammation, itching and flaking caused by ingredients used in various hair loss treatments and many of them have noticed improvement in hair growth as a result of using this shampoo. The main active substance in Nizoral shampoo is ketoconazole in concentration of 1% and 2%. Ketoconazole 2% solution has being shown in one small hair loss study to be as effective in promoting hair growth as 2% solution of minoxidil which is equivalent to Rogaine for women. Although further studies would be needed to confirm these findings and to examine the actual efficacy of different concentrations of ketoconzole many hair loss sufferers swear by it and continue using it. Ketoconazole works better if you give it some time to get absorbed so if you are shampooing you head you should leave it in your hair for some 5 minutes or so before washing it down. Hence, it could be concluded that although there is some empirical evidence that the topical use of ketoconazole can help promote new hair growth there is very little scientific evidence it really does.

A Brief Review of Procerin Hair Loss Treatment

Any hair loss sufferer who has ever tried to find some remedy for their vanishing hair must have come across Procerin. This all-natural formula is suitable only for men. It consists of oral pills and a topical lotion. The main active ingredient in the supplement pills is saw palmetto extract. This berry is often dubbed as natural finasteride, i.e. a natural dihydrotestosterone (DHT) blocker, having similar properties to men’s only FDA approved hair loss pill Propecia. There are also some other assumed DHT inhibitors contained in these pills, such as nettle root extract and pumpkin seed oil as well as a number of vital vitamins and minerals. The topical lotion happens to contain the same herbal extracts believed to block DHT as contained in the supplement pills. Other active ingredients found in the lotion include azelaic acid (first introduced by Xandrox and now available in a number of different hair loss products) and grape seed extract, which contains procyanidins often associated with inducing new hair growth.

When promoting Procerin, the main focus is usually on accentuating the beneficial effects of its main ingredient - saw palmetto. It is taken for granted that saw palmetto can effectively block DHT and thus protect our hair follicles from its harmful effects, despite the fact that not a single serious study has ever confirmed such claims. The same applies to nettle root and herbal oils rich in essential fatty acids that are so abundant in this product. The only two components that sound promising in this mixture are procyanidins and azelaic acid but further studies on a larger scale would be needed to confirm their efficacy in treating hair loss. Hence, it appears that the claims of Procerin's efficacy might have some flaws as well as the claims of its harmfulness, given the fact that many of its ingredients are known to cause allergies and various other, often serious, side effects.