New Hair Loss Solutions

How early you spot your thinning hair determines how much hair you save. If you wait until the hair loss is visible to the naked eye, you’re too late—50 percent is already gone.

National hair restoration expert Alan J. Bauman, M.D., founder and medical director of Bauman Medical Group in Boca Raton, was featured last week on ABC’s Good Morning America, FOX News, and The New York Times discussing the benefits of new procedures and treatment options.

Today, thanks to new technology and medical advancements, hair loss is no longer inevitable—it’s optional.

Latisse for Hair Loss: Latisse (Bimatoprost) is already FDA approved to grow longer eyelashes. Allergan is currently conducting phase I clinical trials to use it on male and female pattern hair loss as well. If it succeeds, it will be only the second topical treatment to receive FDA approval for hair loss (the other is minoxidil). Dr. Bauman is already prescribing Latisse for off-label use on the scalp in some patients and seeing positive results. Both The New York Times and Good Morning America featured Dr. Bauman’s pioneering research with Latisse.

Laser Therapy: FDA-approved, low-level lasers are a key new weapon in the battle against thinning—and not just for men, but for women too. LaserCap is the latest breakthrough in laser therapy; this “hands-free” device offers the power of a clinical laser therapy unit in a cordless, rechargeable, discreet treatment device that literally “fits under your hat” for non-chemical, non-invasive, pain-free treatment almost anywhere, anytime.

HairCheck: Simple, painless, non-invasive way to measure and track the amount of hair growing in a given area of scalp (called your Hair Mass Index or “Hair Number”). This information allows patients to follow and track their treatment to maximize effectiveness. HairCheck is also a valuable tool as it can also quantify the degree of hair breakage from harsh hair care regimens. HairCheck is what Dr. Bauman was using in the Good Morning America segment to calculate the benefits of Latisse on male pattern hair loss.

The Role of Azelaic Acid and Zinc in Hair Regrowth

Taking vitamins for hair regrowth so as to stimulate hair production or decelerate baldness is a hot topic of dialogue for people with hair loss for quite a while. Androgenic alopecia (a.k.a. androgenic alopecia) afflicts an incredible number of men and appears to be most prevalent in populations who have adapted to some cold climate. Due to this, there is some suggestion that hair loss may be an evolutionary development to assist in fighting prostate type of cancer. Having less hair improves the absorption of ultraviolet radiation from sunlight which, subsequently, could lessen the chance of developing a prostate type of cancer.

However, not surprisingly speculation, what exactly is now clear would be that the male hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which can be constructed from testosterone by an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase (5-AR), constitutes a significant contribution, not just in prostate enlargement, but to hair loss too. So, is it possible to grow hair faster and counter the results of 5-AR? Well, it may be possible since there are several freely available vitamins and supplements that appear in order to inhibit the act of 5-AR, hence inhibit the progress of hair loss.


Azelaic Acid

Azelaic acid can be a natural organic acid present in barley, rye, and wheat. It has developed into a popular element of hair conditioners and is also popular in treating acne. However, recent attention has focused on its potential in treating hair loss. Some studies appear to claim that azelaic acid, rather like zinc, can disrupt the creation of DHT. Furthermore, azelaic acid seems to be effective with zinc compounds to help inhibit DHT production. Adding vitamin B6 appears to further enhance this anti-DHT compound and 5-AR inhibition rates that go up to 90 percent happen to be claimed.


Zinc

There were several studies claiming to show the inhibiting effect of zinc compounds around the activity of 5-AR. It has prompted some researchers to take a position concerning the chance for zinc being valuable in disorders associated with raised degrees of DHT. A lot of the published 5-AR/DHT research have understandably focused on issues concerning prostate-related conditions; nevertheless, the results manage to reveal that when degrees of zinc are low, the conversion of testosterone to DHT by 5-AR is increased. In contrast, at higher zinc levels, producing DHT is significantly inhibited. One of the most readily absorbed type of zinc is zinc citrate; also, the presence of vitamin B6 appears to significantly raise the efficacy and bio-availability of this zinc compound.