Hairloss FAQ - General Questions from the Regrowth Web Site By John Ertel May 1, 1999

What is the best product, if any, for the front, or horseshoe effect of the head, if you have no problem with the top of your head?
There is no product currently available which has been well tested on the frontal portion of the head. Certainly any product that works elsewhere on your head should have at least some effect on the front. There is a myth that Minoxidil does not work on the front of the scalp. This is not entirely true. It does not work for some people in the front (probably as many as it doesn't work for at all). However it does work on the front for some people. Upjohn's tests were only on the vertex of the head and the FDA only approved claims that it would work on the vertex. On Upjohn's own Rogaine site it says that they can not make such claims since they have not performed appropriate testing for them according to FDA rules. For some people, Minoxidil will work in front. I have personally experienced its effects in front as have others. Another product that some say may help in the front is Proscar. There have been no specific tests that I know of in frontal parts of the scalp, but it is theorized that Proscar's inhibition of DHT should make it more effective in the front. In combination with minoxidil in the front, this is probably the most effective thing currently available. A treatment that may be available in a few years that has promise for the front is RU58841. RU58841 is an androgen blocker that is applied topically. Unlike Proscar and other antiandrogens, it is only locally effective so it is safe for men to use without adverse sexual side effects. A recent study on balding stumptail macqaques (the primary animal testing model for male pattern baldness drugs) showed a very good response in the frontal area. One person who has seen the photos from the article described them as very impressive. Unfortunately the company that makes RU58841 is located in France so accurate information is hard to get on the progress of approval. As far as I know, as of now it is still not in human trials. It is best to do what you can to keep your follicles alive until treatments such as this are available.

Is it better to use Nioxin, or shampoo and conditioner containing Biotin, Niacin, Sage Extract, ...etc.
A 1985 study, "[Differential Diagnosis of Diffuse Hairloss]", showed that preparations with ingredients such as Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5), Biotin, Zinc, and Amino Acids improve the quality of hair and do increase the actual structural quality of the existing hair, but do not prevent hairloss or cause hair to regrow. Some people have reported some decrease in fallout with Nioxin and one person that I know of (out of many I have heard from who had no effect) has had good effects with Nioxin. Another person has said that Nioxin is a good shampoo even though he had no luck regrowing hair. He found another shampoo better, which is also the one I have found the best for improving hair thickness and quality: Nano shampoo from Dr. Proctor. After using it I can't say whether it grew any hair for me. I have heard of a few people who have said Nano alone grew some hair for them. However it is a very good shampoo for improving hair quality and making your hair look thicker. Nano is a little on the pricey side. There is a good shampoo for thickening hair that is pretty cheap called Thicker, Fuller Hair. It is available in many grocery stores and thickens hair pretty well. It costs as much as a middle ranged normal shampoo, about $3-4 for a large sized bottle.

Does the dietary supplement DHEA contribute in any way to the promotion of hairloss?
Good question. Unfortunately it is one that a definitive answer is not known, so I can't give you a simple yes or no. There are a few things you should consider when deciding whether to take DHEA. First, almost everyone under the age of 30 produces all the DHEA their body needs naturally. So if you take extra, it is more likely to be either wasted or worse, converted to hormones your body doesn't need such as Testosterone and then DHT. Some people have definitely promoted hairloss due to DHEA. DHEA can be converted to Testosterone by your body and then to DHT which causes hairloss. Not everybody who takes DHEA experiences this, but it is something to consider before taking DHEA. Also, DHEA is one of the primary hormones in Female Pattern Loss in women, so women will definitely want to be much more concerned with taking DHEA. I have not heard from anyone whether FPB in men has anything to do with DHEA. Since balding is genetic there could be a link, but nobody knows yet. Unfortunately, this is something that has not been studied by the medical community so all the evidence is theoretical and anecdotal. It is a fact that DHEA is often converted to Testosterone and then DHT, so there is a definite risk. Also, the normal daily dose for DHEA supplementation is 5-25mg. I have heard of people taking 100mg or more per day and wondering why they're experiencing hairloss. Increased DHEA will most likely increase your risk of faster hairloss. If you take higher than normal dosage you can definitely expect a higher risk of experiencing related hairloss. DHEA decreases with age, so the older you are, the safer it probably is to take this supplement. A DHT inhibitor such as Proscar may prevent possible accelerated hairloss in men when taking DHEA, but this is not yet known for sure.

 

About 2 months after I gave birth to my baby girl I started to find hair on my pillow and hair on my comb, something that I didn't experience before. What can I do to stop it?
Hairloss during or after pregnancy is not an uncommon problem. The process of going through pregnancy obviously causes many hormonal and bodily changes in a woman, some of which can lead to hairloss. This hairloss may only be temporary. You should consult with your doctor about whether he things the loss is temporary or not. If it is caused by female pattern loss, many of the treatments discussed on Regrowth! can help regrow hair in women. You can use this information in consultation with your doctor to decide what to do.

I started to use Rogaine about 3 years ago (at age 29). My most immediate side effect is headache. Is this normal? Will this go away after continued usage? Also, does Minoxidil help arrest loss in the frontal area? How about 5% Minoxidil?
Headache is not a very common side effect of Minoxidil.  If it hasn't gone away after 3 years of use, it probably won't.  You would want to see a doctor and determine for sure that it is even being caused by the Minoxidil.  Just like Minoxidil only works for some people, it only works in the front for some people.  Generally if you respond well in the back you probably have a good chance of having it work in the front.  It works differently for everybody, but I have heard of people who have had excellent results with Minoxidil in the front (including myself), particularly when combined with Proscar/Finasteride/Propecia.

Allopathic medicine focus is on localized hair environment. What about systemic body toxicity causing a repartitioning of body's finite resources to essential organs, thereby letting ancillary tissue/organs like hair atrophy (assuming the genetic predisposition is there)?
This is not the case, at least for male pattern hairloss.  The reason we know this is that simple antiandrogens will halt and partially reverse hairloss, which they wouldn't if the cause weren't the male hormone DHT.  This has also been affirmed in animal models.   Remember also that animals such as the Macaque monkey, who goes bald due to genetics just like humans, lives a perfectly natural life in the wild and still goes bald.   The same antihormone drugs work for them and if treated at puberty before balding occurs COMPLETELY inhibit balding ever occuring.  Studies have also been done on natural supplements for hair which show they improve hair condition but don't halt hairloss or regrow hair.  As much as we would like, not every problem has a simple explanation like this.

Dr. Lewenberg makes some incredible claims about his formula. How much of this is true? Why isn't everyone using it? Does is do what it says it will, or even part of what is claimed?
Dr. Lewenberg uses Minoxidil 2% combined with .025% Retin-A.  This is a well known, proven, and accepted treatment among the medical community.  The difference between what most doctors do is that Lewenberg says he has customized the formula for optimum absorption and requires the user to apply it 4 times per day, which supplies a more constant supply of Minoxidil and Retin-A to the scalp.  I believe and don't see how anybody could deny that it is more effective than plain 2% Minoxidil or even 2% Minoxidil+Retin-A twice per day.   However I personally do not believe the high responsiveness claims made even if it is more effective than normal Minoxidil.  Probably the main reason it is not more popular is cost, which is currently around $70 per bottle.  At this price, most people will go ahead and get the same type formula somewhere else.  Another reason is that it is a prescription item and the doctor is in New York, so you have to go through some hoops to get it if you want it.  If the price were lower and it were easier to get, probably more people would be using it.  I still don't believe it will regrow a full or nearly full head of hair for 90% of people though :)

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