Hair Restoration Blog

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.

I just read a new article presenting an interesting case presentation and thought it might be useful for the readers of our hair restoration blog.  The article is published in the Journal of American Academy of Dermatology this month (July 2009).

It goes over mesotherapy, a remedy that has been proposed for hair loss and its adverse side effects.  Mesotherapy has recently become an advertised method for the treatment of different types of alopecia despite the lack of any data regarding its efficacy and possible side effects. The substances injected into the scalp include “cocktails” of natural plant extracts, homeopathic agents, vitamins, vasodilators, and drugs that may stimulate hair growth such as finasteride and minoxidil.

The authors report two cases of patchy alopecia that developed after mesotherapy for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia. In the first patient, alopecia developed after injections of the heparinoid vasodilator mesoglycan; the 3-month follow-up examination revealed a small residual area of cicatricial alopecia. The second patient developed reversible alopecia after multiple scalp injections of homeopathic agents. These cases underline the possible risks of mesotherapy as a therapeutic technique for hair loss.

This could be considered another modality that was presented for male hair loss without a solid value like many other similar hair loss products.  We have always said in this blog that the hair loss product market is a “buyer beware” market and you need to do your research and, preferably, discuss with your doctor before you try any new modality for treatment of your hair loss.

Q:

Hi Doctor,

Can I use Biotin for my hair loss in addition to Propecia?

A:

Biotin is also known as vitamin H or B7 that has the chemical formula C10H16N2O3S, is a water-soluble B-complex vitamin.  Biotin is necessary for cell growth, the production of fatty acids, and the metabolism of fats and amino acids. It plays a role in the Citric acid cycle, which is the process by which biochemical energy is generated during aerobic respiration.  Biotin is often recommended for strengthening hair and nails.  Consequently, it is found in many cosmetic and health products for the hair and skin.

However, deficiency is very rare, as intestinal bacteria is generally produced when an excess of the body’s daily requirements are exceeded.  For that reason, in many countries, daily intake of vitamins are not recommended for healthy individuals.  So although lack of Biotin may cause hair loss in the people with mal-absorption, normal and healthy individuals do not lose hair due to Biotin deficiency so they do not need extra Biotin to help their hair condition.

Q:

My hair is very thin and I want to strengthen it. There are two products I tried before, one suggested by my hairdresser called “Chronostin” and the other one prescribed by my skin doctor, called Minoxidil, Estradiol Vateral, Esopropyl Acohol, if I read it correctly.

I would highly appreciate your advice,
Best regards,

A:

It was good that you saw a dermatologist.  I am sure you have been examined by your doctor for miniaturization of the hair as part of his diagnostic for male patterned hair loss.  Combining minoxidil with other hormonal medications is not proven to add any value to its effect for the treatment of hair loss.  The doctor who put you on minoxidil probably diagnosed male pattern baldness.   If that is the case you can benefit from using finasteride as well which is a medication with more potency in comparison to minoxidil based on several studies.

I have not heard of Chronostim which was recommended to you by your hairdresser.  However, I did some research on it. Chronostin is claimed to be a solution that allows it to act on the group of factors which play a part in the loss of hair. It has both morning and evening solutions where the day one serum contains sabal enriched in lauric acid (seborrhea regulating ), tocopherol Nicotinate (microcirculation stimulating, oxygenating bulbar), glycyrrhetinic Acide béta (reinforces the activity of 5-alpha réductase), Excipient alcohol-silicone, and Perfume- hypoallergenic.

Chronostim ” NIGHT” has extract of Ruscus enriched in Neoruscine (stimulating of the VEGF), Diguanosine tétraphosphate (GP4G) (cellular stimulant), Piroctonolamine (cleansing, anti-irritant). Excipient hydro-alcoholic, Perfume- hypoallergenic.

Sounds confusing, Right?  These components have not been studied through medical research as to have any effect on male hair loss in this combination.

I would stick with finasteride (Propecia) if it is OK with your dermatologist.  Obviously, if you continue to have hair loss or currently have a balding area, hair transplant surgery is probably the answer to restore the balding area.

–
Best,

Parsa Mohebi, M.D.
Medical Director
US Hair Restoration

Dear Parsa Mohebi,

I hope you’re doing great. I hope you also remember me - it’s ….. - I visited your office in January in Mission Viejo, California. I am currently in Dubai! Thank you for the letter which you sent me regarding the tests I should take. I appreciate the time you took out for me. I have taken the tests and wait for the results.

I wanted to ask you a question regarding the hair growth. Recently I was going through some websites and landed on a product called ScalpMed.  I was quite alarmed at how this product worked (as it says it does). I am aware that there are numerous type of products available in the market but for some reason this really got me interested. Can you please have a look at it and advice me whether or not to take it seriously?

I appreciate for your time. Looking forward to hear from you!

A:

As my patients ask, I often answer questions on hair loss products on this blog.  Scalp Med makes a series of products for hair loss and hair thickening.  They are put together as different kits such as a Detoxifying Cleanser Kit, Scalp Med For Women and Mega-Multi Vitamins.  Scalp Med ads, like many hair loss products, claim that they are FDA approved hair loss products. You can find many pictures, testimonies and so on from balding patients who try to promote the product.  Here are the ingredients of Scalp Med:

Scalp Med has different products including topical Vitadil-5A for men, Vitadil-2A for women, topical NutriSol-RM, and Cortex Enlarger hair thickening spray.  The firs two Vitadils are topical solutions that contain minoxidil, which is also the key component of Rogaine.  They claim that they have a unique delivery agent formulated to increase the absorption of minoxidil in men and women.

When it comes to NutriSol-RM and Cortex Enlarger thickening spray, Scalp Med is a bit more vague as to its ingredients. Basically, other than the active ingredient minoxidil, the other ingredients do not seem to be scientifically proven to help the growth and health of hair. The cleansers that are put into many hair loss products should not do anything with the growth of your hair and advertising on the effect of better cleanser for hair growth is more like a myth.

My recommendation to you is to complete your medical evaluation to make sure you are not losing your hair due to a treatable cause.  If you are diagnosed to have a typical female patterned hair baldness, then you can use Rogaine.

Respected sir,

I am XX from India, age 23 male. My problems are that I don’t have complete baldness problem. like before my hair growth was very good nice curly hair thick hair and I don’t have genetic hair baldness because my father age is 51 he has got normal hair .my problems is that the growth, thickness, hair fall and like more hair I hope u understand  this thing r missing . One more reason is that I have tension .well I don’t used more shampoo or any chemical but some time I used hair gel and that also I stop .so please tell what the cure or any vitamins  please help me out .

A:

Hi there,

Age 23 is the time that most people with male pattern hair loss start seeing some degrees of baldness. You did also mention that your father is not bald. Although it could be related to men’s hair loss in its typical form or male patterned alopecia is a genetic condition, many people may not find baldness in their immediate relatives. In other words, the gene expression for hair loss may skip some generations. A small group of men with hair loss may suffer from other types of hair loss such as alopecia areata, cicatricial alopecia or other rare balding conditions.

You need to see a good hair specialist who can examine your hair and come up with an accurate diagnosis for your hair loss condition before you can start on any hair loss medication or treatment. I generally spend around one hour with every new patient to evaluate the hair loss and to come up with a proper treatment plan in our California hair transplant centers. Most shampoos, conditioners, lotions or vitamins that are extensively marketed for hair loss do not really help stop the hair loss or re-grow hair. If you have male patterned baldness, there are some medications that can stop your hair loss. You may as well need a hair transplant to restore the hair that cannot be restored by means of medical treatment.

A Los Angeles Hair Restoration patient asked me today about Kevis products for medical hair loss treatment in men the other day. His father used to use those hair loss products when he was in Europe and He recommended that he can use them as well. I had to do some research on the website of the company to find out what are the ingredients of this presumed hair loss medication.

Kevis products are claimed to be natural and chemical drug-free. They work through the biological compound, hyaluronic acid, which is found in eyes and joints in its highest concentration.

Kevis uses a high-molecular-weight product called HUCP, to address hair loss and follicular mal-nutrition. HUCP is claimed that it directly impacts hair follicles, cuticles, and shafts in a positive way, bringing about stronger, thicker, and healthier hair. HUCP also hydrates and balances the moisture levels in hair and the skin of the scalp.

Kevis hair loss prevention and hair care products gently clean hair and selectively remove residue from the scalp, encouraging follicular health and greater natural hair production.

It is all nice to have a product to help cleaning the scalp and the root of our hair and also to keep the moisture to the hair shaft, but neither dryness nor dirtiness of hair is the cause of hair loss. I could not find a significant research on the effect of any of those ingredients on the health and growth of hair. We at our Los Angeles hair transplant clinics of US Hair Restoration recommend products with solid medical research showing their effectiveness and safety.

Q:
Does your new Irvine facility sell toppik hair fibers? Is it safe to use daily or soon after a hair transplant until the hair grows?

Hope to hear from you soon.

Thank you.

A:
We don’t sell any products in any of the offices of US Hair Restoration, but you can easily buy Toppik online through several websites.

Toppik is made of several inert substances that none of them affect the progress of the hair loss or gain.

If you are planning to have a hair transplant surgery, you need to stop using Toppik for the first four days after your hair transplant when the process of healing of the transplanted grafts is not finished. You can start using it again as early as day 5 after your hair transplant surgery when the healing process of transplanted grafts is considered to be completed.

Have a great weekend.

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?