I’ve read about this new peptide called Melanotan. I don’t think it has yet gained FDA approval, but it’s supposed to change your skin pigment, enabling light skinned people to tan and decrease their chances of skin cancer.

If this drug works the way it claims to, would it also change the patient’s hair color?

I don’t know anything about Melanotan. Sorry! Drugs with claims of specific benefits are controlled by the FDA. The manufacturers could have a problem making any drug claims without FDA approval.

I found some interesting sites for you to look at:

• Sunless.com – Why Tanning Pills Don’t Work
• Sunless.com – Facts And Myths

Hi,
I’ve been using a salve of the comfrey root and its flowers on my head for the last four years, it has stopped my hair loss and has regrown hair in my residing hairline. I did this experiment on myself based on the fact that comfrey contains a chemical compound called allantoin which is a cell rejuvenator. My barber will testify.

This appears to be a product with extensive claims that run the gamut — gum disease, hair care, hair damage, hair growth, hair loss, halitosis — and have no basis. If you believe in this product, I would suggest that the readers take notice of my slogan. Let the buyer beware.

There is generally interesting information about comfrey root, its history and much about its growth and use at Wikipedia. Many, many herbs are used for various conditions and when they work for one of these conditions, the person becomes an advocate. This type of advocacy is not scientific. We only know the successes and not the frequency of failures, because advocates do not talk about the failures. For the advocate, it may reflect their pride of authorship and an individual’s need to contribute to the welfare of fellow human beings, but as a clinician, if I recommend something (even an herbal type of product like comfrey root) I want to have evidence of its effectiveness and its safety.

Interesting article report!

• PLoS Medicine – Why Most Published Research Findings Are False

Dear Doc, please take a look at this article and comment the content.

This is a very interesting article. I tend to remain skeptical and I am dubious of research that is poorly executed. Unfortunately, we have a tendency to want to believe certain things, and such desires will impact our own objectivity. For example, there are many lotions and potions in the marketplace that claim the ability to reverse or treat hair loss. Many of them use poorly designed research to push a commercial agenda and many hair loss sufferers want to believe that herbal and naturopathic medications can address their hair loss agenda. The research that I have reviewed since starting this blog is overwhelming and the findings of many of these products are in fact, unsubstantiated and false. This article may be of interest to some of our readers, so I did put it into the blog as a way of sharing it with my readership.

A reader wrote in with a quick review of his experience using the Rogaine Foam, and I thought it was worthwhile to post for those that are still looking into trying this newly released product…

It’s easily available now without a prescription and the foam does have some advantages. It doesn’t run, so it’s easier to apply. And it contains no propylene glycol as does the Rogaine XS solution. However, I have some reservations about its use. The beneficial actions of topical minoxidil are dose related and the Rogaine foam is only a 5% compound. The foam by its sheer volume deposits a large amount of each application on the hair shafts, where it cannot be absorbed and remains ineffectual.

Out of curiosity, I recently bought a bottle of Rogaine foam ($29.99). It seems to be more inconvenient to use than the Rogaine XS solution. Unless your hands are cold, the foam will immediately liquefy. You should also be aware of the fact that the foam contains both butane, isobutane and propane, so it is highly flammable. But, if the Rogaine Foam fits your needs, this might be a good alternative product for topical minoxidil use.

These are the inactive ingredients listed for the Rogaine Foam: butane, butylated hydroxytoluene, cetyl alcohol, citric acid, fragrance, glycerin, isobutane, lactic acid, polysorbate 60, propane, purified water, SD alcohol 40­B, stearyl alcohol. See product warnings.