Hair Loss Products

There are reputable products on the market that do not promote hair growth but they can help give the illusion that an individual has more hair. Regular shampooing is an important concept for individuals experiencing hair loss.  The sebaceous glands continue to produce the same quantity of sebum even has hair follicles shrink.  Therefore, the thinning hair shaft is subjected to more oil, which results in flat and/or dull looking hair. DHT is also found in high concentration sebum and is secreted with the oil onto the scalp.  Regular shampooing prevents the scalp from reabsorbing the DHT so it cannot be recycled into the follicle, thus, preventing further damage. As a physician, patients commonly ask for a recommendation when it comes to shampoo. There are literally hundreds of shampoos currently on the market with a new product being introduced every day.  The problem is each one of these products has a different marketing ploy that can be very confusing to consumers.  The most inexpensive shampoo at neighborhood department store is probably the best, however, none of us would actually use that shampoo!  The next choice would be the Neutrogena T/Gel shampoo.  Neutrogena is a name that has become synonymous with quality products in the hospital.  Merk Pharmaceuticals must also have some confidence in the Neutrogena products because that is the brand of shampoo they used in their clinical trials while testing the effectiveness of Propecia.

American men spend an estimated 60 million dollars per year on coloring their hair.  Melanocytes, the cells containing the pigment, become dormant as individuals grow older.  Usually Caucasian men begin to show signs of graying around age thirty-five, black individuals follow around ten years later. By age fifty, approximately 50 percent of all hairs on men are white. Many men resolve this condition by coloring their hair.  Unlike women, hair coloring is not generally the primary topic of lunch for most men, they secretly color their hair.  Home coloring techniques have improved significantly over the last several years.  Men now have the option to accurately color their hair at home.  Clairol's product, Men's Choice, provides five shades of color ranging from light brown to jet-black.  The coloring process is simple, men just lather the lotion in their hair and then shampoo it out in two-five minutes depending how subtle or dramatic a change they prefer. The coloring process exhibits added benefits for those individuals with thinning hair. First, the dyes will color the thin blonde vellus hairs giving the illusion of more hair.  Next, the coloring agents actually bind to the hair follicles making the follicles thicker which further contributes to the illusion.

 

Another product, that appears almost comical, is actually quite beneficial for those individuals who are experiencing subtle hair loss primarily on the vertex of their head.  Remember the late night infomercials where the host pulls out this can of stuff, resembling spray paint, and the next thing you notice is the whole set has a haze finally surrounding it.  Then when the haze finally settles, the host directs his attention to some poor follicley challenged individual whose head as been assaulted with a paint like substance.  Today, this type of product has improved immensely, by matching a small area of the scalp with the hair color the illusion of more hair can be realized.  For example, thinning hair in individuals with red hair is far less noticeable than in the general public.  Dermatologist attribute this to how the course red hair matches or agrees the ruddy skin in these individuals.

 

Propecia remains the only oral FDA approved prescription medication to stop hair loss.