PROPECIA

Three years ago, he started getting annual hair transplants. “If I see it starting to get thin in a spot, I go right back,” says Marcune, 49. “Now I have a full head of hair.”

Hair loss can occur as a result of stress, hormonal changes, as a side effect of medication, or as a symptom of infections or diseases. But the vast majority of people, like Marcune, lose their hair as a direct result of their family history. Approximately 35 million men in the United States are affected by what has come to be known as male pattern baldness, according to the International Society for Hair Restoration Surgery.

Many of those men are motivated to reverse hair loss, ensuring competition among practitioners and a spirited search for new restoration methods. The latest is a laser device approved by the Food and Drug Administration in February.

Men with male pattern baldness “have an inherited sensitivity in the roots of their hair to levels of a male hormone,” says Dr. Gary Hitzig, a surgeon in Rockville Centre who specializes in hair restoration. Certain hair follicles on the top of the head are sensitive to this hormone, called dihydrotestosterone or DHT. When it is present, it strangles those hair follicles sensitive to it. “When people lose their hair, the follicles are choking and can’t produce good, solid hair,” Hitzig explains. “As the follicle gets weaker, the hair gets weaker. Eventually the follicle dies and produces no hair.”

Finasteride (Propecia) is the only prescription medication that’s proven effective at slowing down the death of hair follicles by blocking DHT. Finasteride is also available under the brand name Proscar to treat enlarged prostate. Some men, including Marcune, are leery of the drug because of side effects that include loss of libido and lowered sperm counts.

Until recently, only one over-the-counter product, minoxidil (Rogaine) was FDA-approved to restore hair growth. Formerly sold only by prescription, minoxidil is now available in varying strengths. But doctors question how effective it really is.

“It can slow down hair loss, and it can grow variable but small amounts of hair,” says Dr. Neil Sadick, a dermatologist in Great Neck. “With any of the preparations, there is always a risk of irritation of the scalp.”

The most recent FDA-approved treatment uses no drugs. It is a comb that uses a laser beam to generate hair growth. In clinical studies, men who used the HairMax Laser Comb for six months grew a “medically significant” number of hairs - 19 to be exact - in a square centimeter during a six-month period, said Dr. Matt Levitt, a dermatologist and medical adviser to the comb’s manufacturer, Lexington International.

The comb seems to work by stimulating the scalp, which may dilate blood vessels and increase circulation to the hair follicles.

“By irritating the scalp you can cause hairs that were just about on their death bed to remain around a little longer,” says Hitzig.

Sadick thinks more research is needed before people invest in the comb, which costs roughly $545. “I’m sure it won’t hurt people, but I don’t think there are a lot of good, objective studies showing its definitive efficacy.”

Using low-level laser to promote hair growth isn’t new. In fact, hair restoration clinics have promoted the use of large laser machines to restore hair growth for years. Hitzig says a German company gave his office one 10 years ago. “I sent it back because it didn’t do anything,” he said.

None of the approved hair loss products will grow a full head of hair on a balding pate.

“With the laser comb, I don’t want to hype something and disappoint people,” says Levitt, who runs a hair restoration clinic in Orlando, Fla. “They shouldn’t expect a thick, full head of hair. Their expectation should be that there will be improvement, but that this is not the Holy Grail. All these products work best on someone who is thinning or losing hair rather than someone who is completely bald.”

Dr. Roy B. Stoller, a facial plastic surgeon in Chadds Ford, Pa., used the comb for 13 weeks in an attempt to reverse his thinning hair. He said the comb “doesn’t do much.” Still, having performed hair transplant surgery on patients and tried other methods himself, he does think the hand-held laser has some benefits.

“I believe these lasers improve the quality of the hair you have, and makes it look like you have more hair, but giving you new hair doesn’t happen. The only way to get more hair is by using Propecia or a hair transplant.”

Generic Propecia

Popularity of medications, pave way for the development of their generic versions. This applies to Propecia men hair loss medication too. Propecia is a FDA endorsed hair loss medication, which is developed by Merck. Its popularity in the treatment of hair loss amongst men has lead to the availability of its generic version too.

Miss Agnes Coates, spokesperson of Hair Care Tips comment, “Purchase of Generic Propecia is a smart way to get the benefits of the brand drug at a low price range. It is a cost effective way to achieve healthy hair re-growth”. Generic versions are available at much cheaper price owing to the fact that these do not involve the enormous costs involved is the brand drug. Generic Propecia constitutes the same active ingredient Finasteride, and has the similar course of action that is of reducing the formation of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in the scalp, facilitating hair re-gtrowth.

It is available in the market in the strength of 1mg and 5mg oral pills. A medical consultation is advisable prior to initiating treatment with this generic version. Medical advice can avert prospective contraindication of the medication as well as acquaint you with the proper dosage and usage directions.

Hair Care Tips is an informative website, providing information concerning on hair care products such as Generic Propecia, Propecia, Provillus, Procerin, Shen Min, Revivogen, Rogaine, and Vaniqa. Other valuable information such as hair removal, hair care tips, hair loss remedy, hair restoration, hair care accessories, and hair care product is also made available at Hair Care Tips to enhance your scope of knowledge. Up-to-date news and informative articles are also accessible at Hair Care Tips.

What other options do I have for baldness?

Hairpieces, etc.

Among the time-honored ways to add hair temporarily are hairpieces or hair weaving, in which a mesh is attached to your remaining hair and artificial or human hair of similar color and texture is woven (Finasteride Propecia ) with existing hair. Quality varies considerably with price; also, hairpieces and weaves stretch, oxidize, and loosen.

Surgery

Surgical approaches include various versions of hair transplantation (Finasteride Propecia ,taking hair from the back and putting it near the front) or scalp reduction (cutting away bald areas and stitching the rest together,Finasteride Propecia ). Transplant procedures have improved greatly in recent years. They can produce much more attractive and natural-looking results than older methods that sometimes left a “checkerboard” look. Many transplant patients now take Propecia to keep what they’ve transplanted. When considering a hair transplant (Finasteride Propecia ), check the surgeon’s credentials and experience carefully.

New data on Finasteride propecia (finasteride 1 mg), an investigational oral treatment for men with male pattern hair loss, show it increased hair growth significantly in a majority of treated men. Results were announced today at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology. Phase III clinical trials presented today consisted of two large, multicenter, placebo-controlled studies of 1,553 men with male pattern hair loss. Men in clinical trials had mild-to-moderate, but not complete, hair loss. They received either oral Finasteride propecia once daily or placebo for one year.

Scalp hair growth was measured by counting hairs in a 1-inch diameter circle of active hair loss located at the top of the head, which is also known as the vertex. After 12 months, there was a 107-hair improvement in men taking Finasteride propecia compared to those receiving placebo, according to Keith Kaufman, M.D., director, Clinical Research, at Merck & Co., Inc., developers of the drug.

The clinical significance of this increased hair growth achieved with Finasteride propecia was assessed by patients, clinical investigators and by review of patient photographs by a panel of dermatologists with expertise in hair loss.

These other three efficacy measures at 12 months showed:

– Patient self-assessment, obtained at each clinic visit from a validated self-administered questionnaire, demonstrated significant increases in hair growth, decreases in hair loss and improvement in appearance in men treated with Finasteride propecia. Overall improvement was seen as early as three months with continued improvements over the 12-month trial.

– Clinical investigators rated 65% of men treated with Finasteride propecia as having increased hair growth versus 37% of men in the placebo group.

– A panel of experienced dermatologists rated 48% of men treated with Finasteride propecia as having increases in hair growth compared to 7% of men receiving placebo. The panel assessed photographs of patients’ scalps to evaluate increases or decreases in hair growth from baseline.

Dr. Kaufman said that the efficacy of Finasteride propecia was assessed through this comprehensive set of endpoints. “The clinical relevance of the increased hair growth measured by hair counts was substantiated by the significant improvements perceived by patients and through complementary measures such as the investigator and expert panel assessments,” he said.

Safety was evaluated in more than 3,200 men through clinical and laboratory monitoring, as well as an analysis of adverse events reports. Finasteride propecia was generally well-tolerated and side effects were uncommon.

Discontinuation of therapy in Phase III trials due to any clinical adverse experience occurred in 1.7% of 945 men treated with Finasteride propecia and 2.1% of 934 men treated with placebo. A small number of men experienced decreased libido (1.8% for Finasteride propecia vs. 1.3% for placebo), difficulty in achieving an erection (1.3% for Finasteride propecia vs. 0.7% for placebo) and/or a decrease in the amount of semen (0.8% for Finasteride propecia vs. 0.4% for placebo). According to Dr. Kaufman, resolution of these side effects occurred in men who discontinued therapy with Finasteride propecia and in many who continued therapy.

Finasteride propecia inhibits the action of the enzyme 5 alpha-reductase, thereby blocking the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Finasteride propecia decreases DHT concentrations in the scalps of treated men by approximately 60%.

“Finasteride inhibits a key factor responsible for miniaturization of scalp hair follicles. This leads to a reversal of the balding process,” Dr. Kaufman said.

The studies presented today confirm the role of DHT in hair loss. “An important step in the development of Finasteride propecia was understanding the biology of male pattern hair loss and DHT’s role in it,” said Dr. Kaufman. “This knowledge has led to a new paradigm in treating men with the condition.”