The importance of Vitamin B6
While doing research for this blog I noticed that one of the ingredients that Provillus contains is Vitamin B6, which is touted as one of the “ultimate and most essential” components of the oral supplement that Provillus provides along with its topical minoxidil solution. Vitamin B6, or Pyridoxine HCL, is part of the B complex vitamin group and it is essential to many bodily functions including protein digestion, red blood cell production and nerve stimulation. While B6 is obviously a very important vitamin that our body’s needs in order to function properly, I found that the claim of it being the “ultimate” ingredient with the supplement a bit curious. So I decided to do a bit a research to find out why this vitamin is so important to hair growth.
Vitamin B6 and hairloss
According to the provillus web site, the lack of Vitamin B6 is considered one of the contributing factors to hair loss. Since this B vitamin is responsible for the absorption of nutrients, which are the essential to growing hair, not having enough of it in your system will eventually lead to hair loss along with bad skin and irritability. Furthermore, B6 is important in the production of red blood cells, which help carry oxygen and nutrients to the hair follicles. Once again, if you lack the proper amount of Pyridoxine (B6) in your system, your red blood cell count might be low, and your body might decide to cut off the supply line to the less important body functions, such as hair growth.
B6 and hair growth
Studies have shown that B6 when combined with zinc could also help inhibit DHT production and contribute to new hair growth. As well all know, DHT is considered one of the culprits in Androgenic Alopecia ( male pattern baldness. While more studies are needed before researchers are ready to declare B6 as a natural DHT inhibitor, it looks very promising.
Natural sources of B6
Vitamin b6 can be found in foods like fish, chicken, whole wheat bread, bananas, oranges and cauliflower. Eating healthy will probably ensure that you will get enough B6, but why take chances? Get yourself the provillus supplement and then you will be sure that your are getting enough B6, an essential ingredient for healthy hair.
Minoxidil the Vasodilator
While minoxidil is touted as a hair loss treatment because of its DHT blocking abilities, its important role as a vasodilator is often overlooked. Some researchers even go as far as to speculate that minoxidil’s ability to widen blood vessels and increase blood flow is just as important in the field of new hair regrowth as its ability to block DHT is. Lets us take a further look at minoxidil’s abiltities in this area.
Vasodilator defined
A vasodilator is a drug that helps widen blood vessels and increase blood flow. This ability is especially important for people who may suffer from high blood pressure and the reason why Minoxidil was developed in the first place ( the DHT blocking ability was just a side effect). During the Seventies, researchers discovered that minoxidil had the same chemicalstructure as Nitric Oxide (NO), which is a known blood vessel dilator. It is thought that minoxidil, being a compund related to NO, works by activating the enzyme, guanylate cyclase, which causes the vascular muscles to relax increasing blood flow.
I know what you are thinking…
What the heck does this have to do with hair loss, right? Well, let me explain. When you apply minoxidil to the top of your head, you help stimulate blood flow to the hair follicles. When it comes to growing healthy hair, good blood flow is important. Important nutrients, vitamins and minerals make their way to the follicle via the blood stream.
While it also works in blocking DHT, Minoxidil’s ability to increase blood flow is an important feature, especially if you are taking hair growth supplements, like the one provided by Provillus. This vasodilation effect, might also be the reason why people who take finasteride and minoxidil together, experience even more hair regrowth.
Dutasteride: the new kid on the block
NKOTB
Dutasteride has become the latest player in the game of hair loss. Marketed under the name of Avodart, Dutasteride is a pill that is similar to finasteride, yet one that claims to be more effective in a smaller dose. It was orginally developed to help shrink enlarged prostates in men and it is now in the process of being approved by the FDA to treat hair loss.
While Avodart is still new to the hair loss game and not yet approved by the FDA as a hair loss treatment, many people are already using it for this specific purpose. Before you go and get yourself a prescription for some, it is important to take a closer look at this new drug and what it does and what are the potential side effects of it are.
How dutasteride works
Dutasteride works by being an extremely effective 5 alpha reductase blocker, which effects the body’s ability to turn testosterone into Dihydrotestoterone (DHT) which is thought to be responsible for the onset of androgenic alopecia (male pattern baldness) in men. In clinical trials, it has been shown that 2.5 milligrams of Dutasteride can be as much as 20 percent more effective in blocking the production of DHT than 5 milligrams of Finasteride in a two week period. Dutasteride blocks both type 1 and type 2 of 5-alpha reductase thus dramatically increasing the amount of testosterone (as opposed to DHT) that is present in the test subjects. Studies have found that dutasteride is up three time effective at blocking type 2 and almost a hundred fold better at blocking Type 1, however, since type 2 is the one thought to be responsible for male pattern hair loss, the drugs ability to block type 1 of the enzyme is only considered important for prostate health.
Side effects
Dutasteride’s side effects are pretty much the same found in Finasteride, with the most alarming one being the reported loss of libido and even cases of impotence in some men. These occurrences are rare and the symptoms cease after use is stopped. Tenderness of the breasts were also reported, but most side effects are relatively mild and non threatening.
Longevity
Dutasteride also stays in the system for a much longer period of time suppressing DHT long after the subjects have stopped treatment. While this might bode well for men suffering for hair loss, it is recommended that those have stopped treatment abstain from donating blood for at least six months to preven exposure to pregnant women.
Dutasteride and minoxidi
As I stated in a earlier blog about Finasteride and minoxidil, many men have reported good results when using Finasteride and Minoxidil in conjunction. Since Avodart is yet to be approved for hair loss, there is barely any feedback as to whether combining it with minoxidil would prove to be effective, but since it works the same as finasteride, it seems like it will be tried in the future.
Conclusion
While this New Kid on the Block seems like an interesting prospect when it comes to a new hair loss treatment, the fact that is yet to be approved by the FDA for hair loss makes me wonder how men are able to get their hands on it. Perhaps they are just lucky enough to have a enlarged prostate that their doctors prescribe it to them. The fact that this drug is doubly more potent than propecia, makes you think that the potential bad side effects are also twice as likely to happen. As for me I think I will stick with the original new kid on the block: Provillus.
Looking to the future
As a new year dawns upon us and we find ourselves trucking towards the the end of the first decade of the new millennium it is time to reflect upon our past and look towards the future to see what it might bring us. These past several decades have brought us new technologies and treatments for hair loss that would have astounded our toupee wearing ancestors. We now have solutions, tonics, pills and even medical procedures that are aimed at either keeping the hair that we have, even growing or transplanting new hair. However, the coming decade promises to bring medical advances in the field of hair loss that are probably going to astound us even more. Brave new steps are being taken in the field of genetics and bigger discoveries are on the horizon in the world of pharmaceuticals that are sure to make the future a very bright one for balding people. Let us take a peek into the crystal ball to see what this brave new world holds for us.
Hair cloning
Ever since Dolly the sheep made it into the news, scientists have been busy cloning everything from pet cats to you guessed it, hair follicles. A couple of scientists recently published a study in which they isolated the dermal sheath cells which are found in the lower part of the human follicle and then injected into the scalp of another person and successfully grew some hair. Well this is not technically real cloning (Neither was dolly) scientists believe that these dermal sheath cells could easily be multiplied in large numbers in a petri dish and applied to an entire area. The new hair that grows also ends up taking on the characteristics of the host’s original hair. The researchers are not saying whether they plan to implant false memories in these hew hairs to make them think that they are actual hairs and not replicants (a little blade runner humor sorry).
Finding the baldness gene
Scientists are also busy looking at the map of the human genome, hoping to find and isolate the genes that cause baldness so that they night someday be able to correct it. While finding and labeling the baldness gene does not mean an instant cure, it is a first big step in that direction. By figuring out which genes are responsible, researchers will be better able to find ways to target baldness and treat it more effectively instead of merely stumbling upon solutions that work.
New Drugs
Move over Minoxidil and Finasteride and seems that there is a new enzyme inhibitor in town that is being used to successfully treat baldness. Dutasteride, a drug that is currently being used to treat prostate problems (avodart), has been shown to be a even better DHT blocker than Propecia. Scientists are also making breakthroughs in the field of natural cures for baldness with promising findings being found in resveratrol which is derived from grape skins and beta sitosterol which is derived seed oils as well as saw palmetto.
So do not be surprised if the future is full of people with full heads of hair and bald guys go the way of the dodo.
Even more Hair loss myths debunked
Last month, I posted a blog debunking various hair loss myths that I had encountered in my meanderings through cyberspace. Scary thing is, I think I only scratched the tip of the iceberg. Further research has led me discover even more false beliefs about balding floating around out there. So here are some more hair loss myths exposed for you…
DHT is the only thing that causes hair loss
While many scientists believe that the overproduction of the hormone DHT is one of the main causes of Androgenic alopecia (male pattern baldness), its presence alone is not the single determining factor when it comes to hair loss. Lack of proper nutrients and vitamins to the scalp can also damage your hair and lead to it falling out. Blood circulation also plays an important role in healthy hair. The presence of DHT, is also not really a totally bad thing either and lowering its levels in men could lead to a decrease in sexual desire. DHT also plays an important role during pregnancy and determining a child’s sex. While using a DHT inhibitor such as Minoxidil and Finasteride can help lead to new hair growth, making sure your hair is getting enough nutrients and blood flow is also vitally important.
Shedding 100 strands of hair a day is “normal”
We all start out with between 100,000 to 150,000 strands of hair, all of which go through a cycles of growth, rest and falling out that lasts about five years. Most (about 90%) of our hair is in the growth phase, with the rest either in the resting or shedding phase. At one time it was thought that losing hundred hairs a day was normal and nothing that to worry about, but now research has indicated that the number should be closer to 20 and no more than 50. So losing more than a hundred hairs a day is actually a bit excessive and points to the early stages of hair loss. Then again, I really never met anybody who actually counts how many hairs they shed on a daily basis. Really, who keeps track of such things?
Cutting your hair makes it grow back thicker
Cutting your hair only makes it seem like it is thicker because the base of the hair happens to be thicker than the tip (think skyscraper). Your shortened hair will still grow at the same rate and once again appear thin as it grows out. However, if you have thin hair and want to maintain the optical illusion of having thicker hair, then by all means keep it short.
Balding guys are more virile
Sure, some women do find balding guys more sexy, but the truth is that having too much testosterone based hormones coursing through your body, does not make you any better in the bedroom. While testosterone and even DHT do play an important role in a man’s libido, having more or less of it does not seem to be a factor when it comes to sexual prowess (although having none will have an effect). This myth is most likley to have been dreamed up by some clever bald guy.
Standing on your head
It was once thought that standing on one’s head, would help increase blood flow to the scalp thereby decreasing baldness. This however, is completely false. Standing on your head will not make you grow more hair, but it will give you a nice and shiny red face.
« go back — keep looking »-
About Provillus
-
Categories
-
Archives
