Azelaic acid is typically prescribed for rosacea and some acne conditions. Recently, the potential for using azelaic acid to treat androgenetic alopecia has been discussed. Accord­ing to Kevin J. McElwee, an immunologist/dermatologist involved in research on hair loss and regrowth, “Studies carried out in France in the late 80’s were to assess the effects of […]

Tretinoin (trade name Retin-A or Renova) is a topical cream or gel that may influence improvement in cell development, making it beneficial for many skin-care problems ranging from acne to wrinkles. Surprisingly, no one is actually sure why tretinoin can do that, but there are lots of studies indicating that it does. Some dermatologists have […]

Saw palmetto is a popular herbal supplement sometimes recommended for hair growth. However, there are absolutely no reliable studies that have investigated saw palmetto in relation to hair growth. A few of the studies you see on the Internet were done by the com­panies selling saw palmetto supplement or were done on a small number […]

Propecia (technical name finasteride) is an oral medication that was approved by the FDA in 1998 to treat men with male pattern baldness. It works by inhibiting the 5 alpha-reductase enzyme, the enzyme that converts testosterone into DHT, the hormone that causes male pattern baldness. The FDA’s Dermatologic and Ophthalmic Drugs Advisory Committee agreed in […]

Minoxidil is still the only over-the-counter, topical pharmaceutical whose claims re­garding hair regrowth have been approved by the FDA. Minoxidil, at one time available only under the trade name Rogaine, is now available under different names from several different companies and can increase hair growth by a statistically significant percentage in both men and women. […]

I’m sure you’ve seen the ads: Grow Hair in 12 Weeks! Stop Hair Loss Today! Stop Baldness Without Costly Drugs, Chemicals, or Surgery! Turn Fallout into Grow-out with Only One Hour of Your Time a Week! Wouldn’t that be nice? Then all you’d have to do is send in your three easy payments of $29.95 […]

While research concerning hair loss has focused primarily on the involvement of hor­mones, there is a good deal of discussion about another concept, especially on Web sites selling products claiming to regrow hair. According to these sources, the status of the hair involves the issue of blood supply to the hair follicle. Some hair-care companies […]

Although there are many forms of alopecia, the most prevalent by far is androgenetic alopecia, better known as male pattern baldness. About 95% of all cases of hair loss are the result of male pattern baldness, but this number also includes women, who can have a version of hair loss referred to as female androgenetic […]

Alopecia is the technical name for hair loss, but that’s just the beginning of the story. There are so many complicated and multifaceted factors that affect hair growth the subject is too vast and complex for this book to tackle in detail. For example, reasons for hair loss can include scarring alopecia (also referred to […]