Finasteride and minoxidil
Do you remember when when the only topical hairloss treatment on the market was Rogaine? So much so, that the brand name has become synomonous with its main ingredient: Minoxidil. While, to paraphrase an old cigarette campaign: We’ve come a long way baby. Today there are a great many alternatives to Rogaine, and Minoxidil, the wonder drug that helps block DHT, had been joined by a host of other FDA approved chemicals aimed at preventing hairloss. The average balding joe is now confronted with so many options, that it becomes extremely hard to decide which is the right hair regrowth plan for them.
Finasteride arrives on the scene
Finasteride which is sold under the brand name, Propecia, was originally developed to help men who were suffering from a large prostrate gland when scientists discovered that it also helped regrow hair. (Ironically, minoxidil’s affect on hair was also accidentally discovered when researches were looking at it as a way to lower high blood pressure.) Finasteride is thought to work by stopping the production of DHT within the body. DHT (Dihydrotestosterone) is the compound that is thought to be responsible for most types of male and female pattern baldness. This androgen based compound binds with the hair follicle and impedes its growth, eventually causing it to fall out.
Similarities
Besides both drugs being accidentally discovered, there are some other similarities between the two treatments. Like Finasteride, Minoxidil also works by targeting DHT production. The two drugs also do not work for everyone and work best in men who suffer hair loss on the crowns of their head. Both also rely on continued usage to continue to work, with any new hair growth falling out after use is stopped. Each also work a bit slowly taking several months to a year to show any real results (You will not get a long flowing mane overnight like Homer did when he took Demoxidil.)
The differences
While both drugs are thought to work by targeting DHT, the difference is that minoxidil is thought to work more as a follicle stimulator and DHT blocker while as Finasteride acts on the production of DHT itself. In fact, women who may be pregnan need to avoid the drug, since DHT is important in the early development stages of a male fetus.
Most if not all minoxidil treatments on the market today come as a topical solution, Propecia, however, comes as a pill making it, if anything, the less messy of the two treatments. Taking finasteride might also prove less time consuming since you only have to pop a pill once a day, whereas you need to apply most minoxidil solutions twice a day (no more, no less) for full effectiveness. Minoxidil also works as a hair loss treatment for both men and women. Finasteride has yet to be considered as a viable option for women suffering from hair loss.
Availability and side effects
The nice thing about minoxidil, is that it is available without a prescription and you have a large number of a competing products to choose from. Propecia requires a prescription from a doctor and a medical exam. Propecia is also pricey and a cheap alternative finasteride treatment will not be availble for a while. Merck, the pharmaceutical who owns the patent rights to the the drug, has an exclusive right to make and market finasteride as a hair loss treatment until 2013.
Men taking minoxidil have reported a few side effects such as a dry and itchy scalp: things which you would expect from a topical. A sudden drop in blood pressure could also occur if minoxidil somehow finds its way into the the blood system. Propecia’s side effects are more internal in nature, with the most disturbing reports being the reduction of sex drive and even impotence. These side effects are rare, however, and generally disappear when treatment is stopped.
Working together?
There have been some reports of propecia and minoxidil treatments working well together stopping hair loss and promoting new hair growth. While this may seem like a good way to “sweep the leg.” and kick baldness in the you know what, it also seems a pretty expensive plan. I think I am going to stick with my provillus regime and keep some money in my wallet as well as some juice in my tank. And maybe some day in the near future I will wake up and see this in the mirror…
copper and coffee
Copper peptides
During the course of my studies into the world of hair loss and hair regrowth products, I have run across quite a large number of different products and chemicals that claim to stimulate the scalp, stop hair loss and initiate regrowth. One of the recent synthetically formulated compound that has come to my attention are Copper peptides. Copper peptides as a hair loss treatment, was reportedly discovered by researchers at the University of San Francisco who were conducted a study on wound repair. The copper peptides no only made the wounds heal faster, but seemed to stimulate the follicles also. After conducting more research on this phenomenon, Dr Loren Pickart, determined that applying copper peptides was like giving your scalp a protein injection. Dr. Pickart quickly realized the commercial significance of these copper peptides and soon thereafter, several hair care products were developed that utilized this new discovery namely Filipro, Folligen and Tricomen.
What is a peptide and why is hanging out with copper?
A peptide is basically a small polymer that is formed by several linked amino acids, which are the building blocks for most living tissues. The word peptide is derived from Greek and essentially means “small digestible”. Some of these little polymer dudes apparently have a liking to to copper, bonding to the metal thus forming a “copper peptide”. Copper itself is an essential mineral that is important for our hair and scalp, so it kind of make sense that these copper peptides would have a stimulating effect on our hair.
The results
While not as effective as other hair loss products such as Provillus, Propecia, or Rogaine, Products that contain copper peptides, seem to work best in conjunction with another product such as the ones mentioned above. Tricomen, Fillipro, and Folligen all have received rather mixed reviews when it comes to dealing with hair loss, but most people seem to agree that they do seem to improve the health of both the hair and scalp.
Coffee for your hair?
Apparently my favorite drink in the world is also being looked at as a possible topical treatment for people with thinning hair. Caffeine is thought to help stimulate hair growth when applied to the scalp and various coffee derived shampoos are now hitting the market as we speak. Some scientists, curious about caffeine’s effect of hair follicles conducted an experiment in which they placed hairs into several different test tubes each containing different concentrations of caffeine. Lo and behold, the hair in the caffeinated test tubes grew by about 33 percent. There was no mention in the report however, if the hairs got cranky when they were finally deprived of the caffeine. While these knew finding are interesting and help me justify my two pots a day habit, I think I will stick with other hair loss treatments just to be on the safe side.
Thickening that thinning hair
There are a number of hair thickening products on the market today aimed at the consumer who wants to do something about their thinning hair without having to make a huge commitment of time and money. It seems to make sense to purchase a daily use product, such as a shampoo or hair gel, that has a solution to thinning hair built right into it. These various hair care lines are relatively affordable and have given hope to men and women with thinning hair.
The overall effectiveness of these hair thickening shampoos, conditioners and gels seems to be dependent upon experience. Many people claim to see a thicker head of hair when they look in the mirror after using these product, while others claim no difference at all. I myself. used a particular hair care product for several years, never going a day without rubbing the gel into my thinning top. While I thought it made me look less balding at the time, now I am not so sure if it was really making my hair look better, or if I just merely assumed it did. Anyway, let us take a look at a few of these products and how the claim to work.
Vive for men
Vive for men in a hair care product from the L’Oreal company. It claims to thicken hair with its patented Regenium XY formula. Regenium XY is an advance polymer that supposedly helps thicken and foritfy the hair right down to the follicle. Reviews on this product are a bit mixed, but most tend to sway toward the positive side of things. The overal gist is that Vive for men does a great job at cleaning your hair and giving it a bit more fullness, but it is certainly not a miracle worker, It is not going to give you back any lost hair, or even keep you from losing more hair. It will only help make what you have left on your head seem a bit healthier. At around 8 bucks a bottle, this product is not exactly the cheapest shampoo on the market, yet if you ask your girlfriend or wife what they are paying for their shampoo, it begins to sound like a much better deal.
Vive also has a hair thickening styling gel o the market, that I used to swear by. This gel maintains good form and makes styling easy wand does seem to thicken your hair up a bit. The downside is, is that it can tend to get a bit messy to use and leaves your hair a bit rigid the next day.
Revita hair loss growth shampoo
This product claims not only to clean your hair, but also stimulate hair growth by minimizing the effects of DHT. The shampoo is complete free of sulfates, which are known to dry out hair and make it unhealthy, and contains a large number of interesting ingrediants including caffeine, taurine, copper peptides, emu oil, biotine and caratine which make it seem more like an energy drink than a hair care product. At around 27 dollars a bottle, the stuff does not come cheap and since they suggest that you use it at least five times a week, it is going to cost you a bit of dough. Most reviews say that it is an excellent shampoo that seems to have an effect in the long run, but it is certainly not as effective as your more vigorous DHT stopping solutions. Looking at the list of ingredients, I have trouble figuring our which one is meant to actually limit the effects of DHT and the company’s web site is no help and telling you either. After a bit of research, it seems that the copper peptides and caffiene are the two main ingredients which are meant to help stop hairloss and stimulate new growth.
Tricomin hair loss treatment
Like Revita, tricomin uses copper peptides to treat hair follicles. Copper peptides are believed to work in much the same way as minoxidil does in keeping DHT from binding with the hair follicle, but really does not have much scientific research to back it up. The tricomin pacakage which includes a shampoo, conditioner, and spray costs around 90 dollars, so be prepared to bust open the old piggy bank if you feel like trying this one out. While many of the reviews are favorable, there does seem to be an alarming number of people who clain that this product made their hair fall out. While this falling out may be akin to the initaial stages of minoxidil use as the hair moves from dormant to new growth phase, the alarming number of people with bad experiences make me want to shy away from this one.
Aloe Vera and hairloss?
Cruising around in cyberspace, I find many different sites dedicated hair loss prevention that tout the benefits of the little “miracle plant” from the lilac family: Aloe Vera. Many are willing to boldly claim that the gel of the Aloe Vera could possibly help reduce hair loss because of its cell rejuvenating properties along with its vitamin and mineral rich make up. Other hair loss experts claim that this is all horse hockey, and that Aloe Vera does not have any scientific merit what so ever when it comes to preventing hair loss. I say that we take a little bit further look into this plant and see what the real deal is.
Aloe: A short history
The Aloe Vera plant has been utilized by people for the past 4000 years as a medicinal aid for a multitude of ailments. Native to the dry, desert like climates of northern Africa, the Aloe Vera first experienced use with the ancient Sumerians and Egyptians who used it for its purgative properties. As various empires expanded, the Aloe plant traveled around the globe and was introduced to various cultures, all of whom discovered many uses for the plant. The Greek, Roman and Chinese dynasties all left behind writings that praise this little plant for all of its uses. Today, thanks in part to the internet, Aloe Vera is experiencing a revival of sorts as an alternative treatment for practically anything that you can think of from skin ailments to indigestion. The modern cosmetic industry has also latched onto the benefits of Aloe Vera, putting it all types of creams, balms and oils that are meant to heal and rejuvenate the skin.
Aloe’s Makeup
There is definitely no denying that the gel of the Aloe Vera Plant contains many good things that help the skin and body that warrants its lofty title as a “cure all” plant. It is rich in numerous vitamins and minerals as well as poly saccharides, which are long chain sugars that help penetrate damaged skin cells. Aloe is also contains anti bacterial, anti viral and anti fungal properties that make it an ideal treatment for small cuts, scrapes, bruises, and skin disorders such as acne or psoriasis.
Aloe and hair
Applying Aloe to your head will definitely help you keep your scalp and hair healthy and may even help prevent seborrhoeic baldness, which is characterized by flaky, oily skin. Androgen Alopecia (Male Pattern Baldness) however, will not really be fended off by this “miracle plant”. While Aloe has many great powers that will help penetrate and rejuvenate the skin and even hair follicles, it will do nothing to stop the formation of DHT, which we all know is the main culprit when it comes to hair loss.
However, however…
Given Aloe Vera’s proven penetrative powers, I do believe that it can be beneficial when used in conjunction with another hair loss treatment plant such as Provillus and Rogaine. Some hairloss experts also suggest using Aloe Vera to treat any initial scalp irritation or inflammation due to minoxidil use. Since it is a safe product with no real side effects, I cannot see using Aloe as being in any way detrimental to your existing hair loss treatment.
In conclusion
Aloe Vera will not cure your baldness, but using it will probably help keep your scalp along with your existing hair healthy. Aloe’s healing properties will help keep eczema, dandruff and oily build up at bay and its multitude of vitamins, minerals and long chain sugars will help nourish your scalp and hair. So, if you feel like using Aloe Vera gel, by all means, give it a try. Just do not expect to be waking up with Fabio like hair the next day.
saw palmetto: nature’s minoxidil?
During my journey through the annals of hair loss treatment, the one thing that I seem to keep coming across is the tropical plant saw palmetto (pictured above). This plant is listed as one of the proprietary ingredients in the Provillus. Aside from being a key ingredient in provillus, I have seen this plant mentioned elsewhere enough times to warrant further investigation into its supposed properties.
Used by the American Indians
Saw palmetto is a small palm that is native to the South East region of the United States, where it thrives in the warm climate. For centuries, the fruit of the Saw Palmetto plant had been used by the American Indians as a traditional medicine used to treat a plethora of physical ailments from urological problems to skin and hair care. When the European colonists arrived upon the shores, they quickly learned of this plant and used it for two centuries as a folk medicine with a large number of uses from expectorant to sedative.
Rich in fatty acids and phytosterols, Saw Palmetto extract has been examined in numerous scientific studies for its role in men’s prostate health. One study found that saw palmetto extract helped decrease the chances of an enlarged prostate in older men. Coincidentally, the role Saw Palmetto plays in men’s prostate health, is also the reason why it is effective for male pattern baldness.
Saw Palmetto and DHT
Saw palmetto is effective in inhibiting the 5 alpha reductase enzyme, thus lessening the amount of DHT the body produces. Saw Palmetto also works as an inhibitor to cell membrane’s DHT receptor sites. DHT, if you can recall, is the androgen derived hormone that is responsible for male pattern baldness. Besides causing hair loss, DHT is also thought to be responsible for the enlarging of prostates in older men. With its DHT zapping capabilities, it is almost a no brainer that Saw Palmetto has become one of the natural substances of choice for hair loss treatment.
Health and Environment
Unlike minoxidil and finasteride which both come with a long laundry list of possible side effects, Saw Palmetto extract is seen as a safe herbal alternative with almost no side effects. While some men taking Saw Palmetto have reported mild nausea and a lower libido, these occurrences are much lower than the statistics on other man made drugs. The trade off however, is that it may take a little bit longer to see any results when using saw palmetto.
Saw palmetto is also considered an environmentally friendly hair loss treatment. The adult saw palmetto plant is apparently extremely prolific, making the production of the extract environmentally sustainable. So, when you use hair loss products that contain saw palmetto; you are not only saving your hair, you are saving the earth too.
Al Gore will be so proud of you.
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