Hair Restoration Blog

The amount of money spent on bogus hair loss products and treatments since the e founding of America may well be enough to pay off our national debt. Or at least put a serious dent in it! Hair loss patients are too often the wishful or unwitting dupe to charlatans proposing the miracle cure to baldness.

So just in case you’re not aware below are 5 of the top Hair Loss Scams or at least the jargon used to give people false hope.

1)  Blocked Hair Follicles!  Our special, magical, combination of exotic herbs and spices will unblock them and presto your hair will pop back out. No it won’t!

2)  You are afflicted with poor scalp circulation!  Hmmm…have you ever noticed that even a bald scalp bleeds when cut. This is affront to ones intelligence.

3)  Malnourished follicles!  Forget all the bald guys in the organic food section; just look at all those buff healthy athletes in all the major sports.  Some seriously healthy men with bald heads!

4)  It’s imported from afar! As long as its not made in the USA it must be good, that darn government is holding back the cure…not true in the rest of the world. It has to work, right? No, there are bald men everywhere!

5)  It’s An Ancient Secret Formula!  That’s it those cavemen had it right all that hair from head to toe keeping them warm, they couldn’t have been bald. Ludicrous, if there were an ancient secret formula known every hair restoration doctor and pharmaceutical company would be trying to market it.

We know that people with hair loss suffer from reduced self image and esteem. We don’t like to see them ripped off.  Los Angeles best hair restoration doctors care about their patients and only recommend medically approved treatments.

Q:

Dr. Mohebi,

I was trying to buy minoxidil 5% from a pharmacy but the pharmacist told me that 5% minoxidil foam is only for men.  He told me that I should use 2% solutions instead.

I am pretty sure you recommended 5% for me, is that correct?

A:

Minoxidil or Rogaine is one of the FDA approved medications that is used for treatment of many hair loss conditions in men and women. It has been available to the hair loss patient over the counter for many years now.  It is available in 2% and 5% as over the counter solutions or foams, but higher doses should be prescribed by hair specialists.

A study that was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology in April of 2004 compared the result of hair loss treatment with 2% vs. 5% minoxidil in women with female pattern hair loss after 48 weeks of treatment. The result showed that 5% minoxidil was more effective in regards to increased hair number and patient and overall hair growth.

As you mentioned it is written on the boxes of 5% version that is it for men only. The reason for that is the 2% concentration is the licensed for women initially. It is not that women cannot use minoxidil 5%, but it means higher than 2% concentrations require a physician prescription.  This is mostly a safety measure for manufacturers since the medication is sold over the counter. The over-the-counter manufacture labeling instruction is superseded by your attending physician’s prescription and monitoring of your treatment. It is important to reiterate my point here; minoxidil should be always started after you are examined by a hair specialist.  As medical doctors we monitor the patient’s response to the treatment through follow up evaluations and comparison of miniaturization numbers and pictures.

 Magnetic Therapy Effects on Hair Loss

Our patients and readers barrage our offices with questions regarding  exotic methods that are claim to help hair loss.  When these claims are published in sources that appear sophisticated and reputable to the average consumer more confusion sets in.  I receive many questions regarding the validity of these devices including laser combs, LED light hats, magnetic devices, heating caps etc.

The reality is that we only have a few techniques that can actually help hair loss and those are:

1. Hair transplantation that can permanently move hair from permanent hair zone to balding area
2. Hair loss medications such as finasteride and minoxidil that primarily can slow down the process of hair loss.
3. Ketoconazole and Bimatoprost solutions; two other solutions that appear to stimulate hair growing as a side effect.
4. A few herbals such as Saw Palmetto with DHT blocking properties.

Hair restoration is a huge market considering that over 60% of white males over the age of 50 have some degrees of hair loss that requires some sort of treatment.  Most of those devices that claim that they can help hair loss are shooting to only sell one time to a small fraction of balding population who are desperate.  The consumers of these products don’t mind spending a few dollars on a new device with a huge claim that seem harmless to them.

If you do the math you can figure out that each of those claims can profit its seller sweetly and as long as there is no regulation to put stop on those commercials we are going to witness more and more of those ads. The best advice is to see a good hair transplant surgeon and remember the tried and true adage; “If it sounds too good to be true, it most likely isn’t.”

Prostaglandins have been traditionally used for the treatment of both open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension. The funny thing is doctors accidentally found out the prolonged use in these eye drops surprisingly increased the density and pigmentations of eyelashes. This epiphany is what brought up the idea for why they later used and marketed these drops for cosmetic purposes to elongate the eyelashes in the form of Latisse.

The active ingredient of Latisse, bimatoprost, is present in Allergan’s product.  The drug company Pfizer sells a similar product called Xalatan.  Xalantan (latanoprost) behaves similar to prostaglandin PGF2α and for the same reason can increase the growth of eyelashes.

As mentioned, the effect of Xalantan on length and pigmentation of eyelashes was proven several years ago. There are several positive studies which indicate the effects of Xalantan on hair in the other parts of the body such as eyebrows or scalp hair. However Xalantan is still not approved, nor currently recommended for scalp hair restoration. More research is needed to address its efficacy for hair loss prevention in its pattern form.

There is a recently published study in the Journal of American Academy of Dermatology called “Assessing the Efficacy of Topical Treatment by Latanoprost on Hair Growth and Pigmentation in Androgenetic Alopecia.”

This study was writen by Blume -Peytavi et al. in the Department of Dermatology of Charite-Universitatsmedizin in Berlin. In this study the researchers evaluated the number of hairs, their thicknesses, and pigmentations in a 24 week period while patients used the medication topically on their scalp. They concluded that Latanoprost significantly increases hair density in the form of terminal (thick, mature hair) and vellus hair (peach fuzz). It is recommended that this product could be used as a hair loss medication in the future, but more research is needed to assess its long term effects before we can truly consider latanoprost as a hair loss medication.

Q:

I was told that a spot has opened up for my hair transplant surgery. I told them to slot me in, but now that I’ve jumped into the deep end I’m a bit nervous. My nerves don’t have to do with what it will look like six months or a year from now, but for the weeks following the surgery.
I need to take the next day to really meditate on this. Although my hair loss does bother me, it’s not as if I’m noticeably bald. So I’m deciding if this is something that makes sense for me.

A:

It is completely normal to have a touch of nervousness prior to this elective surgery. Since it is an elective procedure, it is common to have questions and/or
reservations. We need to remember that it is simply hair and not some life threatening procedure! Many patients have this reluctance and there is never a clear or definitive answer aside from your intuitive feelings.

Your particular situation is for the enhancement and detailing in order to complement what you already currently have. Your hair loss is probably going to progress in the future but again, it depends on when you want to address the issue.

Having experienced seeing many other patients who had similar feelings before their hair restoration procedure, I think you will very happy you did it!! Either way, I support whatever decision you make. US Hair Restoration is always going to be a resource for you with whatever questions or concerns you have regarding hair loss and the treatment options available.

Meditate  on that assurance and clarity will present itself!

Q:

Does Ovation Cell Therapy really work?

A:

I have been asked many questions regarding hair loss products in this blog. The truth is, most hair loss products that claim to help hair growth or prevent baldness do not offer significant information to their consumers about the active ingredients in their solutions and shampoos.  I do research on many hair loss product related questions every month in both my hair restoration clinic and on the site.  Although, in most cases, the more I search for detailed formulas or the specific names of active ingredients within those products the less I can find them.

Sometimes though the list of ingredients is available, you cannot find anything among them that is scientifically proven to help hair loss.  Ovation Cell Therapy is claimed to have essential amino acids.  The website of the company claims that the formula dramatically accelerates hair growth, reduces breakage and hair loss, as well as creates visibly thicker, fuller and longer hair.  However, there is no evidence based proof that shows topical amino acids can be absorbed through skin to help the hair follicles grow stronger hair.

We will be waiting for the producers of these hair loss products to show us better proof of the effectiveness of their products before we begin recommending their use.

Q:

Hi Dr.,  I saw your TV show, and would like to ask you if it is ok for me to buy minoxidil and dissolve it in the shampoo?
Also there are products that says gradually will change the color of my hair to natural color, are they safe to use? wouldn’t they interfere with my scalp respiration?

Thanks a lot

A:

Minoxidil mixed with shampoo

Minoxidil is one of the FDA approved medications for balding prevention and hair loss treatment.  The recommended dose and method for its use is applying it topically on balding area twice a day and leaving the product without washing it off.
Although combination of minoxidil with shampoos are available commercially, I don’t believe you can get a complete result by using them because:
1.    Minoxidil would be diluted with shampoo and water and that will reduce its strength.
2.    The active ingredient (minoxidil) would be rinsed and it would not get enough time to have contact with the scalp skin.
3.    It would be less likely that it is used twice a day, which is the recommended method for its maximum result.

Hair product for white hair

To answer your second question, there are many products that are claimed to change the color of white and de-pigmented hair to a normal one.  Most of them are herbal extracts and there is just not enough long term studies that prove their safety that I am aware of.

What is Saw Palmetto?

Saw Palmetto is an extract of the fruit of Serenoa Repens. It is rich in fatty acids and phytosterols. It has been used in alternative medicine for a variety of indications, most notably benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Indications:

Prostate treatment

Saw Palmetto has also been used in treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a condition known by enlarged prostate size to the degree that it makes urinating difficult.

Hair loss prevention

The role of Saw Palmetto in hair loss prevention has also been documented. Saw Palmetto is one of the few effective herbal treatments that can reverse hair loss process in some people to some degree and slow down the process of  balding in men. Saw Palmetto bio active ingredients prevent conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT).

That is how Saw Palmetto helps to stop the process of balding on the hair follicle level. It can help increase the thickness of miniaturized hair and make them grow longer. The Saw Palmetto effect is comparable to finasteride or other DHT blockers by mechanism. Saw Palmetto is available in oil extract for topical use on scalp or as pills used for prostate enlargement treatment.

Toppik hair loss scam, does it really work? The fibers used by Toppik are made of the same material that hair shafts are made of and that is Keratin. The fibers of Toppik bond with hair and it’s nearly impossible with the naked eye to see that there is anything on your hair. It gives the appearance of fullness that you have a natural, thick looking head of hair. This is temporary because it does not grow hair but conceals it in the short term for a special meeting, date or party. Toppik is natural and safe and can eliminate the appearance of balding or thinning in only a certain group of patients.

The people who can get the most of Toppik are the ones who have hair with some degrees of miniaturization or thinning. If the hair is totally gone like in higher classes of baldness, Toppik does not help. Toppik needs some hair to be bond with to create the appearance of fullness.

Toppik - Scalp microscopic view

A scam is only realistic if you want to believe in it. We all know that hair loss is a bitter truth that affects many men. Men do anything to improve their appearance and hid their baldness. There are many methods that can help someone with hair loss to improve the appearance of his hair including hair transplant surgery and medical treatment for hair loss. Cosmetics like Toppik offer another way to deal with the hair loss problem.

Toppik for hair loss is a scam or not, does not really matter. The fact is that you should do whatever makes you feel better about yourself. Hair restoration is a proven treatment for psycho-social adverse effects of baldness. If you can use any other method such as Toppik to look better and feel better, why not trying it?

Question:

Dr. Mohebi,
Is The ProCede an alternative to hair transplant surgery?

Answer:
ProCede TM is a cosmetic hair product that can thicken your hair shafts and increase the appearance of fuller hair. ProCede is classified under hair volumizers, which increases the volume of hair shafts. ProCede does not help re-growing hair and does not have any effect on the length or diameter of actual hair. There is no medicine such as minoxidil or finasteride involved in the formulation of this product so it does not need FDA approval.

There are many claims on Procede removing toxins from skin, but this has not been proven with scientific evidence. There are reports of severe allergic reaction to ProCede and this is why the skin patch test is recommended for patients who use this product. It is recommended to repeat ProCede every 90 day to sustain its effect on thinning hair.

Above information was mostly based on what I found online on ProCede. Searching through medical literature, I could not find any published articles, nor did I see any supporting medical documents on the ProCede website. I would wait to see more documentation on the mechanism and safety of this product before recommending it to my hair loss patients.