New Medication for Treatment of Hair Loss in Men
Sunday, October 12th, 2008
There is just another study on a potential new medication that could be used for treatment of hair loss. Currently, there are only two FDA approved medications for male patterned baldness or typical men hair loss in United States. The two medications that we have extensively discussed on this web site are finasteride (Propecia) and minoxidil (Rogaine).
The article “Effect of Cuscuta reflexa Roxb on androgen-induced alopecia” was published in the Journal of cosmetic dermatology September 2008. The research is done in India and the authors discuss the significance of hair loss in men and the effect of androgenetic alopecia on millions of men and women. They classify typical men hair loss as androgen-driven disorder. They used Cuscuta feflexa Roxb for hair growth activity in androgen-induced alopecia.
The authors of the article used petroleum ether extract of C. reflexa for its hair growth-promoting activity on albino mice. They induced male patterned alopecia in mice by testosterone administration for 20 days. The inhibition of baldness by simultaneous administration of the extract was evaluated using follicular density, anagen/telogen ratio, and microscopic observation of skin sections. To investigate the mechanism of observed activity, in vitro experiments were performed to study the effect of extract and its major component on activity of 5alpha-reductase enzyme.
The researchers announced that petroleum ether extract of C. reflexa exhibited promising hair growth-promoting activity as reflected from follicular density, anagen-telogen ratio, and skin sections. Inhibition of 5alpha-reductase activity by extract and isolate suggest that the extract reversed androgen-induced alopecia by inhibiting conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone. They concluded that the petroleum ether extract of C. reflexa and its isolate is useful in treatment of androgen-induced alopecia by inhibiting the enzyme 5alpha-reductase.
This hair loss research needs more research on human volunteers on a long period of time before it can be considered as a balding treatment. There must also be more research done on the application of the product on human in terms of medication side effects and its comparison with currently available medications for treatment of hair loss.
We at US Hair Restoration continue to follow on the most advanced investigations and researches on hair loss treatment. We keep our patients and the readers of hair restoration blog updated with the new information and medical technology to improve the quality of our hair restoration treatments at our Los Angeles hair restoration clinics.
