Wednesday, 30 November 2011

Male Pattern Baldness Remedies Cleared By The Fda

Discovering that you are losing your hair is not a pleasant experience. Male pattern hair loss affects millions every year. Young men in their twenties and even teenagers are not immune from this traumatic experience.

Male
pattern baldness is not caused by eating unhealthy and wearing hats as some may say. One of the biggest myths about male pattern hair loss is that it is caused by unhealthy eating habits. The truth is that there are many people with unhealthy eating habits with a head full of hair.

Male pattern baldness is hereditary. Even if your immediate parents have not experienced hair loss it can be inherited from grandparents since it can easily skip generations. Men who carry this gene begin to lose their hair at some point in their life due to having hair follicles that are sensitive to an androgen produced in the body called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). When an enzyme in our bodies called 5 alpha reductase mixes with testosterone it produces the androgen dihydrotestosterone.


DHT attaches to our hair follicles and this attachment does not allow blood to flow freely to the scalp. The result is thinner hair which eventually falls off. One of the most popular treatments is a prescription drug called Propecia.


Propecia is a drug that is taken once a day. It is cleared by the FDA for the promotion of hair growth in men who have
male pattern hair loss. Propecia works by inhibiting the 5 alpha reductase enzyme which results in the body producing less testosterone. This treatment either stops the hair loss in some men or slows it down and in some cases does nothing.

Some men are able to thicken the hair that was thin after a period of time on Propecia. It is important to understand that Propecia can cause serious side effects in some men. Some of the side effects are loss of libido, gynecomastia (breast tenderness or enlargement), and many have reported other serious side effects. Always speak to your doctor if you decide this is something you may want to use and always monitor yourself.


Minoxidil is another drug cleared by the FDA for the promotion of hair growth in men who have
male pattern baldness. It is available over the counter and it is applied directly to the scalp. Minoxidil works by reducing DHT levels on the scalp.

The third product cleared by the FDA for the promotion of hair growth in men who have male pattern hair loss is the Hairmax laser comb. This product is not a drug therefore a prescription is not necessary. The Hairmax laser comb is a device that provides the scalp with low level laser therapy (lllt).


Low level laser therapy is used as a remedy for inflammations, acne, wounds and more. lllt stimulates our hair follicles or cells to be able to fulfill their functions. Our hair follicles happen to be cells and when they receive lllt they are also energized to full fill their functions.


The laser comb helps promote blood flow to the scalp and since the cells are energized with the laser they are able to filter the waste from blood which includes DHT. The Hairmax laser comb is a good treatment for men who want to thicken their hair and halt or slow down their hair loss without experiencing the side effects that are caused by drugs.


The Hairmax Laser Comb, Minoxidil, and Propecia are the three products cleared by the FDA for the promotion of hair growth and some people use them in conjunction to enhance their results.


There are natural treatments that some have found to be effective that are not cleared by the FDA. Always do your research before starting any treatment because there are scams that like to prey on desperation and just because a product claims to be natural it does not mean that the treatment is free from side effects.

Wednesday, 16 November 2011

Stem Cell Science: Hope On The Horizon For Male Pattern Baldness

Stem cell science has put forth a theory that reports that adult stem cells can be used for hair regrowth in males who are suffering from male pattern hair loss. Scientists have been focusing on capabilities of stems cells for many years regarding their role in treating male pattern baldness and other types of permanent hair loss.

Stem cell theory of hair regrowth.


It has been discovered by Professor George Cotsarelis and colleagues at University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia that in men with
male pattern baldness, stem cells are present in the hair follicles of both bald and hairy regions in the scalp. Also, it is found that bald people have same number of stem cells as anyone else.

Adult stem cells have the ability to self-renew, which makes them different from other cells in the body. In this self-renewal process, a stem cell can replicate itself and make new stem cells, which are further capable of dividing and transforming into specialized cells. When these stem cells are manipulated into hair follicles, they replace the shrunk follicles and can produce new hair. With further research in the stem cell science, the thought of suffering from male pattern baldness will never again be of concern.

Impaired stem cells may cause male pattern baldness


It has been found that faulty stem cells can also be the cause of onset of male pattern baldness. A research was done on 54 men with male pattern baldness. The hair follicles were compared from bald and hairy regions of these men. Similar numbers of stem cells were found in both bald and hairy patches. But in the bald patch population of hair follicle, the progenitor cell was depleted. It was concluded that the stem cells in hair follicles of bald patches are defective in nature and are unable to mature into follicle progenitor cells that are necessary for hair regrowth.

Researchers concluded that there is a wide prospect of reversing
baldness as there are normal numbers of stem cells in bald patch of the scalp. They hope to develop a treatment to reactivate the stem cells in the hair follicle and restore the normal function of hair follicles. This can lead to increased levels of progenitor cells and normal hair growth.

Propecia – The hair loss medication for men


Propecia finasteride is an FDA-approved prescription medication that is used to treat male pattern baldness or alopecia. It offers the best hair loss treatment for men suffering from male pattern hair loss. Propecia pill works by preventing the conversion of a male hormone, testosterone into DHT (dihydrotestosterone), which is known to cause alopecia. You should have your condition diagnosed with a doctor to get a prescription for Propecia as it has some mild side-effects in about 1%-2% men. But, even considering its mild-to-moderate side effects, its effectiveness has made it widely accepted treatment for
male pattern baldness.