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Does Vitamin E Work as a Hair Loss Treatment?

December 31, 2007 on 5:55 pm | In Uncategorized | Comments Off

Vitamin E (Tocopherol) as a Hair Loss Treatment 

There are a number of herbal supplements out there that claim to work as a treatment for hair loss.  Whereas there is no question that marketing is over-reaching at best in order to sell a product, the real question that any hair loss sufferer asks is: will this product help combat baldness or is there any chance that it will regrow hair?  To date however, it is important to understand that there is no hair loss cure, therefore realistic expectations must be kept when considering any hair restoration product.

Below I decided to take a look at an herbal supplement that has been said to combat hair loss.  This product is an “active” ingredient in a few hair loss remedies such as HairMax MD.  Vitamin E is also sold as a stand alone product in nutritional stores. 

Vitamin E (Tocopherol)

Vitamin E consists of 8 molecules, four of which are known as tocopherols (one of the ingredients in HairMax MD), the other four known as tocotrienols. Both tocopherols and tocoltrienols consist structurally of a chromanol head and a phytyl side chain. The difference between these 2 types of molecules has to do with the phytyl side chain where tocopherols are fully saturated and tocotrienols are not. Tocotrienols contain three double bonds at the 3, 7, and 11 positions. Ultimately, these two types of molecules are distinct entities and not derivatives of one another. (Theriault et al, Clinical Biochemistry (1990) 32(5):309).

So why take the time to explain all this? From my research it seems that there may be clinical evidence to suggest that tocotrienols may be moderately beneficial for hair loss sufferers – but there is little evidence to suggest that tocopherols are, at least not by themselves.

Another interesting fact is that tocopherols, though mentioned in some patents of the so called hair regrowing agents, are not the major active ingredient but only act as an aid to the formula itself.

A clinical study was performed on 19 balding individuals (14 men and 5 women) ranging from the ages of 23 to 59 suffering from genetic hair loss who have not received any other type of hair loss medication including minoxodil, finasteride, or ketoconazole. 11 volunteers received a capsule orally containing tocotrienols and alpha-tocopherol while 8 volunteers received a placebo capsule. The results of the study transmitted that all hair loss sufferer volunteers who took the tocotrienol / alpha-tocopherol capsules had at least some increase in visible hairs over the 15 month study which indicates that a mixture of tocotrienol and alpha-tocopherol appears to increase the number of visible hairs in balding individuals. Additionally, out of the 8 volunteers in the placebo group, 2 also experienced hair regrowth. 2 experienced hair loss while the other 4 experienced no change.

To read more about this study, visit: http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/7211274-description.html

In my opinion, one problem with the study is that the study group was small and one could argue that the hair count increase was either coincidence or that hairs were growing back as part of the natural hair growth cycle.

Keep in mind also that this study shows the effect of a tocotrienol / alpha-tocopherol mixture taken orally, not topically (as some hair loss treatments suggest). Additionally, what part the tocopherol molecule played in the increase of visible hairs cannot be determined from this study.

Conclusions:

Though some nominal evidence exists for the potential benefit of Vitamin E taken orally for hair loss, I would argue that a larger clinical study needs to be performed to rule out coincidence or hair growing back as a result of the natural hair growth cycle. 

In my opinion, it would be better to stick to the hair loss drugs that have been proven: Propecia(finasteride), and Rogaine 5% (minoxodil). As an adjunct hair restoration treatment, Nizoral shampoo or Revita shampoo both containing active ingredient ketoconazole may also be helpful.

Bill Seemiller - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of theHair Transplant Networkand theHair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

Hair Transplantation: How to Minimize the Risk of Donor Scar Stretching

December 30, 2007 on 8:28 pm | In Uncategorized | Comments Off I will be undergoing a donor scar revision in a few weeks.  How can I best care for my donor scar in the days following hair transplant surgery?  I really would like avoid scar stretching.

Caring for the donor scar after hair transplantation is relatively easy.  Your responsibility will be to keep the donor area clean by washing the area thoroughly but gently.  I find it helps to run my fingers with shampoo in the donor scar area in a circular motion in order to work off the dried blood that surrounds it.  Keep the sutures/staples in as long as your hair transplant clinic recommends and then after that just keep the area clean by washing.

The other component in properly caring for your donor scar to help minimize the risk of scar stretching is to relax.  Do not put too much strain on the hair transplant scar.  Don’t do any intense weight lifting, stretching, or heavy aerobic exercises for the first several weeks.  Gradually increase your workout routine over the course of several months.  Common sense is the key.  If you feel a strain in the donor area, stop what you are doing.   See the following hair loss Q&A blog: Fitness/Sports After a Hair Transplant for more information.

Also avoid putting your chin on your chest as that will cause additional strain on the back of the scalp. 

You can also ask your hair transplant surgeon how your physiology plays a role in the risk of donor scar stretching.

Those with extremely elastic scalps may have “thin skin” (though this is not necessary true).  The lack of collagen puts these hair transplant patients at additional risk of donor scar stretching.  Keep in mind that donor laxity can be a really good thing and will help maximize the number of follicular unit grafts that can be excised.  But there is a possibility that too much laxity is a sign of a lack of supporting collagen in the skin.  Be sure to ask your hair transplant doctor about this.

I hope this helps.

Bill - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

How Should I Wash My Hair After a Hair Transplant?

December 28, 2007 on 5:01 am | In Uncategorized | Comments Off I am 7 days out from a hair transplant and want to know how gentle or aggressive I should be with the follicular unit grafts when washing my hair in order to work off the scabs.

Keep in mind that every hair transplant clinic has their own hair restoration postoperative instructions and they vary.  Therefore it is always best to get detailed postoperative hair washing instructions directly from the hair transplant surgeon.

That being said, I thought I’d share my personal experience with hair washing after hair transplant surgery that worked well for me.

Day 0: (day of hair restoration surgery): Just relax.  Do not wash your hair at all.

Day 1: If at all possible, visit your hair restoration clinic for a postoperative hair wash.  If not, fill a cup with water mixed with shampoo and pour it gently over your head several times.  Gently massage the shampoo into the donor area, cleaning the area around the scar. 

Day 2 and 3: Fill a cup with water mixed with shampoo and pour it gently over your head several times.  Gently massage the shampoo into the donor area, cleaning the area around the scar.  Wash donor area normally working around the scar with care to work off any dried blood.  Apply as much pressure as needed however, avoid using so much pressure that it causes pain. 

Day 4: Assuming that your shower pressure is reasonable and not too harsh - let the water from the shower head hit your head normally.  Massage shampoo in your hands until it lathers.  Gently touch the grafts with the shampoo in the palm of your hands and gently touch with your finger tips.  Avoid any massaging of the transplanted hair at this point.  Continue washing donor area normally from this point on paying extra attention around the scar as to work off any dried blood and keep the area clean.

Day 5: Repeat the instructions from day 4 however, add very gentle back and forth motions with your finger tips through the transplanted hair.  Avoid using your nails at all costs.

Day 6:  Resume normal hair washing but be extra gentle with the hair grafts.

Day 7+:  Begin showering twice a day normally however, use a little extra care of the follicuar unit grafts.  Spend 10 extra minutes in the shower both in the morning and evening massaging with shampoo the hair grafts in a circular motion with your fingertips in order to start working off the scabs.  Avoid using your fingernails at all costs.  Do not apply a lot of pressure.  The trick is to apply a constant circular motion to gradually work off the scabs rather than simply picking them off.  Picking the scabs should be avoided at all costs.  Whatever scabs don’t come off in the shower will come off after subsequent showers and circular massaging.  Additionally, when you come out of the shower and after looking in the mirror see some loose scabs, feel free to perform additional soft circular massaging over the scabs in front of the mirror to work off loose scabs.  Scabs still tightly secured to the scalp should not be worked too much.  These scabs will come off after subsequent showers in the coming days. Patience is important and don’t force anything off. 

I have found that by using the above method, scabs typically come off between 8-12 days.

Bill - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of theHair Transplant Networkand theHair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

Is it Safe to Use the Laser Comb After a Hair Transplant?

December 26, 2007 on 6:18 pm | In Uncategorized | Comments Off Is it Safe to Use the Laser Comb After a Hair Transplant?

Some hair restoration physicians support the use of low level laser therapy after hair transplantation to facilitate the healing of the wounds in the balding recipient area.  And some hair transplant surgeons believe that low level laser therapy will help stimulate new hair growth, especially now that it has been FDA approved as a hair loss treatment.  Learn more about low level laser therapy.

It is perfectly safe to use the laser comb after hair restoration surgery as long as the bristles of the brush are not touching the transplanted hair until they are properly secured which takes about ten days.  During the first ten days, lift the laser comb up slightly so that the brush doesn’t connect with the hair grafts to ensure a hair graft isn’t dislodged before it’s properly secured in the scalp.

Bill - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of theHair Transplant Networkand theHair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

As Earth Warms Up, Tropical Virus Moves to Italy

December 24, 2007 on 3:39 pm | In Uncategorized | Comments Off

CASTIGLIONE DI CERVIA, Italy — Panic was spreading this August through this tidy village of 2,000 as one person after another fell ill with weeks of high fever, exhaustion and excruciating bone pain, just as most of Italy was enjoying Ferragosto, its most important summer holiday.

“At one point, I simply couldn’t stand up to get out of the car,” said Antonio Ciano, 62, an elegant retiree in a pashmina scarf and trendy blue glasses. “I fell. I thought, O.K., my time is up. I’m going to die. It was really that dramatic.”

By midmonth, more than 100 people had come down with the same malady. Although the worst symptoms dissipated after a couple of weeks, no doctor could figure out what was wrong.

People blamed pollution in the river. They denounced the government. But most of all they blamed recent immigrants from tropical Africa for bringing the pestilence to their sleepy settlement of pastel stucco homes.

“Why immigrants?” asked Rina Ventura, who owns a shop selling shoes and purses. “I kept thinking of these terrible diseases that you see on TV, like malaria. We were terrified. There was no name and no treatment.”

Oddly, the villagers were both right and wrong. After a month of investigation, Italian public health officials discovered that the people of Castiglione di Cervia were, in fact, suffering from a tropical disease, chikungunya, a relative of dengue fever normally found in the Indian Ocean region. But the immigrants spreading the disease were not humans but insects: tiger mosquitoes, who can thrive in a warming Europe.

Aided by global warming and globalization, Castiglione di Cervia has the dubious distinction of playing host to the first outbreak in modern Europe of a disease that had previously been seen only in the tropics.

“By the time we got back the name and surname of the virus, our outbreak was over,” said Dr. Rafaella Angelini, director of the regional public health department in Ravenna. “When they told us it was chikungunya, it was not a problem for Ravenna any more. But I thought: this is a big problem for Europe.”

The epidemic proved that tropical viruses are now able to spread in new areas, far north of their previous range. The tiger mosquito, which first arrived in Ravenna three years ago, is thriving across southern Europe and even in France and Switzerland.

And if chikungunya can spread to Castiglione — “a place not special in any way,” Dr. Angelini said — there is no reason why it cannot go to other Italian villages. There is no reason why dengue, an even more debilitating tropical disease, cannot as well.

“This is the first case of an epidemic of a tropical disease in a developed, European country,” said Dr. Roberto Bertollini, director of the World Health Organization’s Health and Environment program. “Climate change creates conditions that make it easier for this mosquito to survive and it opens the door to diseases that didn’t exist here previously. This is a real issue. Now, today. It is not something a crazy environmentalist is warning about.”

Was he shocked to discover chikungunya in Italy, his native land? “We knew this would happen sooner or later,” he said. “We just didn’t know where or when.”

It certainly caught this town off guard on Aug. 9, when public health officials in Ravenna received an angry call from Stefano Merlo, who owns the gas station.

“Within 100 meters of my home, there were more than 30 people with fevers over 40 degrees,” or 104 Fahrenheit, said Mr. Merlo, 47. “I wanted to know what was going on. I knew it couldn’t be normal.”

August is not the season for high fevers, Dr. Angelini agreed, and within days of interviewing patients she was intrigued.

“The stories were so similar and so dramatic,” she said. “But we had no clue it was something tropical.”

Hard-working shopkeepers could not get out of bed because their hips hurt so much. Able-bodied men could not lift spoons to their mouths. (Months later, many still have debilitating joint pain.)

From the start, doctors suspected that the disease was spread by insects, rather than people. While almost all homes had one person who was ill, family members seemed not to catch the disease from one another.

They initially focused on sand flies, since the disease clustered on streets by the river.

Canceling their traditional mid-August vacations (in Italy, a true sign of panic), health officials sent off blood samples, called national infectious-disease experts, searched the Internet and set out traps to see what insects were in the neighborhood. The first surprise was that the insect traps contained not sand flies but tiger mosquitoes, and huge numbers of them.

The scientific survey confirmed what residents of Castiglione had come to accept as a horrible nuisance, though not a deadly threat.

“In the last three or four years, you couldn’t live on these streets because the mosquitoes were so bad,” said Rino Ricchi, a road worker who fell ill, standing at the entrance to his neatly tended garden, where mosquito traps have now replaced decorative fountains. “We used to delight in having a garden or a porch to eat dinner. You couldn’t this year, you’d get eaten alive.”

Said Dr. Angelini: “They were treating the mosquitoes like an annoyance. They knew that mosquitoes could spread tropical diseases but they had peace of mind because they knew this didn’t happen in Italy.”

Ravenna immediately set about killing the bugs in the hopes of containing the epidemic. Workers sprayed insecticides and went into each family’s garden, emptying flower pots, fountains and the rainwater collection barrels to remove the mosquitoes’ breeding ground.

By early September, there were no new cases in Castiglione di Cervia. But there were a number of mini-epidemics in the region — in Ravenna, Cesena and Rimini — set off by tiger mosquitoes there. Each was controlled in the same way.

By that point, the doctors had cataloged the patients’ symptoms and tried to match them to mosquito-borne diseases.

“We realized,” Dr. Angelini said, “we were seeing a photocopy of an outbreak on Réunion,” a French island in the Indian Ocean where more than 10,000 people have contracted chikungunya in the last two years. Blood tests confirmed the diagnosis. By summer’s end, home-grown chikungunya had been diagnosed in nearly 300 Italians.

Chikungunya is spread when tiger mosquitoes drink blood from an infected person and, if conditions are right, pass the virus on when they bite again. Tiger mosquitoes first came to southern Italy with shipments of tires from Albania about a decade ago but their habitat has expanded steadily northward as temperatures have risen.

But the doctors were baffled by how chikungunya made its way into mosquitoes in northern Italy since no one in Castiglione di Cervia had been abroad. In the past two years France, especially Paris, has had a number of imported cases of chikungunya, in travelers returning from Réunion. But the disease has never spread in France, because the mosquito cannot thrive there yet.

Eventually investigators discovered a link: one of the first men to fall ill in Castiglione di Cervia had been visited by a feverish relative in early July. That relative, an Italian, had previously traveled to Kerala, India. Chikungunya traveled to Italy in his blood, but climatic conditions are now such that it can spread and find a home here.

Now it is winter in Castiglione di Cervia, near freezing as the sun went down on a recent evening and Christmas lights glowed across the piazza. There are no mosquitoes now.

But dozens of residents still suffer from arthritis, a known complication of chikungunya.

Mr. Ricchi, the road worker, says he still has trouble clenching his fists, and his left ankle has horrible pains. Three people in the town died after getting the virus, Mr. Merlo said, although all of those victims had other illnesses as well.

From the start, townspeople noticed that the very elderly never got the disease. Now it makes sense: “If all you do is walk the 50 yards from your home to the church, there’s not much chance to get bitten,” said Mr. Ciano, the retiree.

But the biggest mystery is whether chikungunya will emerge here next summer. In the tropics, it is a year-round disease, since the mosquitoes breed continually. But the virus can winter over in mosquito eggs, too, and no one knows if there are reservoirs of sleeping eggs in some pool of water in Italy.

With climate change at hand, Dr. Bertollini said, chikungunya will surely be back somewhere in Europe again.