Hair Foundation Blog

In the Fall 2012 issue of Viva Internationale, Hair Foundation Chairman and President Dr. Matt Leavitt has a story on page 19 called, “Women and Hair Loss Solutions.”

Leavitt discusses hair loss for women and said for them as well as men, the most common cause is “androgenetic alopecia.” For women, hormonal imbalances are largely attributable for hair loss, including menopause.

There are different hair loss treatments and many people using ones that can be done at home. There are two FDA-approved ones and this includes the Hair Max Laser Comb and the over-the-counter topical drug which contains Minoxidil, such as Rogaine 2%.

Leavitt is proponent of the Laser Comb and explains some of its benefits in this article.

For additional information about the Hair Max Laser Comb, please see the website, www.hairmax.com or the www.hairfoundation.org for general questions about hair loss.

In recognition of August’s Hair Loss Awareness Month, the Hair Foundation has partnered with Viviscal®, the exclusive maker of supplements that contain the AminoMar C Marine Complex; this promotes thicker, longer, and faster growing hair.

As part of its month-long hair loss and hair care awareness campaign, Viviscal®, will donate 3% of its sales for every box to the Hair Foundation.

“We support the Hair Foundation’s charitable efforts to educate and reach out to consumers and health care professionals with hair care and hair loss concerns through their research, awareness and prevention programs and current information. The Hair Foundation’s mission to help the consumer aligns with our overall corporate mission of health and well-being,” said Mark Holland chief executive officer of Lifes2good, manufacturers of Viviscal.

“We are pleased to announce our partnership and the generous donation from Vivsical and its parent Company Lifes2good,” said Dr. Matt L. Leavitt, DO, President and Chair of The Hair Foundation. “We look forward to working with Lifes2good to support and improve our numerous education, outreach and research programs, including Operation Restore and Hugs-U-Wear.”

Hair loss strongly affects both men and women’s overall confidence and sex life. According to a recent survey released by Viviscal®, it disclosed that 96 percent of women suffering from hair loss feel that their hair is connected to their sense of beauty.

In addition, 55 percent of women feel they are negatively judged as a result of their thinning hair.

Leavitt said in response to the recent statistics from the study, “Hair loss can often be prevented or slowed, so early detection and treatment is crucial. There are many ways to stop hair loss before it becomes noticeable to others.”

He added, “Hair Loss affects over 56 million people in the U.S. Everyone can benefit from knowing how to properly care for their hair type and how to prevent, reduce and treat temporary and more permanent forms of hair loss and disease but most importantly, where to start.  We recommend finding a trusted professional who specializes in hair loss, disease, prevention, and treatment.”

To learn more about hair loss, please visit the Hair Foundation website.

This article was written by Dr. Paul Rose, MD, JD, FAAD. He is a member of the Hair Foundation’s Board of Trustees. 

A cocktail may provide the means for treating male and female hair loss as well as some diseases that cause hair loss. While it’s not a traditional cocktail made with the usual spirits and a twist of lime or an olive, it can contain a bit of alcohol and various ingredients to put hairs in the mood to grow.

The treatment is based on a very popular therapy in Europe termed mesotherapy. The basis of mesotherapy is to inject into superficial tissue small amounts of pharmaceutical medications as well as natural compounds into an area of injury or disease. Mesotherapy has been used to treat numerous athletic injuries, decrease fat, and other disorders.

Most recently some physicians have incorporated mesotherapy into the treatment of hair loss. These formulas, often referred to as “cocktails,” can contain medications such as minoxidil (Rogaine), finasteride (Propecia), latanaprost (Latisse), biotin, panthenol, vitamin B12, caffeine, melatonin, plant extracts such as chrysanthemum and hormones such as progesterone and estrogen.

The injections are placed at the level of the hair follicles in the fat and/or the level of the sebaceous glands in the dermis to try to deliver the medications more directly to the hair follicle bulbs and the bulge or stem cell area. The physician can inject the area manually or use a specially designed automated injection gun. The needles are often less than 5mm in length and very small in caliber.

The procedure involves minimal discomfort and patients can place a topical anesthetic in the area to limit any pain.

As this is a new modality for the treatment of hair loss, multi-center controlled studies are not available. The limited studies that have been done have shown positive results in maintaining hair, improving hair diameter and in some cases, promoting regrowth.

This is a guest post by the Hair Foundation’s contributor, Dr. Alfred Soffer, M.D. Cardiologist, Glenview, IL. He is the former  Editor and Chief of the Archives of Internal Medicine of AMA and Professor of Medicine.  

In this post, Soffer discusses mesotherapy.  

There has been a considerable amount of publicity in the media and on the Internet concerning mesotherapy for the treatment of hair loss. Anecdotal reports from enthusiastic advocates provide glowing testimonials of the treatment’s value.

The term mesotherapy was introduced in 1976 to describe the technique of injecting medications directly into the skin. In-house publications and company brochures recommend injection into the scalp from a cocktail of natural plant extracts, homeopathic agents,vasodilators, vitamins–and in some cases–minoxidil and finasteride. The ingredients are injected by needles either manually or through the use of a nasogun.

What do we know about the safety and efficacy of this approach as treatment for hair loss?

A Google search using the key words hair loss and mesotherapy elicits 209,000 results. However, a search for authoritative medical information using the same keywords provides only two references!

Eschewing personal anecdotal evidence, these scientific studies report data derived from impartial, scientifically-controlled investigations. Based upon such study, the status of mesotherapy is as follows:

1) Data on the safety and efficacy of this injection therapy has not been obtained in any peer-reviewed investigations.

2) Data evaluating the rationale and pharmacology of the herbal concoctions and allopathic medications used in these treatments have not been obtained.

There are no clearcut guidelines for dosage or efficacy of these products.

Mesootherapy is not entirely safe as publicized. Serious side effects such as infections have occurred. Therefore, it is evident that the clinical use of this technique is not justified. Controlled clinical trials are necessary to validate safety and efficacy yet thousands of gullible patients turn to monotherapy and ignore these admonitions.

Will we ever learn?

Advocates of unproven therapy would be wise to emulate the wisdom and caution of Benjamin Franklin and President George Washington. Franz Messmer (1734 – 1815), a Paris-based physician, utilized hypnosis in the treatments for his patients-hence the term mesmerize.

His enormous popularity, however, was based upon his advocacy of magnetic treatments. He maintained that he could cure many illnesses by manipulating a patient’s animal magnetism. One of the ways of doing this was to prescribe magnetically-treated water.

In 1785,  Louis XVI convened a Royal commission to test Messmer’s claims. The three members of this commission included Benjamin Franklin, Lavoisier (father of modern chemistry) and Dr. Guillotine, the famous physician whose invention removed the head of his friend Lavoisier.

After conducting numerous experiments, the commission concluded that the so-called magnetic therapy had no effect upon the illnesses Messmer had been treating with his magnetized liquid. Any therapeutic effect was based entirely on the enthusiastic expectations of the patient.

This is an excellent expression of what is now called the placebo effect.

The commission’s report put a damper on Messmer’s reputation and popularity. However, there was one distinguished layman who continued to believe fervently in the infinite value of this technique, in spite of the unequivocal findings of the Royal commission:  Lafayette. He was a revered hero in France and a soldier also honored in the United States.

With the fanatical zeal of a convert, he traveled to America to tell his friend George Washington about this miracle. Wisely, Washington replied that before he would choose to recommend this new approach in medicine  it would be necessary to obtain additional information on its therapeutic value.

In summary, there are evident similarities between the Lafayette and the mesotherapy constituencies of 2012. However, there is a distinct difference between believers. Magnetic water is a placebo without toxic effects. Its only danger, as with all placebos, is a delay in accurate diagnosis and therapy.

However, in addition to its status as a placebo, mesothapy can also be associated with significant side effects.

In a new report in the The Archives of Dermatology it discusses a new procedure to restore receding hairlines: transplanting leg hair. Yes, in what may be the first documented case study, it disclosed that hair follicles had been taken from the legs of male patients and grafted to the back of their heads to restore their hairlines, according to The New York Times.

The treatment is for androngenic alopecia (male-pattern hair loss) and it could help millions of men who struggle with this self-conscious ailment. This hair loss usually starts at the hairline and subsequently makes a horseshoe-shaped pattern around men’s ears.

It is seen largely as a genetic condition.

So how did the idea to use leg hair begin? According to Dr. Sanusi Umar, associate instructor of dermatology at the University of California, Los Angeles Medical  School and author of the new report, he saw a few problems with the usual methods to combat hair loss, including his own experience.

He explained, “If you look at a natural hairline, it’s very soft, like baby hair. The back of the head is where you find the thickest hair on the head. If you take that hair and use it in the hairline, it can end up looking harsh and pluggy, because the hair is too thick.”

Dr. Umar should know; he has suffered from his own hair loss. In 1996, while working as an internist, he underwent a “traditional” hair transplant but wasn’t happy with how things turned out. Umar commented, “That inspired me to go into dermatology.”

He began seeking a solution and looked at “advanced body hair transplantation” or the “U-graft method.” This included searching for hair on the body but not all patients have the same amount.

Umar also read a 2008 report that showed transplanted leg hair can survive and then naturally grow on the back of a man’s head, according to The New York Times. He also discovered the hair could make a softer, more realistic hairlines. Umar said, “If you transplant leg hair on the head, it’s not going to start acting like head hair. It will still grow shorter and slower than scalp hair.”

Case Results

Dr. Umar tried the technique on two patients in his California-based office who had been unhappy with traditional transplants. One patient, a 35-year-old man, “was self-conscious about the problem and resorted to styling his hair forward to obscure the hairline.”

The second patient, a 29-year-old man, thought his hairline after the transplant appeared “harsh and straight” which led him to cut his hair to hide the problem.

By placing patients under local anesthesia, Dr. Umar utilized an instrument that made microscopic wounds around the hair follicles in the back of the leg; they were removed and subsequently transplanted to one’s hairline. He took about 1,000 leg hair follicles and implanted them individually onto the patient’s head.

The removed hairs didn’t leave spots on the legs from the removal and there was minimal scarring.

According to Dr. Umar, approximately 75 to 80 percent of the transplanted leg hair successfully grew on the  heads. He said both patients were happy with the results and in his report, he wrote about the 35-year-old patient, “The hairline was fully grown and soft-looking by nine months at which time the patient started combing his hair backward and sporting a ponytail, exposing his hairline comfortably.”

Dr. Umar has conducted eight additional procedures, including one on a female patient. The procedure includes 1,500 to 1,800 follicles and takes place over two visits (three to five days each) through a year’s time. But it comes at a high cost: $7 to $10 per hair follicle graft. The bill could cost thousands of dollars.

Would you be willing to try it?

In newly released research on finasteride conducted over two years, it found that hair growth increased in four scalp areas affected by male pattern baldness and reduced hair loss in two or more of these areas. This varied on the patient’s age.

The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology published the research online last week.

A group of doctors from Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C. conducted the research through randomized, double-blind multicenter studies, according to HealthDay News. Men with vertex hair loss took either finasteride (1 mg/d) or an identical placebo for two years. The study had been divided into two age groups: 18-41 and 41-60.

To determine the effectiveness of the finasteride treatment, standard global photographic assessment of the vertex, anterior/mid-scalp regions, and frontal and temporal hairlines had been reviewed to see if it worked for treating male pattern baldness.

When looking at the results versus the placebo, researchers discovered that finasteride increased hair growth in the four scalp regions after two years of treatment. In addition, the young men treated with finasteride incurred less hair loss in the four regions but the older group experienced less hair loss in the vertex and anterior/mid-scalp regions.

Drug-related sexual side effects for both age groups were slightly higher with the finasteride treatment as compared to those who took the placebo.

The authors of the study wrote, “In conclusion, treatment with finasteride (1 mg) improves scalp hair growth and decreases hair loss in the four regions of the scalp affected with male pattern hair loss. The greatest effects were seen in the vertex and anterior/mid-scalp regions, with greater efficacy seen in younger compared with older men.”

Merck, the manufacturer of finasteride, provided funding for the study with several of the study’s authors having financial ties to the company.

Recently, Aderans Research has been in the news a lot for its work in cell-based solutions. In January, the company discussed its Ji Gami™ family of cell products at the 2012 Winter Clinical Dermatology Conference in Maui and its expansion  to four new cities for its ongoing trials.

The Hair Foundation’s Vice Chair, Ken Washenik, M.D., Ph. D. is involved in the trials through his role as Aderan’s Chief Executive Officer.

Aderans is a subsidiary of Aderans Co., Ltd, the world’s largest wig manufacturer, and affiliate of Bosley, global leaders in surgical hair restoration, where Washenik is the Medical Director.

In this video from the 4th International Congress Research Against Hair Loss , Washenik discussed the most advances in hair cloning.

Take a look.

Presentation by Dr. Ken Washenik on Hair Cloning

This is a guest post by the Hair Foundation’s contributor, Dr. Alfred Soffer, M.D. Cardiologist, Glenview, IL. He is the former  Editor and Chief of the Archives of Internal Medicine of AMA and Professor of Medicine.  

In this post, Soffer discusses hair loss, false claims and natural alternatives.  

Are you worried about losing your hair? According to claims on a prominent website, this offers no problem. The company’s multicolored, multipage advertisement offers products for concerned individuals struggling with baldness, hair loss, and alopecia.

One of their products is a “hair loss survival kit, travel size.” Don’t leave home without it!

Can we assume that the kit contains either Rogaine (minoxidil) or Propecia (finasteride)? After all, they are currently the only two products in the United States proven to limit hair loss and promote hair growth. They have received FDA  approval as a result of the data obtained in scrupulously controlled clinical trials.

Our assumption is erroneous. The “ hair loss survival kit “ contains only herbal-based shampoos.

For the non-traveler, this distributor of herbal pills recommends saw palmetto and Kava root powder. Their hawking of ineffectual compounds is representative of the staggeringly large number of similar websites. One “doctor  of neuropathy” claims that “my herbal therapy for alopecia is 100% effective.”

Under the heading of “herbal hair loss treatment” another herbalist urges the consumer to “apply red pepper flesh directly to the scalp.”

All of these fanciful claims which appear on the Internet, in magazines, and in the media have one thing in common: they offer compounds which are entirely ineffective for the treatment of hair loss. In a definitive analysis, the National Council Against Health Fraud reported that herbal product vendors benefit from societies with a romanticized view that equates “natural” with “safe.”

Unfortunately the assumption that natural products are safe is false. Herbal remedies are being marketed as “dietary supplements.” As a result, consumers are being denied the most fundamental information and assurances of quality and efficacy.

It is vitally important to determine the reasons for either hair loss or poor hair growth in each individual. The status of health or disease of one’s hair can provide valuable diagnostic clues regarding the presence of pathologic phenomena  elsewhere in the body. Continued  use of  futile remedies as a substitute for clinical evaluation may result in a delay to obtaining the correct  diagnosis and instituting appropriate therapy.

The Hair Foundation’s president and chairman, Dr.Matt Leavitt, D.O. recently emphasized that diabetes can initially appear with the loss of hair. Iron deficiency and a number of other hormonal diseases, along with diabetes, may be manifested initially by hair loss or poor hair growth.

The death of Steve Jobs is a tragic example of the dangers of using futile scientifically-unproven therapy. The diagnosis of pancreatic cancer was made at a time when surgical intervention may have resulted in a full cure. Instead, Jobs insisted on first using acupuncture, colonic irrigation, and “natural” compounds for a period of nine months.

Eventually surgery was performed, but by then it was too late to effect a cure.

At the recent 2012 Winter Clinical Dermatology Conference in Maui, the Hair Foundation’s Vice Chair, Dr. Ken Washenik, M.D, Ph.D., gave a presentation called, “Emerging Therapies for Hair Loss.”  It focused on new and breakthrough treatments in hair loss, such as clinical treatments.

Another topic in Washenik’s discussion was the progress Aderans Research has made on the Ji Gami™ family of cell products. This is a key component in the company’s cell-based solutions to androgenetic alopecia (pattern hair loss), according to a press release.

Washenik serves as the company’s chief executive. Earlier this month, Aderans Research announced the expansion of its hair loss clinical trials to four new cities. With almost 350 subjects, this trial represents one of the largest for researching cell-based solutions for pattern hair loss.

Aderans Research has been a pioneer in the research and development of safe, effective cell engineered products for hair regeneration. The Atlanta-based company is a subsidiary of Aderans Co., Ltd, the world’s largest wig manufacturer, and an affiliate of Bosley, a global leader in surgical hair restoration.

In addition to his presentation on hair loss, Washenik was also a participant in an audience question and answer session comprised of practicing dermatologists.

Joining Washenik at the conference were two other Hair Foundation members. The doctors sat on the following panels.

Hair Foundation Scientific Advisory Council Member Dr. Valerie Callender, M.D

Clinical and Therapeutic Challenges in Medical Dermatology: Sweat, Hair, Pigmentary Disorders and Warts and Management of Pigment Disorders

Hair Foundation’s Board of Trustees secretary Dr. Zoe Diana Draelos,  M.D., FAAD

Cosmeceuticals in Dermatology and Clinical and Therapeutic Challenges in Appearance Procedures

This is a guest post by the Hair Foundation’s contributor, Dr. Alfred Soffer, M.D. Cardiologist, Glenview, IL. He is the former  Editor and Chief of the Archives of Internal Medicine of AMA and Professor of Medicine.  

In this post, Soffer discusses hair loss and acupuncture. 

“There must be something to acupuncture-you never see any sick porcupines.”

Bob Goddard is the author of these words and obviously considered the needles (quills) of the porcupine to be an indispensable asset.

Does acupuncture play a similarly felicitous role in human health and disease? Does the insertion of needles into the scalp prevent hair loss and encourage hair growth?

The answer is a resounding yes from an increasingly large number of acupuncturists.

In a promotional brochure, a group of acupuncturists’ state, “Acupuncture prevents hair loss by stimulating qi, the life force energy running throughout the body. Chinese medicine teaches us that qi circulates through channels called meridians which are connected to critical body organs.”

Another group boasts their method will regrow hair. They use a special hammer with needles placed in a star shape on the hammer face. The acupuncturist presses the hammer against a number of spots on the scalp.

The results, according to these devotees of Oriental therapy, are “this treatment, combined with traditional Chinese herbal medications will stop hair loss and promote growth of healthy hair.”

There is a common theme in the acupuncturists’ advertisements and websites. They are enamored of the supposed wisdom inherent in traditional Chinese medicine.

Where lies the truth?

The reputation of acupuncture in the West rose and fell within 10 years. There was uncritical acceptance following President Nixon’s visit to China. It’s now highly likely that many of the demonstrations involving surgery had been faked inasmuch as acupuncture had been supplemented by local anesthetics and sedatives.

In 1975, I witnessed a thyroidectomy performed under acupuncture in a Shanghai hospital. We had not been told that many patients received potent opiates before they reached the surgical theater.

A similar deception occurred as recently as 2006. (SING and ERnST).

Fortunately, the medical community outside of China insisted that acupuncture must be evaluated in clinical trials with scrupulous guidelines of objectivity. Beginning in the 1970s, a massive research program was implemented to test the effects of acupuncture upon a variety of diseases.

The results were unequivocal.

The institution, the National Council Against Health Fraud, reported the following:

1.  The theory and practice of acupuncture are based upon primitive and fanciful concepts of health and disease that bear no relationship to present scientific knowledge. There is no evidence to demonstrate the existence of qi or meridians.

2.  Research in the past 20 years has failed to demonstrate that acupuncture is effective against any disease.

3.  Perceived effects of acupuncture are probably due to expectation or suggestion.

4.  Risks exist. Acupuncture has caused fainting, local hematoma, local infection, hepatitis B, bacterial endocarditis and nerve damage.

This is where we stand in 2012.

If the primary clinical effects of acupuncture are manifestations of the power of suggestion, then it is a placebo which carries risks. Acupuncturists contend that their methods alleviate some types of pain and nausea.

We may counter these unproven claims by pointing out that the physician can choose safer, less expensive and scientifically-proven effective medication to treat these same conditions. Similar cautions apply to acupressure, moxibustion (ground herbs burn above the skin and heat acupuncture points) and forms of acupuncture involving laser lights or electricity.

When reading the mystical claims of acupuncturists, we would be wise to observe  Mark Twain who wrote, “Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.”