June 23rd, 2010 | 3 Comments »

With men worldwide becoming increasingly distressed about their receding hairlines, it is encouraging to hear news that stem cell research may soon provide answers for some hair loss sufferers.

Stem cell regeneration has been very effective over the last 10 years or so at producing hair growth in mice, a fact that has been well documented and has caused more than its fair share of controversy. Despite this, Aderans Research Institute has launched Phase Two of its clinical study on cell-based regeneration of hair.
Obviously following on from the findings made during Phase One, Phase Two will continue to assess the effects of stem cell treatment on both male and female pattern hair loss. If a treatment is derived from these studies, it is likely that it will only be suitable for male pattern baldness, or androgenetic alopecia, and will not be suitable for hair loss sufferers with underlying conditions that may be affecting their loss of hair. There is further experimentation taking place which suggests that treatments may be available to enable hair to grow back, regardless of why it fell out in the first place, however there is currently no conclusive evidence to support this beyond mere speculation.

The treatment would involve drawing the blood of the patient, which is then separated. This process is called PRP or platelet rich plasma, which contains stem cells and growth factors. Those factors then are injected into the scalp in the affected area. This form of stem cell treatment, which would cost several thousand dollars, also uses a laser to agitate the skin so the stem cells can migrate into the hair follicles. The procedure can be uncomfortable, however it would just be a one hour treatment that would only need to be performed once.

This treatment procedure is still in the experimental stages, and is therefore not available to the general public. The results will be published in a study but in the meantime, if you’re losing your hair there are several other hair loss treatment options available.

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Posted in Hair, hair loss
June 13th, 2010 | No Comments »

What do David Beckham, Lionel Richie and Rod Stewart have in common? Well, apart from an almost obscene amount of money and world-wide fame, each of these superstars have all had very, very distinctive hairstyles. Obviously, Beckham’s ever-changing hair-dos (or hair-don’ts, depending on your opinion) are not the sole reason he is famous – he was, after all, one of the most high-profile footballers of a generation – but it did help him create a unique identity that gained him millions of fans. Whether for better or for worse, hair has been used for generations as the ultimate fashion accessory – something that can simultaneously make you stand out from the crowd and adapt to almost any situation. From the formal side-partings of the 30’s to the wild un-tamed locks of the 70’s, hair has been used by many to not only create a look, but to make a statement about the way they choose to live.

However, some people are not so fortunate. Genetic male hair loss affects millions of men around the world, usually between the ages of 18 and 35. A gradual process that starts with thinning hair around the crown and eventually leaves the whole top of the head bald, hair loss occurs due to the development of DHT, a hormone derivative, attaching itself to the hair follicles and slowly causing them to become dysfunctional. This results in existing hair becoming thinner and eventually falling out, with no new hair being able to grow in its place.

However, there is a solution.

Over the last decade a variety of treatments and medicines have been discovered which can not only prevent hair loss, but even cause hair regrowth. And while many of these treatments have turned out not to be successful, medical studies and experience have shown the combination of two treatments – Propecia and minoxidil, along with certain hair growth boosters and close trichological monitoring – to be the most effective hair loss prevention programme available.

How does it work?

Propecia and Minoxidil work in different ways, but together they have been found to be a very successful hair loss treatment. Both medically proven, FDA approved treatments, Propecia works by inhibiting the initial formation of DHT – preventing the hair follicles from becoming dysfunctional – while Minoxidil increases the blood supply to the area it is applied. This not only increases the amount of nutrients that reach the follicles, but also prevents them from shrinking – which in turn both decreases hairloss and increases hair regrowth. There are also a number of additives and growth boosters that work in various ways to help decrease the amount of DHT that could damage the hair follicles, and ensure a healthy and abundant supply of blood is delivered to the vulnerable follicles.

Do these hair loss treatments actually work?

In a word, yes. When an independent group of dermatologists studied 279 men who had been taking Propecia to reduce thinning hair and hair loss, they found that 9 of 10 men achieved visible results, with 48% experiencing hair re-growth while 42% stopped losing their hair. In addition to this, recent studies showed that 65% of men maintained or increased their hair count whilst taking Minoxidil, with 54% of those who responded experiencing moderate to dense regrowth.

Propecia and Minoxidil, along with a number of hair growth boosters, are available as part of The Belgravia Centre’s hair loss treatments. For more information or for a free consultation with a hair specialist contact Belgravia by either messaging the clinic or calling 020 7730 6666. Alternatively you can complete an online diagnostic form, designed specifically for those who are unable to visit Belgravia’s London centre. The form takes less than 5 minutes to complete and provides Belgravia’s trichologists with all of the information required to diagnose your hair loss condition and recommend a superior Belgravia treatment programme for hair loss, without having to visit the centre.

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Posted in hair loss
May 16th, 2010 | No Comments »

Another potential application for vitamin D is in hair loss due to scalp psoriasis, which is associated with an increased telogen to anagen ratio. Although vitamin D3 analogs have been used in combination or as an alternative to topical steroids to treat scalp psoriasis for many years, their ability to combat the associated alopecia has not been thoroughly evaluated. A placebo-controlled trial with 26 patients showed that calcipotriol did not affect the telogen to anagen ratio after 6 weeks of treatment [40], but the optimal effect of calcipotriol on scalp psoriasis is not seen until 8 weeks [41]. Thus, the follow up may have been too brief to detect an effect of calcipotriol on hair loss.

It has been suggested that an optimal concentration of vitamin D is necessary to delay the aging phenomena, including hair loss. A cross sectional study of 296 healthy men was done to determine the association, if any, between male pattern baldness and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels [42]. Based on this study, the extent and severity of male pattern baldness does not appear to be associated with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels (p=0.60) [42]. Additional studies in subjects with age-related or senescent thinning as well as in women with female pattern hair loss could be considered to see if there is an association of hair loss with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels.

Because it is known that the absence of VDR leads to alopecia, it was hypothesized that there may be VDR gene polymorphisms (Bsml, Apal, and Taql) in patients with alopecia areata. A study of VDR genotypes in 32 patients with alopecia areata and 27 controls showed no association between these VDR gene polymorphisms and alopecia areata [43]. A separate study also showed that there was no relationship between the VDR gene FokI polymorphism and alopecia areata [44]. These studies were small and limited to only one ethnic group, Caucasians in Turkey.

Conclusion
Extensive data from animal models clearly show that the VDR, independent of vitamin D3 hormone, plays an important role in the hair follicle cycle, specifically anagen initiation. Studies have demonstrated the ability of vitamin D3 analogs to stimulate hair regrowth, but clinical trials of calcitriol in humans have been unable to replicate these results. Reasons for this may be that more potent analogs of vitamin D3 were used in the animal studies than the human trials. Also, the mechanism of hair recovery in nude mice may not be applicable to humans with alopecia. The latter is reflected in one study that used nude mice with congenital alopecia, which does not have an equivalent in humans. This review shows the need for further exploration of the role of vitamin D and the VDR in the hair cycle. For clinical hair disorders in which there is an abnormal hair cycle, such as chemotherapy-induced alopecia, treatments that up regulate the expression of the vitamin D receptor may be successful. Developments of such treatments are a future area of study. Furthermore, studies on the optimal levels of local and systemic vitamin D levels are still limited and there is currently no evidence-based data to recommend vitamin D supplementation for various types of alopecia. In order to fully understand the effects of vitamin D supplementation in hai rloss treatment, future studies should compare results in vitamin D deficient patients to those in vitamin D sufficient patients.

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Posted in Hair, hair loss
November 4th, 2009 | No Comments »
Pharmacy before the Han Dynasty book “Shen Nong hundred herbs by” That there is beauty recorded more than 160 kinds of health effects of drugs; beauty secret in the palace in the Qing dynasty, Chinese herbal medicine is also very commonly used, as some blood circulation Huayu, Qufeng meridians of the product on favored; overtaken by events, and now, women more at home, they use a DIY “Pink Beauty” has.
Pearl Barley flour can be used such as anti-aging (APF can improve the skin metabolism, as well as the natural whitening effect and moisturizing effect, APF, after grinding into a powder, add water, mix thoroughly, low heat steam, in hot and humid condition in the face of their deposited above), green tea powder whitening (green tea contains tannin, catechin, vitamin C and so on, all with anti-oxidation, not only anti-inflammatory, but also so that there is a flexible skin tight), Ginseng Powder Quban (Ginseng Powder can be activation of skin cells, can freckle, whitening, anti-aging, but also increase the skin elasticity. will ginseng ground into a powder, add distilled water Fumian can).
In addition, the “Pink Beauty” mask can also be based on individual circumstances prescribe the right medicine, for example, looking black people, can be added pseudo-ginseng, Chinese angelica, white Lian, etc. better.

pink

Pharmacy before the Han Dynasty book “Shen Nong hundred herbs by” That there is beauty recorded more than 160 kinds of health effects of drugs; beauty secret in the palace in the Qing dynasty, Chinese herbal medicine is also very commonly used, as some blood circulation Huayu, Qufeng meridians of the product on favored; overtaken by events, and now, women more at home, they use a DIY “Pink Beauty” has.

Pearl Barley flour can be used such as anti-aging (APF can improve the skin metabolism, as well as the natural whitening effect and moisturizing effect, APF, after grinding into a powder, add water, mix thoroughly, low heat steam, in hot and humid condition in the face of their deposited above), green tea powder whitening (green tea contains tannin, catechin, vitamin C and so on, all with anti-oxidation, not only anti-inflammatory, but also so that there is a flexible skin tight), Ginseng Powder Quban (Ginseng Powder can be activation of skin cells, can freckle, whitening, anti-aging, but also increase the skin elasticity. will ginseng ground into a powder, add distilled water Fumian can).

In addition, the “Pink Beauty” mask can also be based on individual circumstances prescribe the right medicine, for example, looking black people, can be added pseudo-ginseng, Chinese angelica, white Lian, etc. better.

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Posted in Pink Beauty