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I saw that Dr Farjo was quoted in this press release for some scalp roller. The link is here: Breakthrough Therapeutic Tool Presented to 400 Leading Hair Loss Surgeons.

It also says “Furthermore, the latest research on behalf of Intercytex by Dr Bessam Farjo, and pioneering studies by Dr George Cotsarelis provide evidence that Scalproller therapy may produce new hair growth independently of any other treatment.”

So is Dr Farjo endorsing this tool?? Thanks!

The following response is by UK-based physician Dr. Bessam Farjo:

Response by: Dr Bessam Farjo United Kingdom

Pangaea is a company I have known for about 10 years which started out making a scalp fibres camouflage product called Nanogen which we sell on to some of our patients. They have become involved in a variety of other hair products over the years, but earlier this year they approached me after the Intercytex data suggested scalp ’stimulation’ made a positive difference to the hair counts. They showed me their Scalproller device and they suggested it could help stimulate hair growth on the principle of causing scalp injury, and they also speculated that it would significantly aid minoxidil absorption into the scalp. They discussed a number of other interesting ideas and projects and I agreed that the principles behind their Scalproller suggestions are scientifically plausible. We are currently in discussions about writing appropriate protocols for clinical trials. I can not endorse the Scalproller device itself until further clinical research is at hand.

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Learn more about the author of this article, Dr. Bessam Farjo, on his BaldingBlog profile or at his website.

Using HairDX to help understand if continuing Propecia is appropriate

I’m 29 with a full head of hair, but it’s a bit thinner than it used to be. I started Propecia six months ago after having some miniaturization detected on the front and top of my scalp. I have yet to notice any positive impact from the drug, but feel Propecia might be affecting my sexual performance. Whether I’m imagining side effects or not, I have been thinking about decreasing dosage or stopping Propecia altogether — I’d rather not have to be on a ED drug in my 30s, especially if Propecia isn’t helping me.

Would it be worthwhile having the HairDX test done to help me weigh the costs and benefits of continuing Propecia? Furthermore, does HairDX offer any insight into how hair loss might progress over time, the degree of hair loss that might occur, or the minimum Propecia dosage I might respond to?

The CAG repeat test from HairDX (marketed as “Finasteride Response Test“), will tell you if you may respond to drugs like Propecia. Start from there and then discuss the findings with your doctor. To my knowledge, there is not direct quantification of the HairDX test for CAG and the dose required of drugs like finasteride.

The standard HairDX test won’t tell you how much hair loss you’ll see in the future — just whether you have the genetic markers for hair loss.

Hello. I’m a woman, 32 years old, and have been experiencing more shedding lately. I would like to know if Nizoral shampoo with 1% Ketoconazole effective in treating hair loss. I am thinking about buying it, but don’t want to waste the money if it’s ineffective. Also, how about Nioxin shampoo? Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. Have a good day!

Both are good shampoos, but neither have been proven to my satisfaction to treat hair loss. There’s some speculation that ketoconazole could be used as a hair loss treatment, but I’ve yet to see a sufficient study to show that (though many on the various web forums will gladly tell you otherwise). You’re welcome to try either or both…

Snippet from the press release:

Kevis the World’s Most Expensive Shampoo Cures Baldness

New Kevis shampoo fights the male sex hormone that causes baldness in both men and women.

Researchers discovered that castration at age 16 will cure male pattern baldness. Hippocrates was the first to recognize this cure; however it is not a commercially successful program.

Read the full press release at PRWeb.com

We have always commented over and over it is a buyer beware market and that there is no cure for baldness! From the press release, I am not sure what to make of the cost of the product, but it states: “Kevis now has this molecule bio-engineered at a cost of $60,000.00 per kilo.” I’m not sure what gold is going for nowadays, but this seems pretty expensive.

I have also seen many products claiming hair growth, but I am not sure how they have procured their ingredients. This one states, “Kevis discovered a complex molecule in the human umbilical cord and semen“. Umbilical cord and semen?!

For the record, I am not here to disprove a product’s claims, but merely to point out that you only have to pay $80 to make a press release on the website mentioned to reach “millions of potential customers”.

P.S. There is absolutely zero chance that this product will “cure baldness” as it states.

What is you opinion on the product Hair by Revitalash? Do you think it has potential as a hair loss treatment? I know you would have to be careful not to get it in your eyes.

This post gets two responses…

Response from Dr. William Rassman:

There is no proof that this product will work on scalp hair, although there are some doctors trying it with their own form of human experimentation. I will certainly let you know when there is a credible scientific study released. I spoke to a representative of the manufacturer and they are interested in learning if it has an effect on scalp hair loss but they have not begun testing it.

Response from Dr. Bessam Farjo:

Actually at the ISHRS annual meeting in Amsterdam 2 weeks ago, I (Dr. Bessam Farjo) presented some initial data from a study my centre is working on in collaboration with University of Bradford in the UK. Our work so far is on human hair in the laboratory, but there were encouraging results showing that Bimatoprost (the active ingredient in Latisse eyelash treatment) can make the hairs grow longer and faster and prolong the anagen (growing) phase. We also identified that there is a receptor for this compound in the hair follicles explaining its mechanism of action. Further work is ongoing and may in the near future result in a clinical trial that would show what value if any these medications have for scalp hair.

If I’m going for natural treatments for hairloss, what is defined as natural? I used to think anything I could buy over the counter was natural. Is any product with “Drug Facts” instead of “Supplement Facts” on the back not natural? But my salicylic acid acne medication and pyrithione zinc shampoo both say Drug Facts, and they seem natural. And I know you can buy Rogaine OTC, and that I know can have systemic side effects.

I would think a natural treatment is something that does not use medication or artificial chemicals; a treatment that is found in nature, as opposed to developed in a lab. This is called homeopathy.

The FDA allowed Rogaine (minoxidil) to be sold over the counter in 1996, but it was originally a prescription medication. Many drugs start out as prescription-only and are then approved for OTC sale. Rogaine is not considered a natural treatment, though. There isn’t a minoxidil tree or root. It seems in our society we gravitate towards things that are “natural” because we believe they must be better for us, but a natural treatment does not necessarily mean that there is no potential for side effects.

There are natural treatments that work very well for specific ailments. For example, saw palmetto is known to be effective in treating an enlarged prostate, but as I’ve written here many times before, I’m not convinced of its effectiveness as a hair loss treatment and it needs to be studied further. The Mayo Clinic has a good index of herbs, supplements, and vitamins that you should review. Check it out here.

Since there’s obviously a ton of money in hair loss products, why hasn’t anyone done a conclusive study on the effects of saw palmetto on hair loss? It seems like if it’s believed to help, a conclusive study would (if it’s found to slow loss) help products containing saw palmetto off the shelves

I agree that a better controlled study would help us understand the impact of saw palmetto on hair loss, provided it was dose response oriented. The reason that this is probably not being done is that there is no patent coverage available for this drug, so when a study comes out, anyone can profit from the sale of the drug (in this case it is an herbal remedy not a drug). So there’s money to be made if it shows the herb is effective… but one company financing the study will potentially open the floodgates for other companies to profit. This does not make for a good business proposition if you were paying for the study. In other words, studies are not cheap and who is going to finance it if the money can’t be made back?

There have been limited studies on this very subject in the past. One such study from 2002 contained only 19 men. Of those men, 60% showed “improvement”, but I don’t know if that means their hair looked thicker, darker, or there was actually more hair. Plus, it was just a pilot study and too small to be worthwhile in proving effectiveness.

Why do dandruff shampoos like Nizoral and pyrithione zinc supposedly help MPB? Perhaps there is indeed a connection between dandruff and MPB after all. Remember when everybody thought the world was flat, or that the universe revolved around the sun, or that DDT was safe for humans?

To my knowledge, there are no good scientific studies to prove that Nizoral (ketoconazole) or zinc pyrithione help prevent balding, but they seem to be valuable for the treatment of dandruff. If I told you that eating a branch from an oak tree 15 times a day helped with MPB, would you blindly accept what I said? (For the record, oak trees will not cause your hair to grow.)

I get your comparison, but science and study have improved quite a bit since the “world is flat” days.

thanks so much for your work with this blog. i am 25, with what i would describe as a hairline that has receded about 1.25 inches at the corners and generally thinned in the front. i have been putting some thought into propecia’s timeframe lately, and would love to hear your thoughts on this.

merck of course has their (FDA approved!) literature, about what to expect after 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, etc…there are of course many variables that go into the whole equation, but what are your thoughts on the ratio of time an individual has taken propecia/total time the individual has experienced some degree of hairloss? i have been taking for just under 4 months now, and not really noticed anything. some people lose hair quickly, what has happened with mine has happened over 3+ years.

would you hypothesize there is a correlation between not only degree of hairloss and propecia’s effectiveness, but also between the amount of time that hairloss occured versus how long a person has been taking propecia? thanks!

There is a genetic test called HairDX Test for Finasteride Response that can check your overall sensitivity to DHT blockers like finasteride, as we are all different genetically. It scores a CAG repeat test, and when the patient scores low (less than 22, for example) they will have a better response from finasteride than when the score is high (above 22). In this way, it is possible to find out your overall sensitivity to these drugs (hence, effectiveness). Add this into the other variables you mentioned above, and you can get a more clear picture of what my happen to you over time, but the reality may not be as simple as just getting a genetic test.

The medical profession is at the doorstep of understanding genetic tests like this and fitting them into the course of patient’s balding patterns and the rate of the balding process. At 4 months, there is just not enough time to know how you will respond to the drug, but at a year or so out you may know more. Finasteride does not work as well in the frontal hair at reversing the process as it does in the crown. You can get yourself tested with this genetic test to anticipate your personal response to finasteride, but what you do with the information is not easy to ascertain. You will have to sit down with your doctor to explore the process further.

In all people, the effectiveness of Propecia over time will change because the balding process will change (it is progressive) and the degree of change varies with the individual. There are no rules other than what I discussed above, but I believe that as long as the balding person is taking Propecia, the drug is effective. To prove this, stop taking it and see that the hair loss just gets worse in a matter of months. Actually, I don’t advise you to try to prove it, because the cost in hair loss would be too great.

Do you think it’s safe to use “Dermenodex Scalp Cleansing Shampoo” a few weeks after a hair transplant?

I have no experience in the use of Dermenodex, but based on what I read in this thread at the HairLossHelp forums, I would not use it.