BX3.4 Hair Helmet

/by William Rassman, M.D./1 /,

Hi Dr Rassman

I have read your blog for some time and find it an oasis of sensible, factual information in the desert of hair loss websites.

I am writing to you to ask about the BX 3.4 helmet. I know you have mentioned it before but I wanted to draw your attention to a paper written by Dr Tony Chu, a consultant dermatologist in the UK. I have seen Dr Chu for years for my acne and he has managed it amazingly well, and he pioneered a laser therapy for acne which he proved with rigorous studies and research.

When I mentioned my (minimal) hair loss to him, he alerted me to the BX 3.4 helmet, and I did some research. I found a paper he wrote somewhere on the internet, to the UK Advertising Standards Authority, pulling together all the various studies and research on the subject of electromagnetic treatment of hair loss. IT looked very persuasive to me as a layman, and suggested room for further studies. I can’t find the paper now, which is annoying, but know it exists.

What are your thoughts? Have you seen the paper he wrote? If not, do you have some way of getting it and looking at it? If not, are you aware of all the studies he cited concerning this subject, and what are your thoughts on them?

I did buy the helmet from ebay at greatly reduced cost (£750 is a lot of money) and it does *seem* an insane idea to me, but then so did laser therapy for my long standing acne problem, and that worked, so I never like to say never.

Thanks

HelmetI’ve received a few emails over the past year and a half about this BX 3.4 helmet, and as I wrote before, there is no science that I can see behind claims that electromagnetic waves can have a positive impact on hair regrowth. I was just reading on their website that this helmet requires a monthly purchase of “essential oils” from the helmet maker, although the prices aren’t listed. What are these magic hair-regrowing oils, you wonder? The site lists Bay Saint-Thomas, Laurel leaf, Rosemary, Patchouli, Thyme Borneol, Cedar, Sage, Clary Sage, Myrtle, and Ylang-Ylang. So there’s extra costs on top of the nearly $1500 hair helmet.

A number of years ago, a professor from one of the local universities had developed electromagnetic treatments for diabetic ulcers of the legs and suggested that there was some data indicating an application for bringing back hair in a situation where hair loss occurred. The work to find out if it would work would’ve been an enormous task (and one which I just didn’t have time for), so I decided to pass on an opportunity to get involved to determine the value of this treatment modality.

As many regular readers of this site will probably know, I am a skeptic of most of the new treatments for hair loss, as most of them are not based on science, but motivated by commercial and monetary gain. I have not read Dr. Chu’s paper (I looked for it online and was unsuccessful), but since you’ve purchased one of these helmets, I’m guessing that you believe in it. Please keep us informed of your progress.

Consumers spend collectively millions, if not billions, of dollars on products for that allusive hair loss cure and as long as we are willing to spend the money simply to “give it a shot”, these products (including this electromagnetic helmet) will continue to entice people. I suppose the reasoning is that if the price is right, it may be worth the gamble, and to many people, the price of hair has no limit. On the other hand, the savvy entrepreneurs will keep selling these products for the “right” price and make their fortune.

Note: Image is for illustrative (and humor) purposes only. This is not the actual BX3.4 helmet.

Tags: bx34, hairloss, hair loss, helmet, electromagnetic, electromagnet, magnet, bx3-4, bx3

I Swear, This DHT Blocking Shampoo Is Working for Me!

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /,

I’ve been using MiN New York’s shampoo for more than a year now and I swear it has worked wonders for my hair. The ingredients are all high-quality (no sulfates, etc.) and it contains all sorts of DHT blocking compounds. It’s the best shampoo I’ve ever used, and I’ve used a lot.

I know you are skeptical of a shampoo’s ability to re-grow hair, and rightfully so. I don’t think MiN re-grows anything; what it does is create a healthier scalp environment. You can’t grow good crops in poor soil, and the same goes for hair. I use 1mg finasteride in the morning, minoxodil at night and MiN products throughout the day. My hair looks better now than it has at any time over the last few years.

MiNWell, I like that you are using standard medications (finasteride and minoxidil) with your MiN products. Without good controlled studies though, nobody can tell which drug or product is giving you the benefits you’re seeing.

The claim that this shampoo is a DHT blocker flunks FDA regulations by making a medical claim that can not be backed up by the type of scientific research that the FDA supervises in their approval process. Don’t believe everything you read.

Tags: dht, shampoo, min, finasteride, minoxidil, hairloss, hair loss

If Laser Treatment Is a Fraud, How About the Doctors that Endorse It?

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /,

Dear Dr. Rassman,

My apologies. I understand that you’ve discussed many times about laser treatment. However, if you regard it as faux, wouldn’t that be making places like those below, scam centres? https://www.ineedhair.com/laser.htm

Also, since people like Dr. Alan Bauman advocates the use of laser for hair regrowth, does it make him a fake? My apologies, I’m not slamming or anything, but really would like to know the facts..

Thank you. Regards

LaserFirstly, I don’t believe I’ve ever regarded laser treatment for hair as a fraud. I just do not endorse this technology, because I have my issues with claims that are made being poorly documented as science. I call this pseudoscience and I can not ask for payments from patients for a treatment that I do not believe has proof of value. These laser machines (office consoles) cost in the thousands of dollars and if a doctor is looking for a new revenue stream, buying these machines and charging for their use go hand-in-hand. The evidence that is out there may be enough for some doctors, just not for me.

With that said, I have two such systems in my office and I offer them at no charge to my patients who wish to use them and come to the office a few times a week. I wanted to see if the patients who used it claimed value for it, and as there was no financial risk to the patient, I thought I would give it a fair clinical test. The result of my very loose clinical test does not confirm value one way or the other.

Other doctors may endorse lasers and it is their prerogative, as many also endorse shampoos and conditioners and other cosmetic products. The less vested doctors are in the financial rewards of selling these products, the more believable will be their recommendations.

In the end, as stated here over and over, it is a buyer beware market and we need to make well informed decisions for ourselves.

Tags: laser, hairloss, hair loss, fraud, hoax, pseudoscience, doctor, shampoo, cosmetic

T-Gel Shampoo and Hair Loss

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /

I have a question about coal tar shampoo (neutrogena t/gel) and hair loss. I have used t/gel extra strength twice a week for years for my scalp condition (either seborrheic dermatitis or psoriasis, i don’t know) because it is the only one that completely rids the scales. I never responded well to Nizoral or other prescription anti-fungals. Recently, I came across a lawsuit online where a woman was suing Neutrogena for hair loss allegedly caused by T/gel. This hair loss was accompanied by a severe allergic reaction. Knowing that I am not allergic to the shampoo, do you think it is ok to use it without causing more hair loss? By the way, I am aware that they used T/gel in the Propecia trials, so Merck must not be too concerned about its potential to cause hair loss. Thanks for your help!

What are you asking me? It seems you already know the answer, by the way you posed the question. If T-Gel works for you, great! If you don’t have an allergic reaction, even better!

If you are losing hair, you should see a doctor for a diagnosis including a miniaturization study. If you have psoriasis, then a dermatologist will be the best referral for you.

Tags: t-gel, tar, shampoo, hairloss, hair loss, neutrogena

My Hair Is Very Fine — I Had 2 Procedures, Should I Try Laser or DermMatch?

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /, ,

Dr. Rassman, I have completed 2 NHI transplant procedures. However, because of my very fine hair, my scalp is visible, especially under bright overhead lighting. I am considering a third procedure, but would like to first try the X5 HairLaser or DermMatch. Any thoughts? Thanks

A hair transplant procedure has limitations, in that it simply can not restore all the hair that was lost, since there is a limited supply and usually a relatively large area to cover. Individuals with very fine hair often have see-through coverage, even with normal (birth) densities. As hair transplants rarely produce over 50% of the original density in one or two procedures, I am never surprised when there is a see-through look and I tell my fine haired patients that this is what they must expect. There has to be realistic expectations and if the desire is to increase the fullness and let less light through (making it less see-through), then more grafts are necessary if the supply of good donor hair lasts and the use fits into a good Master Plan.

If you had surgery with NHI, please give my office a call (800-NEW-HAIR) and I will review your file and would be happy to discuss your situation. We offer free in-office laser treatments for all of our patients, but I can not tell if it works yet. Before any lasers or other alternative treatments, I would strongly recommend finasteride (Propecia / Proscar) as an option if you are not using it already.

While products such as DermMatch and Toppik are great cosmetic adjuncts to disguising thinning, it should be noted that these products do not grow hair.

Tags: dermmatch, toppik, hairtransplant, hair transplant, finasteride, propecia, proscar, laser

Crescina Hair Regrowth Formula

/by William Rassman, M.D./2 /

hello Dr Rassman,

i had a hair transplant surgery from a well recognized doctor before 7 months, without noticing very significant results.Maybe a very small change.i have been using that Crescina products for a few months for better penetration of the scalp.(the old skin fell over my scalp 2-3 months ago, after the surgery), and nowadays the skin of my scalp is clean. How long will it take for me to see good results, or shall i worry?please let me know, because i am a bit stressed.

Best Regards

CrescinaIt generally takes 7-8 months after a hair transplant to see enough hair length to show about 80% of the value. At about 12 months, 95% of the value of the hair transplants should be evident.

Regarding Crescina, while I am impressed by the slick product packaging and fancy animations on their site, none of the ingredients listed (including lysine, cysteine, silicon, zinc) blow me away. If its making your scalp feel cleaner and you’re not experiencing any irritation, you should continue doing as you please, but I wouldn’t look to this for hair regrowth.

Tags: crescina, hairloss, hair loss, hairtransplant, hair transplant, formula

I Had My Hair Permed Twice in One Day, Now Its Falling Out!

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /,

I am 24 years old female. I had my hair permed in August and I started losing my hair after a month. before the perming I had very healthy virgin hair.(nothing done to them ever no coloring nothing).I am very worried about my hair I am loosing every day and they just fall without my touching them. I am getting split ends as well. Another thing they had to perm my hair twice because it did not work first time at all. please tell me what do you think is going on

You may have damaged your hair with the perms, or maybe it is just a coincidence and you have some cause of hair loss that requires a doctor’s examination. Unfortunately, there’s not much I can do for you without an exam. Female hair loss can be quite difficult to find a cause for. I suggest you make an appointment to see a dermatologist in your area.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, chemical damage, damage, perm, female, women, woman

I’m a Woman and Not Having Children — Can I Use Propecia?

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /, ,

I am a woman in my late 40s and have thinning hair and a hairline that has receded somewhat due to menopause and discontinuance of HRT (I think).

Would you recommend Propecia for me? I will not be having children — is there data related to breast cancer and Propecia? Or, what is your opinion of the new laser combs or devices–specifically the X5 Laser from Spencer Forrest which appears to be superior to the Laser Max comb? Also, do you know anything about “virtual hair” — a membrane similar to your scalp custom-created for the client, with real hair attached, and glued onto the scalp? Of course, as the hair grows, the glue becomes dislodged, but it was featured on “Good Morning America” and looks terrific — so natural. Please, any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated

I would not recommend Propecia (finasteride) for a woman unless there were high androgens present on her blood testing, and even then I would have to think about it. This is provided that she could not get pregnant and there was no breast cancer gene present.

With regard to Virtual Hair, anytime you attach something to your scalp, it can produce traction hair loss… which could become permanent. And I’d rather not comment on special customized lasers.

Tags: laser, propecia, finasteride, women, woman, hairloss, hair loss, virtual hair

Using Procyanidins with Minoxidil and Propecia

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /,

Dear Doctor Rassman,

I am considering taking procyanidins sold from applypoly.com along with minoxidil and propecia. I started on 5% minoxidil then later also started taking 1mg propecia as part of my hairloss treatment(been using both for over a year). I was wondering if adding procyanidins in both topical and pill form to my regime would have any impact on my current treatment. Do you see any potential harm if I take them all simutaneously? Your advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Regards

AppleI do not see potential harm by exploiting all of these options. The procyanidins have been discussed on this site before (see search results). For those of you who do not know what this is, please review Applypoly.com.

Keep in mind, I’m not suggesting you order this stuff (yes, I realize it is for sale on the page I just linked to), but to do your own research.

Tags: apple, procyanidin b-2, minoxidil, rogaine, propecia, finasteride, hairloss, hair loss

Will Whey Protein Thicken My Hair?

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /

Sir, i have started consuming WHEY protein supplements after my workouts to thicken my hair. Is it safe and will it work?

Good protein in your diet will keep you healthy, but it will not thicken your hair.

Tags: whey, protein, hairloss, hair loss, thicken, health

Is Provillus FDA Approved?

/by William Rassman, M.D./2 /

I see that Provillus’s press release states that they are FDA approved. What is this about?

New “Miracle Cure” Hair Loss Treatment Announces FDA Approval

Provillus
From HairLossWatch.com, which sells Provillus —

“The Food & Drug Administration does not have an approval process for any nutritional supplements, only prescription medications. All of Provillus’s ingredients voluntarily comply with the FDA’s GRAS safety requirements.”

In short, it contains FDA approved ingredients, but I don’t believe Provillus itself is FDA approved and I can’t find any info on the FDA site about this. The pictures and the claims for Provillus are over the top. I remain skeptical with such claims.

Remember, minoxidil is approved… finasteride is approved. Those are your FDA approved and proven drug treatment options for hair loss. If Provillus has any proven hair regrowth treatment in it, I’d assume like ScalpMed, it contained minoxidil.

More info at Google Answers.

Tags: provillus, fda, approved, approval, hairloss, hair loss, finasteride, supplement

What Is the Name of the Laser Used in Laser Hair Therapy?

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /

what do you think about the new laser hair restoration therapy? My mom works for a medical laser clinic. What type of laser are they using for hair restoration? What is the name of the laser?

Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) is not used in connection with the actual surgical procedure. There were some doctors that used lasers to actually make the surgical incisions and the results were awful. That practice was stopped quickly for the most part, but not fast enough for me. There are many LLLT systems on the market… too many to mention here.

Tags: low level laser, lllt, laser, hairtransplant, hair transplant, hairloss, hair loss

Does Sebum Build-Up Produce More DHT on Follicles?

/by William Rassman, M.D./7 /,

Dr. Rassman,

When I met with you earlier in the year, we decided the best course of action for me right now is not hair transplants but rather to take Propecia as you thought that I would get good benefit from the drug alone. I have been taking it every day since. So far, I am pleased with the results and the fact that my hair loss isn’t progressing. I have read that a major cause of hair loss is sebum buildup and that sebum contains high concentrations of DHT that accelerate hair loss and that is why we need to get a shampoo that will get rid of the sebum. Is this true?

I’ve read your book and understand that a good shampoo will clean your hair but no shampoo will stop the balding process. In my efforts to take every precaution possible, I did some additional research and found four commonly used shampoos to aid in slowing hair loss.

Here are the four I found and a little information from various websites on each:

  1. Nioxin: Can improve the hair’s health by cleansing the scalp’s skin, strengthening the hair follicle and energizing the cellular activity. Nioxin has not been found to have any effect on DHT. However, by keeping the follicles healthy, these products may help delay hair loss. Because there are no side effects, the products can be used everyday.
  2. Nizoral: The Propecia FDA trial participants all used a shampoo like Nizoral for the duration of the trial. This was required, as the increased sebum production, inflammation, and irritation caused by the balding process can limit the effectiveness of any treatment. This is why it is strongly recommended that a regimen including Propecia also include Nizoral shampoo used once every 3 days in rotation with your normal shampoo. You will not see optimum results without Nizoral, or a shampoo like it, in your regimen.
  3. Neutrogena T/Gels: Another study said that all men, whether receiving Propecia or placebo, were given the medicated shampoo, Neutrogena T/Gel Shampoo.
  4. Tricomin: Formulated to efficiently deliver vital micronutrients to the hair follicle environment. Tricomin works by strengthening and revitalizing your hair. While Tricomin’s cosmetic benefits will be realized in the short term, the added benefits of younger; fuller healthier hair may require longer use. Tricomin can be used effectively with other hair treatments including Rogaine and Propecia.

I realize this may only be for the comfort of doing something else proactively, but if it could provide any benefit I’d like to take advantage of that. Could you recommend the best and most likely to make any difference of the above four or any other one that I might have missed in my research? Thank you for your time.

ShampooMy opinion on cleaning out sebum is that there is no value in doing this, because claims that sebum contains high concentrations of DHT that kills hair is just not supported by today’s science. I have heard these claims particularly by various clinics that sell shampoos for women with hair loss or thinning. If sebum build-up caused hair loss in women, then certainly more women would be bald like us men.

I have no real preference on shampoos, as they will not grow back hair or even slow down the loss. If it is a good shampoo, you should not worry about things in there that can harm your hair. My opinion on this matter is not always shared by other doctors, many of whom, as I mentioned above, sell shampoos in their office with their own label on it. You must experiment yourself, for what works for one person (likes and dislikes) does not always work for another. If you believe that one of these shampoos are reversing your hair loss, let me know.

Tags: dht, sebum, hairloss, hair loss, shampoo, nizoral, nioxin, neutrogena t-gel, tricomin, propecia, minoxidil

Salome Shampoo for Hair Loss?

/by William Rassman, M.D./8 /

Hi, Doctor Rassman, I’m a 22 year old male, i’m going bald and I found a colombian product: salome shampoo for hair loss it is intended for cancer patients I would like to know any expert information on this product. the website where it is been sold is: www.emarket-pro.com/tratamiento-m-salome.html

thank you.

SalomeMy Spanish is a little rusty, so I ran it through Google’s online translation here.

I do not know of this product other than the information you gave. I have looked at the site and I do not see any ingredients listed. Even if there were ingredients listed somewhere, I do not know of any natural herbal ingredients that actually grow hair.

It it apparently from Colombia and is on sale for the “low” price of $89 — wow, only around 40x the price of normal shampoo! And with free shipping in the United States! I don’t think I need to write the following, but for those readers that may actually think I am endorsing this product — I am being sarcastic. I understand hair loss can be devastating to some people, but sometimes common sense can get in the way of balding.

Tags: solme, shampoo, hairloss, hair loss

Using Listerine to Treat Dandruff?

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /

ListerineAccording to Wikipedia, “Listerine was invented in the 19th century as a powerful surgical antiseptic. It was later sold, in a distilled form, as a floor cleaner and a cure for gonorrhea.”

Now I just saw this old advertisement from 1953 for Listerine, saying to use it on the scalp to take care of dandruff.

This is one of those home remedies that has floated around for a long, long time (apparently since at least the 1950s). Interesting… just don’t get it into your eyes! I can’t say for sure whether this works for dandruff, but I know it is a great mouthwash (though I have a hard time holding Listerine in my mouth for 30 seconds and can’t imagine putting it on my scalp).

Full ad from 54 years ago, plus text at Modern Mechanix.

Tags: antiseptic, mouthwash, listerine, dandruff, hair, scalp