Posts Tagged ‘Today’
2005 comments:
If there has ever been a drug that appeared to be close to a cure for MPB with no side effects, this was it. So what happened to it? That too is a bit of a mystery, but the general consensus is that the company never developed it for market for financial reasons after other drugs for MPB faired not nearly as well in the market place as was expected. It’s a real shame. After the article came out, I knew several enterprising people with enough money to have batches made up for their personal use, and they all said it was the best thing they had used topically.
Additional possible treatments
Avodart:
Recently, a dual inhibitor of both enzyme types (5ar-1 and 5ar-2) that convert testosterone to DHT has been approved for BPH. It’s called Avodart (dutasteride)and is made by GlaxoSmithKline. Finasteride was shown to reduce DHT by up to approximately 70+% or so, where as Avodart reduced DHT by 90-96% depending on dose (0.5mg – 2.5mg). So, this drug would appear more effective for treating MPB, and Glaxo’s data found 2.5mg of Avodart grew 1.5 times more hair compared to 5mg Finasteride over a 6 month period with approximately similar side effects as Finasteride.
Real world feedback is that it is indeed superior to Finasteride for MPB, but side effects are more common. Several doctors I know who prescribed it for MPB told me many men stopped using it due to side effects, so the claim that it has a similar incidence of side effects to Finasteride may not be true. However, it may be worth using topically mixed into some vehicle such as Minoxidil or some custom blend. There are many of them found on the internet in fact, and feedback is generally good. As stated, topical is never as effective as oral, but the side effects are minimized.
Flutamide and Spironolactone
Flutamide is not really a new drug, but an old drug being used for MPB. It’s a powerful anti -androgen used with men with prostate cancer. I consider the side effects for healthy men FAR too great to be used orally, though some men have gone that route. I think they’re crazy. However, topical versions are fairly common on the ?net and this may be viable alternative – albeit a less effective alternative -to oral administration. Pretty much everything I have said about Flutamide goes for Spironolactone. Gyno, reductions in sex drive, etc, is common in men taking it orally, but topical formulations exist and appear to be moderately effective, especially when combined with other compounds.
Best overall multi ingredient topical formula:
There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of topical formulas on the market. I have not viewed them all nor used them all. Keeping that in mind, my recommended all-in-one topical formula I recommend is Proxiphen produced by a Dr. Proctor out of Texas. Dr. Proctor is probably one of the foremost experts on MPB and one of the good guys in an otherwise shady industry. I have spoken to him many times and he knows his sh*%. Proxiphen contains minoxidil, as well as the prescription agents phenytoin and spironolactone, SODs, copper peptides, TEMPO, PBN…over a dozen active ingredients in all. Another plus is that Dr. proctor never sits on his success with Proxiphen in that he is constantly adding new compounds to the formula if he feels they show promise for MPB.
Because it contains prescription agents, Proxiphen can only be dispensed on a physician700s diagnosis of hair loss. This is not as big a deal as you may think, but you will have to see your doctor to get an official diagnoses of MPB. You do not have to travel to TX to get it, but your Doc will have to communicate with Dr Proctor for you to obtain Proxiphen. Dr, proctor does produce non prescription products that may also be worth a try, but none of them will be as effective as his prescription based product. Dr. proctor can be contacted at 800-926-1752 or 713-960-1616. Web site: www.drproctor.com
Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT)
99% of the time, something that looks like a scam and smells like a scam, is a scam. There is that 1% of the time when what looks rather scam-ish at first actually may work as claimed. Such may be the case with LLLT. Makers of LLLT devices have claimed for years they grew hair but there was no hard data to support it, and what the mechanism was was never really explained. Thus, I was very skeptical say the least.
I have had to alter that opinion however as a study published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Surgery and Aesthetic Dermatology ( Vol. 5, Number 2, 2003.) found LLLT may actually work as claimed. The study found increased hair counts and improved tensile strength in 28 men and 7 women who used the LaserMax Hair Comb for 6 months. The results were impressive and no side effects were reported as one would expect. I have also spoken to the director of one clinic that does many hair transplants and they find greatly increased healing rates post op using the laser comb. So, my opinion of this gizmo is guardedly positive and it may be worth incorporating into your hair loss prevention plan.
If All Else Fails!:
Ok, so you have tried most of the above, don’t want to try the above, or don’t have enough hair left on top of your head for the above to really make a difference, and you want information on transplants. As you know, when transplants first came out, they were pretty crude and looked pretty damn bad. Things have changed for the better in the last few years with some truly impressive results.
So, the good news is there are procedures that now look totally natural. Bad news, none are going to give you the hairline you had before you started losing your hair. You have to have realistic expectations here to begin with.
Ok, after a great deal of research I am of the opinion that the laser method is superior to other methods. There is a great deal of confusion out there regarding the laser method propagated by people using outdated information or fear of competition. People who put down the laser method claim all sorts of things that are simply not true today with the right laser being used by an experienced medical professional.
Before we get to that, a little background. Lasers are finding new applications in the medical and cosmetic field almost every day such, such as their use in surgery and the use of lasers in skin rejuvenation and resurfacing. It700s been slower in the field of hair transplantation using lasers. The reason for this is simple, the first generation of lasers used for hair transplants were non-pulsating CO2 lasers which caused damage to the local blood supply (dry hole) and poor hair growth resulted.
Keep in mind, blood supply to the transplanted follicle is essential for any growth to take place. Without adequate blood supply, the transplanted follicle simply dies. These older lasers caused thermal damage to the area (burned the area due to excessive heat from the laser), which of course is not what you want. This is the main criticism of the laser approach.
However, newer generation pulsating CO2 lasers showed a vast improvement in maintaining blood supply resulting in improved graft growth and survival of the transplanted hair. Later improvements added the Super Pulse laser which is a big improvement over older lasers that caused extensive thermal damage. Another type of laser that is used is the Erbium laser.
Both lasers appear to have their strengths and I have seen excellent results with either. The right laser in the hands of a doctor who has experience with this method does not hinder blood supply at all, and excellent graft growth follows after the hair follicle is transplanted. The laser greatly reduces actual surgery time and trauma to the area, so post op pain is reduced and recuperation time is also reduced.
Some other reasons the laser method is superior to having someone cut holes in your head with a scalpel or needle punch: every time a laser hole is made, bald tissue is actually being removed. This reduces the total amount of bald area present. This advantage is not seen when using a scalpel blade or needle to prepare recipient sites. Lasers also decrease the incidence of what is called “postoperative epidermal inclusion cysts.” These are ugly little bumps that often show up in the area of the transplanted hair, and they look like sh*$ to be honest.
There are yet more advantages to the use of the laser versus the “cold steal” methods (e.g., scalpel, needle punch, etc.) that I don700t have the space or need to cover. It’s the only method I have personally seen where I simply could not tell that work had been done on the person’s head until I saw the before pictures!
The clinic with probably the most experience with laser transplants is the Hair and Scalp laser Clinic in Clearwater Florida. The clinical director is John Satino and the doc doing the work is Dr. Markou. They can be reached at 1-800-883-4247 or 1-727-572-9344. Web site is www.hairscalplaserclinic.com
Now, if you can find someone in your area using the laser method who has real experience with it and can give you referrals to speak to regarding their work, by all means use them, but not many people are currently using the laser method for transplants. On a final note, I don’t want people to think there can’t be satisfactory results with some of the more traditional scalpel and needle punch methods, but in my opinion none of them are superior, or more natural looking, than the results achieved with the laser in the hands of an experienced medical professional.
Conclusion.
Ok, please don’t bombard me with questions about the latest greatest cure for hair loss you read about or are using. The above is about the only treatments I have any faith in. The longer I have been researching the topic the more I realize how few of the products out there actually work and what a vexing problem MPB is to solve. However, the information in this article is about as good as you are going to find in your attempt to not end up looking like the guy in the Gold’s Gym logo!