Reader Says All Effective Hair Loss Treatments Are Potential Carcinogens
I hypothesise that ALL effective hair loss treatments are potentially carcinogenic in vulnerable individuals. Literally ALL of the factors which are being upregulated to result in HAIR GROWTH, are also factors which are all upregulated in CANCER.
Think about it, Chemotherapy often results in hair loss. Why is this? It is because it is doing the exact opposite to what Hair growth treatments are doing. For hair growth to occur there has to be complex release of various substances, and cell proliferation. On a simplistic level (and there is sooo much more to it), cell proliferation is going to increase the chance of carcinogenic cells developing. Chemotherapy causes CELL SENESCENCE (cell death) which is why the hair falls out. To cause cell senescence various substances, growth factors, etc have to be DOWN REGULATED. These are the very same substances which are UPREGULATED in hair treatments.
eg. Minoxidil: Minoxidil is a potassium (K+) channel opener. The opening of K+ channels causes cell proliferation. Role of Voltage-gated Potassium Channels in Cancer
Laser Helmet – works by opening K+ channels. Spiro is especially lethal – Oestrogen agonist in breast. Tumours in rats. Upregulation of ALL the factors linked with cancer and what helps it proliferate, eg VEGF, EGF, FGF, MMP, and on and on.
Activation of SRC Tyrosine Kinase — From wiki: Tyrosine kinases add phosphate groups to the amino acid tyrosine in the target protein. They can cause cancer by turning the receptor permanently on (constitutively), even without signals from outside the cell. And specifically SRC Tyrosine Kinase.
What are your thoughts on the cancer – artificially induced hair growth link?
Life has its risks. Do you know how much radiation you get when you fly across the country in a commercial aircraft (see here)? Regular flights may increase the risks of a variety of cancers, but if your quality of life means that to bond with your family you must fly to the other coast, would you rather stay safe and lock yourself in the basement where the radiation levels are much safer?
We all have decisions in life, and with regard to hair, the various treatments available to prevent or reverse hair loss have not been shown to be carcinogenic. It’s your choice!
There is one large missing piece in your theory: Cancer can’t develop without DNA damage or genetic mutations in occurring in the affected cells. As far as I know, no approved hairloss remedies are mutagenic.
Most forms of cheomtherapy (or at least classical chemotherapy) do not downregulate growth factors or induce programmed “senescence” (I believe you mean apoptosis). Rather, they attack DNA during the only time when it’s unprotected (during cell division and replication). Since the cells in your hair are constantly in mitosis, these cells are especially vulnerable.
Some treatments designed to protect or stimulate growth in hair may be capable of protecting or stimulating growth in cancer cells. However, this would only be a case of accelerating the inevitable. The involved cells would have undergone multiple irreversible changes (eg, severe genetic damage, disabling mitochondria, subsisting off glycolysis) before showing any extra growth due hair loss treatments.
i agree with gland..cancer cannot develop without DNA mutation.. but its ok, because it’s only your hypothesis..