Hair Restoration Tips

Finasterde is the sole active substance of Propecia, the only clinically proven pill approved for the treatment of male pattern baldness. Finasteride is widely known and available as generic Propecia. Finasteride, a selective 5a-reductase inhibitor, is reducing the dihydroxytestestrone (DHT) levels in the human body and is, therefore, essential in the treatment of male androgenic alopecia. The aim of a recently conducted study with finasteride was to compare the topical and oral finasteride in the treatment of androgenic alopecia. In this double blind, randomized, clinical trial study 45 male hair loss patients have participated. Patients with male androgenic alopecia were selected according to their hair loss history and physical examinations. The patients were randomly divided in two test groups - the one that was using the topical finasteride and the second group of patients who used oral finasteride. The topical finasteride group of patients received a topical gel containing 1% of finasteride and placebo tablets, while the oral finasteride group received finasteride tablets (1 mg) and gel base (without any active substance) as placebo for 6 months. The patients have undergone clinical observation and recording of side effects prior to the treatment and at the end of the first week and then by a monthly follow-up. The size of the bald area, the total hair count and the number of terminal hairs were studied. The data were analyzed by descriptive and Chi-square statistical test. The mean duration of hair loss in the studied subjects was ca two years. Each month the terminal hair, size of the bald area and hair count between the two groups were compared. The results have shown that there were no significant differences between the two test groups in terms of hair thickness, hair counts and the size of the balding area. Serial measurements have indicated a significant increase in terminal hair counts in both groups. Therefore, it can be concluded that the therapeutic effects of both, the topical finasteride gel and the oral finasteride tablet were about the same.

Almost every hair loss sufferer has already heard about Propecia, being the only approved medicinal pill for treating hair loss in men. Propecia happens to be an antiandrogen drug, blocking the activity of the metabolite of the male hormone testosterone called dihydrotestosterone and thus protecting the hair follicles and eventually the hair from its harmful effects. The principal weakness of this oral medication is that it can only be taken by male patients. But 25% of adult women are also suffering from the hereditary type of hair loss and they cannot use this pill. The female form of hair loss is usually less focused on the top and front of the head as it is diffuse, so women lose their hair less noticeably. However, due to this balding pattern women 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 further balding as it is with male patients. Unfortunately, not so many doctors and only a few female hair loss sufferers know of spironolactone’s hair growth promoting effects although spironolactone is widely available also in its inexpensive form as generic Aldactone. This pill can be used to treat female pattern baldness quite effectively. However, since it has never being approved by any relevant health authority for such purpose caution is required. Other applications of Aldactone include the prevention of heart failure, the treatment of hyperkalemia, excess body hair in women and severe acne in women. Due to its antiandrogen properties, spironolactone 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 increased side effects, Therefore, this medication should always be used on doctor’s prescription even if you only use it to treat hair loss.

Lead is one of mankind’s oldest used metals. Lead and its compounds have been employed for thousands of yeas in diverse areas of life, from construction to gastronomy. It is not so long ago that sewage pipes were made from lead. If you have renovated an old house, you might have seen leaded pipes as they were replaced. They are easy to recognise by their unusual weight. However, lead and most of its compounds are today known to be highly toxic. Lead is a potent neurotoxin that over time accumulates in bone and soft tissues. Nonetheless, because of its low solubility and reactivity, lead poisoning usually only occurs in cases when the lead is dispersed and after long term exposure.

Lead acetate is one of the main active ingredients in progressive grey hair colorants such as Grecian formula, Youthair and GreyBan. It is valued due to its ability to change the colour of your white hair gradually and unnoticeably. Like lead, it is toxic, although it has been used for centuries as a wine sweetener. Since the beginning of the 1980s, lead has been withdrawn from many products, such as pipes, gasoline, paints, etc., and in the last decade lead compounds such as lead acetate have become the target of growing attention. Lead acetate has been banned from hair dyes in many counties of the European Union and in Canada but there is no universal ban within the EU, let alone on a larger scale. However, lead-based hair dyes continue to be available in shops in most countries in the world.

In one recent study, conducted in the US, people using lead acetate-containing grey hair colorant were monitored but no absorption of lead into their blood stream was registered. Hence, it was determined that lead acetate-based hair dyes can remain in use but the concentration of lead acetate may not exceed 0.6%. Most of the currently available hair dyes contain a maximum of 0.4% of lead acetate. In spite of that, these lotions may not be applied on facial hair or cut scalp and if redness, itching or inflammation appear their use must be discontinued. It is obvious that you should wash your hands after applying them.

As the toxicity of lead has become more evident in recent years and it is even suspected of being carcinogenic, bismuth has become its increasingly important replacement. Following a ban on sales of lead-containing hair dyes in some countries, the products affected have been reformulated to include bismuth citrate. Bismuth, like lead, also happens to be a heavy metal but it is considered to be much less toxic and is not thought to be carcinogenic. Nevertheless, the same careful handling is required when applying bismuth-based grey hair colorants as with lead-based products.

Undoubtedly, Avodart is only the second hair loss pill that has been proven to regrow hair in a significant percentage of male patients suffering from hereditary form of hair loss. It has recently completed phase III clinical trials as a hair regrowth treatment and result reports are pending. Dutasteride is often blamed for causing negative side effects but the fact remains that it works better than any other available treatment for regrowing hair and its side effects, though not negligible in some patients, have been well documented since this medication has been used for more than a decade to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia. Avodart contains only one active substance - dutasteride and since it is not possible to secure a patent for a chemical substance and because Avodart came off patent in the most countries years ago there happen to be a number of generic producers of dutasteride. The question many hair loss sufferers are asking is of whether generic Avodart (dutasteride 0.5mg) is as powerful as the original GlaxoSmithKline’s product. Although many believe that given the huge price difference they cannot be equal in their efficacy, the fact remains that they are as there is no specific delivery mechanism applied to any of them and their dosage is equal. There obviously is no difference between the chemical substances and their quantity used in both pills. Hence, the main difference remains to be the price, the colour and the form of the pills as they happen to be the patent protected property of the originator so that generic producers may not emulate their colour and form. However, the efficacy is the same so if you wish to save money on purchasing Avodart you are best advised to buy generic Avodart.

At the moment, there are only two medicinal treatments that have been approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in the US for treating hair loss - topical minoxidil (brand name Rogaine) and oral finasteride (Propecia). Topical minoxidil is suitable for both sexes, whereas finasteride can only be prescribed to male patients. Minoxidil is a vasodilator, initially used to treat high blood pressure, which was later found to stimulate hair growth when applied topically to the scalp. Finasteride is an antiandrogen that was first used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), also known as prostate enlargement. It acts by inhibiting conversion of the male hormone testosterone to the follicle-harming dihydrotestosterone (DHT). The discovery of finasteride’s positive effects on hair regrowth led to finding the true cause of hereditary baldness, which is the harmful attacks of DHT on our hair follicles. Since making this discovery, a quest for other alternative DHT blockers has begun, especially amongst antiandrogen drugs and herbs that have, in the past, been used to treat urinary problems.

Dutasteride (trade name Avodart) is an antiandrogen drug similar to finasteride in its chemical structure and mode of action and has been studied extensively for treating hair loss. It has recently completed phase III clinical testing for efficacy and safety in the treatment of male pattern baldness and the study results are pending. Like finasteride it is also used for treating BPH. Dutasteride is believed by many to be a more powerful hair loss drug than finasteride but also with more severe side effects.

Flutamide (trade name Eulexin) is a strong antiandrogen used to treat prostate cancer. It acts by binding to the androgen receptors and thus competing with DHT. Oral use of flutamide can cause serious side effects but it is believed that topical applications might have less adverse side effects and could be, in the future, used to treat hereditary hair loss. More research is needed to verify such claims.

Spironolactone (trade name Aldactone) is another antiandrogen that works by binding to androgen receptors, competing with DHT. It is used in women to treat acne, hair loss and excess body hair and although there are some generic topical applications for the treatment of male pattern baldness which contain spironolactone, it has never been approved to treat hair loss in men and should be avoided. For women, spironolactone can be considered as a reasonable alternative to the men’s best hair-loss pill, finasteride, which cannot be used in women.

As has been mentioned earlier, following the discovery of DHT attacks on hair follicles being the true cause of hereditary baldness, herbalists started looking for possible natural alternatives to finasteride among plants that have been traditionally used to treat urinary problems and, more specifically, enlarged prostates.

Saw palmetto (serenoa repens) has been used for decades to treat prostate enlargement and it is one of the few plants used in natural remedies that have been subjected to some sort of scientific research in regards to their potential for treating BPH. Its supporters assume that it works by inhibiting the conversion of testosterone into prostate and follicle-harming DHT but no study has yet confirmed this assumption. No clinical research has ever been concluded on saw palmetto’s effects on hair loss. Despite that, saw palmetto is widely used by thousands of hair loss sufferers around the world as a safe natural alternative to finasteride.

Extract from the bark of the evergreen tree pygeum africanum is another popular herbal ingredient found in natural hair-loss treatments and many herbalists believe it is more potent in treating hair loss than saw palmetto. Its rise to popularity also comes from the general assumption that this plant, thought to be beneficial for treating prostate enlargement, must be also effective in treating baldness. Pygeum africanum has been less well studied than saw palmetto and it has never been used in any clinical hair-loss study.

The third most popular herbal ingredient used in natural hair-loss cures is nettle root extract. This herbal drug is derived from the root of the stinging nettle, a popular healing plant found in temperate and subtropical zones of the northern hemisphere. Its use in natural hair-loss remedies also stems from the fact that it is supposed to help shrink enlarged prostates and is thus believed to inhibit the conversion of testosterone to DHT. Like the two aforementioned herbal extracts, nettle has never been used in any clinical hair-loss study.

This list of hair-loss drugs and herbal extracts that are believed to mimic the actions of finasteride, the only approved pill for hair loss, is not exhaustive. There seem to be many other ingredients, mostly of natural origin, that claim the ability to block DHT and thus reverse hair loss. However, no clinical evidence exists that any herb contained in the natural remedies promotes new hair growth. Whether you decide to try a commercial herbal remedy or just one or two herbs on their own, keep in mind that, besides there being no guarantee of their effectiveness, no daily dosage has been established and side effects might occur, despite the general belief that herbal hair-loss remedies are safe and free of them. In addition, it is not advised to try any of the aforementioned medicinal substitutes to finasteride or to buy Propecia online without first consulting your doctor.

Propecia happens to be the only FDA (the Food and Drug Administration in the US) approved pill for treating male pattern boldness at this point in time and it has been accepted as a hair loss treatment for male patients also in many other countries of the world. Finasteride happens to be the only active substance of Propecia. It is an antiandrogen drug originally used to treat prostate enlargement also called benign prostatic hyperplasia. It the 1990 finasteride’s hair growth promoting properties were discovered and later patented by is originator Merck under the brandname Propecia. Therefore, Propecia is also available in generic form as generic Propecia or simply finasteride. Finasteride has been produced for many years by a number of generic pharmaceuticals firms around the world and is available in 1mg form (which is exactly the dosage of Propecia) and 5mg form (like Proscar) for treating enlarged prostates.

Propecia is a prescription medicine. However, there are still many countries in the world where neither Propecia nor finasteride have been approved for treating hair loss and doctors have never heard of their beneficial hair growth promoting properties and, therefore, will never prescribe them to their patients. For such patients the only option is to buy finasteride online or Propecia if you like in one of many existing online pharmacies. In some of them you will need to deliver a copy of your prescription but in many others you do not need one and you only have to complete an online medical form. This solves the problem for many people who live in counties where they are unable to get a prescription. Then the question arises what you should buy, whether branded Propecia or generic finasteride. The answer is simple, both have the same properties, so if you want to spend less buy generic finasteride. Many consumers are afraid of fake copies of pills bought in online pharmacies. This happens but buying the branded form of medication is no guarantee for it being authentic. Branded products are much more expensive than their generic counterparts and therefore attract more fraud.

Concealing bald spots is for many people affected with baldness the only existing option to regain the appearance of a full head of hair, as treatments designed for hair regrowth only work for some hair loss conditions. Non-surgical hair replacement is another term used for covering bald spots by non-surgical means. The two main techniques of non-surgical hair replacement today involve the use of hair systems and hair loss concealers. Various types of hair systems exist, such as full wigs, hairpieces, toupees, hair extensions and weaves. They can all look extremely authentic and have been used for centuries to cover bald areas. However, their main weaknesses are high maintenance costs and, in many situations, the discomfort of wearing them.

Concealers are a relatively new invention, designed to overcome the difficulties associated with wearing and maintaining wigs, but many people think they are incapable of withstanding adverse external conditions and appear unnatural. This is no longer true, as many of them have greatly improved recently, both in terms of their authentic appearance and their resistance to external influences. It pays to understand how different types of hair replacement products work, in order to estimate their suitability for your current condition and compatibility with your lifestyle.

HAIR SYSTEMS
As for hair systems, there are a number of factors determining the user experience, as well as their price, such as the type of hair, the technology used to make the wig, the foundation of the hair system and how it is attached to the scalp. As far as the type of hair goes, it can be artificial or natural. The latter can be of animal or human origin. Human hair requires more care than artificial hair but it looks more authentic, lasts longer and is more comfortable to wear. Its downside is its higher cost and the fact that it can lose its colour when exposed to direct sun for long hours, or break, as normal human hair does. Secondly, hair systems can be hand-tied or machine-tied. Hand-tied wigs happen to be the more expensive alternative and the more authentic-looking solution. Furthermore, the foundation of a hair system can be either a polymer or a mesh. The polymer foundation is the more affordable, though less comfortable, option but it lasts longer.

The method of attaching a wig to your scalp and blending it with your existing hair is an extremely important factor. The semi-permanently attached hair systems are either glued to your scalp or woven into your existing hair and can only be removed in a hair salon, once every five weeks for cleaning. The temporarily-attached hair systems use double-sided sticky tape or clips to fix the hairpiece to your scalp and existing hair. You can remove and clean them any time you like but they can also be easily and unexpectedly removed, which can lead to embarrassing situations.

One thing that can surprise many prospective buyers is the price. Although you can get a wig for a few hundred dollars, the more authentic-looking pieces cost a few thousand dollars and require regular maintenance costing a couple of hundred dollars a month. In addition, you have to buy at least two identical pieces, one to wear while the other is being maintained by your hair salon.

HAIR LOSS CONCEALERS
Hair loss concealers, also called hair thickeners, are an alternative to hair systems for people who have some miniaturised fine hair left in their balding area. They are more comfortable to wear than wigs but they will never give a full head of hair to a completely bald person. They also seem to be a less expensive solution compared with hair systems.

There are three hair loss-concealing techniques that do the trick by: a) painting your scalp to match your hair colour, b) thickening your hair by coating and penetrating the hair and trapping moisture and volume-building proteins inside the hair shaft and, lastly, c) there are microfibers that cling to your hair like branches to the trunk of a tree, increasing the hair density. Microfiber-based, hair-loss concealers can be typically applied in as little as 30 seconds, as opposed to a minimum of five minutes for hair-thickening concealers. However, microfibers are less water-resistant and it is quite difficult to apply them precisely and, therefore, they are not very good at creating an authentic-looking frontal hairline. Their greatest advantage is that they are unrecognizable in your hair, even with a very close inspection.

Hair thickeners, especially those that also colour your scalp, are extremely water-resistant and excellent for frontal hairlines but they take longer to apply. Their greatest weakness, in comparison to microfibers, is that in direct sunlight it can become visible to a sharp eye that the scalp has been painted. Some hair-loss sufferers use a combination of two products simultaneously to overcome the weaknesses of individual products and to achieve the most authentic shade and appearance. Most often a combination of a hair thickener and a microfibrous concealer is used. The results of such combinations are usually excellent even in people with very thin hair.

It can be concluded that wigs are more expensive and less comfortable than hair-loss concealers but they can cover a completely bald head, so they can also be used with burn patients and patients affected by alopecia areata, where concealers are of little help. Hair-loss concealers are convenient mainly for special occasions, when you want to look your best but many people use them permanently with great success.

There are three known causes and types of dandruff and each one of them has to be treated differently. For a start it sometimes helps to wash your hair more often and use a mild shampoo. In more severe cases it is advisable to try some of the special anti-dandruff shampoos freely available in pharmacies. For the most severe conditions you will have to ask your doctor to prescribe you a prescription strength shampoo or therapy.

Dandruff can be best described as excessive shedding of dead cells from the scalp. Shedding of dead skin cells is normal as long as it is not excessive. It is part of the normal process of cell renewal. The cells form in lower skin levels and are gradually pushed upwards by the new, growing cells that form underneath. By the time the cells reach the skin surface, they have died and become flat and they overlap each other like roof tiles and are ready to depart the scalp. In a normal, healthy scalp, the dead cells leave the surface unnoticeably. With dandruff, this renewal process is accelerated and a larger number of dead cells are shed, forming big clumps that are visible to the naked eye. Dandruff is very common and some estimates say that it affects up to 50% of the population at some point in their lives.

There are three known causes and types of dandruff and each one of them has to be treated differently. Some people mistake dandruff for dry scalp and start shampooing their hair less frequently, which, in the case of dandruff, leads to a worsening of their condition. The most common cause of dandruff is the overgrowth of a fungus that normally lives in our scalp called malassezia. This fungus feeds on the natural grease in the scalp, converting it into oleic acid. The reasons for the sudden proliferation of this fungus remain unknown.

Seborrhoeic dermatitis usually leads to a more severe form of dandruff than malassezia, causing greasy bran-like scales. Seborrhoeic dermatitis is often accompanied by skin inflammation that, besides the scalp, also affects the eyebrows, ears, the skin around your nose and the lines on your cheeks, forehead and armpits. In moderate climates this condition typically improves in summer as direct sunlight relieves its symptoms. Cradle cap, however frightening it may seem, is a mild form of seborrhoeic dermatitis affecting only infants and it clears itself by the time the baby turns one year old.

Psoriasis is the third known cause of dandruff, leading to its most serious form. It causes itchiness and inflammation of the skin and produces thick, silvery scales which occur most often in the scalp, knees and lower back. Psoriasis results in rapid shedding of the dead skin and, if this shedding occurs from the scalp, it is known as dandruff. This condition affects about 2% of the population and like the two aforementioned forms of dandruff, it is not contagious. An excessively oily scalp, hormonal imbalances, autoimmune disorders, elevated scalp sensitivity, heart problems, extreme stress, etc. are often associated with an increased occurrence of all forms of dandruff. It has also been observed that some cases of dandruff are triggered by chemicals contained in hair care products. However, the exact cause of any of the aforementioned dandruff-triggering conditions is not known.

When it comes to existing treatment options, for a start it sometimes helps to wash your hair more often and use a mild shampoo. In more severe cases it is advisable to try some of the special anti-dandruff shampoos freely available in pharmacies. For yet more severe cases you will need to ask your doctor to prescribe you a prescription strength shampoo, which typically contains the same active ingredients as OTC products but in a higher concentration. The active substances used in anti-dandruff shampoos can include any of the following: salicylic acid, zinc pyrithione, coal tar, selenium sulphide, sulphur, ketoconazole, corticosteroids and caffeine. Each one of them addresses the problem from a different angle. For the most serious conditions, corticosteroid and anthralin treatments will typically be prescribed by your dermatologist.

Spironolactone (trade name Aldactone) is a diuretic used to treat high blood pressure. It also possesses anti-androgenic properties and is used to treat acne, excess body hair and hereditary hair loss in women. When it comes to treating female hair loss spironolactone is considered to be the only alternative to the most powerful male hair loss pill Propecia (finasteride) although it has not been approved by the FDA as a hair loss treatment. However, due to its strong feminising effects oral spironolactone should not be used in men. Despite that many male hair loss patients are also experimenting with this drug. Caution is advised here as men should not take this drug orally and, if at all, should only use the topical applications. Spiro cream is one such application and it is relatively popular among male hair loss patients.

The problem with using spironolactone for treating female pattern baldness is to get it prescribed as most dermatologists have either never heard of spironolactone’s positive effects on hair loss in women and/or are not allowed to prescribe this drug to their patients. It very much depends on the country where you live and its legislation as well as the knowledge and experience of your doctor. Solution of the last resort is to buy spironolactone online. There are online pharmacies that may or may not require a prescription but many of them are ready to issue you one upon completion of the online consultation form. Should you decide to try this drug for your hair loss and should there be no other option to buy it than the online pharmacy make sure you get some advice from you doctor even though he/she cannot recommend and prescribe it to you and abandon the treatment immediately if any negative side effects emerge.

Hair loss can have different causes and forms. Hereditary hair loss is the most common type of baldness affecting more than one third of the male population and almost one quarter of females. This type of hair loss is characteristic of its horseshoe balding pattern in males. In addition to hereditary form of hair loss called male or female pattern baldness there are different other types of hair loss such as alopecia areata, which is the second most common form of baldness affecting about 2% of the population. Alopecia areata is often called patch baldness or spot baldness because of its characteristic patchy balding pattern and it is believed to be an autoimmune disease. And finally there are various other reasons why people lose their hair at some point in their lives such as hormonal changes, chemotherapy treatment, other diseases, etc but most of these conditions are reversible. Some forms of baldness can be treated with very good success and some not.

Hereditary hair loss is often difficult to treat and almost impossible to reverse, especially when the treatment starts after many years of balding. Alopecia areata is extremely unpredictable and even if you have managed to regrow your hair there is no guarantee that it will not be lost again a few years later. In such instances it seems more appropriate to mask your thin areas rather than hope for regrowth. Hair transplantation could be an elegant solution but it usually cannot be used in alopecia areta patients and in females suffering from diffuse form of hereditary hair loss. So in these instances it is hair systems such as full wigs, hairpieces, hair extensions, toupees, etc that can only give you the impression of having full head of hair. There are various types of wigs, whereas their prices largely depend on the type of hair used, manufacturing technology and the foundation of the wig. The prices can vary between a few hundred and several thousand dollars.

For those who only require quick fixes for some special occasions hair loss concealers are the most suitable option. They can cover your thin areas in minutes and have become extremely resistant to external factors so that you do not need to be afraid of rain or wind. They also look very authentic if you choose the right shade and apply them correctly. Their major weakness is that they can only be applied to areas where there is some hair left as they thicken the existing hair, add some fiber to it and paint the scalp in order to make it less visible. Hair loss concealers can also be used daily and most of them even enable you to continue with your routine topical hair loss treatment.