Hair Loss Basics

Rogaine Seeks Place in the Morning Routine

SINCE its introduction in 1988, Rogaine has always been a bit of a punch line, not only for what it does (help grow hair) but also for its sales results, which never quite (insert bad hair-growth pun here).

But 2007 was a breakout year for Rogaine. A mousse-like version was introduced in 2006 and proved far more popular than the traditional liquid formulation, which comes in a bottle with an eyedropper. The foam version is dispensed by pressing a nozzle, a convenient feature for a product meant to be used twice a day.

Now comes a new marketing campaign for Rogaine that tries to reposition it as an everyday bathroom essential - like deodorant or toothpaste - rather than a medication. “Your daily grooming routine probably already includes brushing, shaving, maybe more,” reads a promotion on the Rogaine Web site. “Take a look at what adding just a few minutes more with Men’s Rogaine Foam can do.”

The campaign tries to encourage younger men to start using Rogaine before hair loss is evident, since the product is most effective when used on thinning patches rather than outright bald ones. And for the first time Rogaine is directly catering to gay men by purchasing spots on Logo, the gay-themed channel owned by Viacom.

Unlike many ads for hair growth or replacement products, the Rogaine spots do not show “before” and “after” images. Rather, the themes are convenience and efficacy: with assiduous use, the message goes, Rogaine can not only regrow hair but keep remaining hair out of the shower drain. (The slogan: “Use it or lose it.”)

“In the morning it’s all about get in, get out,” begins a commercial by BBDO in New York that began appearing recently. It shows a young man getting ready for work by shaving, showering, brushing his teeth and, yes, rubbing a dollop of foam into the crown of his head.

Rogaine was developed by Upjohn, now a division of Pfizer, but was bought in 2006 by Johnson & Johnson, which created the product’s new identity around the foam version.

“The key here is compliance, and the foam experience is much more something that’s going to fit into lifestyles,” said Meghan Marschall, a Johnson & Johnson spokeswoman. By talking to men as young as their early 20s, “we’ve expanded our target audience by a roughly a decade,” she said.

The television spots, introduced Dec. 31, are running on ESPN (television and radio) and traditional prime-time series like “CSI” and “Law and Order,” as well as on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.” Johnson & Johnson would not say how much it was spending on the campaign.

The company is also putting ads on dry-cleaner hangers, hoping to remind men of Rogaine while they are getting dressed. The idea is to reach them “during their morning routine, when they’re the most image-conscious,” Ms. Marschall said.

In 1968, Upjohn first tested minoxidil, the generic name for Rogaine, to treat high blood pressure, but began hearing reports of an odd side effect: Patients taking the drug reported that hair was sprouting on their backs, cheeks and heads. Some researchers saw a silver lining and began developing a topical form of minoxidil for the scalp.

Rogaine was introduced in 1988 as the first drug approved for baldness by the Food and Drug Administration. Financial analysts went wild for it, predicting $500 million in annual sales.

But the public was less enthusiastic. Rogaine has been available over the counter since 1998, but annual revenue, which was $47 million in 2002, declined to $31 million in 2006, the year Pfizer sold the product, according to the market research firm Information Resources (which excludes sales at Wal-Mart.)

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/24/business/media/24adco.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Your hair is a fairly accurate barometer of your health. Hair cells are some of the fastest growing in the body, and when your body is under stress or in crisis, hair cells can shut down in order to redirect energy elsewhere, to places where it is needed. The types of physical situations that can cause hair loss include hormonal changes, nutritional deficiencies, a variety of medications, surgery, and many medical conditions, in particular, thyroid disease.

Hair loss is actually fairly common. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, nearly half of all adults in the U.S. will experience thinning hair by age 40. But thyroid patients in particular may experience hair loss earlier and more quickly than usual.

Normally, hair grows about a half inch a month for about three years, and then it goes into a resting period.

One in ten hairs is in a resting period at any one time, and after about three months a new hair pushes the old one out. When more hairs go into resting period, or the conversion process speeds up, the balance becomes disrupted, and hair loss occurs.

Hormonally induced hair loss takes place when an enzyme starts to convert the hormone testosterone on the scalp to its less useful version, dihydrotestosterone, or DHT. DHT then attacks the hair follicle, and shrinks it, even making it disappear entirely. Hair becomes thinner and finer, and may stop growing entirely. This conversion of testosterone to DHT seems to be sped up in some patients with hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism, and may be the cause of hair loss that continues for thyroid patients, despite what is considered sufficient thyroid treatment.

Some people actually complain that rapid hair loss is the worst symptom of their thyroid problem - the thinning hair, large amounts of hair falling out in the shower or sink, often accompanied by changes in the hair’s texture, making it dry, coarse, or easily tangled. Interestingly, some people have actually written to tell me that their thyroid problem was initially “diagnosed” by a hairdresser, who noticed the change in their hair!

While thyroid disease frequently causes general hair loss from the hair on the head, a unique and characteristic symptom of hypothyroidism is loss of the hair on the outer edge of the eyebrows. General loss of body hair from areas other than the head can also be seen in thyroid disease.

If you have a thyroid condition, and are concerned about the amount of hair you are losing, here are some steps to take.

• Getting evaluated by a dermatologist
• Making sure it’s not your thyroid drug (it can be a side effect)
• Making sure you aren’t being undertreated
• Consulting with a doctor to see if you have any nutritional deficiencies that can be correct with supplements
• Considering alternative treatments

Source: http://thyroid.about.com/cs/hairloss/a/hairloss.htm, http://thyroid.about.com/cs/symptomsproblems/a/hairloss.htm

Baldness and hair loss can be caused by several factors. With most people, it is hereditary. Since the recede of the hairline is mainly caused by male hormones affecting the growth of hair at the follicles, there are several treatments to go for.

Some believe that thinning hair can be saved while lost hair would really require surgery. Whether you’re afraid of the medical procedure or you can’t afford it, there are alternatives to getting a follicular unit hair transplant. Hair loss medication has grown quite popular as more and more are coming out that can stop and even revert hair loss. Here are three tried and true solutions you may want to consider:

Minoxidil

Minoxidil (Rogaine) was previously prescribed for heart problems. In the late 70’s to the early 80’s, it was observed that continued use made your hair grow. Further investigations confirmed that hair loss was hindered in most test subjects.

The treatment had demonstrated successfully that it could slow down the loss of hair and in some cases, even restore hair growth in the back areas. It was determined, however, that the crown or frontal hairline area could not be slowed or reverted.

Minoxidil should be applied topically to the scalp twice a day (in the morning and in the evening) regularly. Otherwise, the effects stop. Hair loss will continue and the hair that was revived will be lost.

Although it first came out as a prescription drug, you can now buy it as Minoxidil or Rogaine as an over-the-counter drug in strengths of 2% and 5%.

Finasteride

Like the previously mentioned medication, Finasteride (Propecia) was not intended for hair loss. Used initially to remedy enlarged prostate glands, it was ascertained that it could impede baldness and even cause hair to grow back.

Apparently, the drug hinders the production of dyhydrotestosterone or DHT, which is the main cause of baldness. This drug, however, should never be used on women or children.

Finasteride should be taken once a day.

Currently the only hair loss medication approved by the Food and Drug Authority, Minoxidil (in 1988) and Finasteride (ten years later) can be bought without a prescription.

Laser Hair Therapy

Aside from medication, you can also go for Laser Hair Therapy or LHT to treat scalp conditions such as hair loss, hair thinning and baldness. LHT uses a low level cool laser to successfully remedy and suppress hair loss.

This therapy makes use of the same technology as phototherapy. The laser light incites cell metabolism. This hastens the repair of damaged cells. The light energy from multiple rotating laser positions enhances the flow of blood to the scalp.

LHT is an innovation that has recently swept the medical world by storm. It has received high praise from physicians as a grand step in man’s goals towards preventing hair loss.

With initial researches done in the 1960’s and 1970’s, LLLT or Low Level Laser Therapy is a fairly new science which makes use of lasers with an energy level so low that it doesn’t cut or burn through tissue. It is predominantly employed for the speedy recovery of injuries and, consequently, to ease the pain caused therein. After having been approved by the FDA in January of 2007, the application of LLLT for hair loss has received even more controversy in terms of efficacy.

LLLT is said to use “cold lasers” since the waves emitted are not hot and thus do not scald the tissue and cause wounds. In the battle against hair loss, the low level lasers are harnessed through a hairbrush or hood-like instrument as light. The gadget contains laser diodes that emit laser lights. These get absorbed into the scalp. The light enhances the growth and regeneration of cells and the circulation of blood and oxygen into the hair follicles. In effect, it repairs tissues and switches them from being in the resting phase and back to the growing phase. Theory has it that the treatment stimulates at a cellular level, thus improving cell function.

The use of LLLT in clinical studies has resulted in the deterrence of hair loss, the regeneration of follicles in areas of hair loss and even in the renewal of hair shine, strength and thickness.

Laser Hair Therapy is also sometimes used as post-surgery therapy for hair implants. Aside from its healing and pain reduction properties, the treatment also helps in accelerating the growth of the newly grafted hair.

The treatment is not that traumatic an experience either. Sessions usually last only 30 minutes and the patient can watch TV or read books while getting it done. No pain is experienced either, just a tingling sensation.

In tests, 9 out of 10 hair loss patients had shown improvement: Their hair was shinier, stronger and thicker. Hair loss had been stopped. Hair count had increased.

These studies also state that the effects seem to be more evident in patients who are in earlier stages of hair loss. Larger scale studies are to be conducted though but many men and women are encountering positive responses to the treatment.

There were no observed side effects but note that LLLT was not conducted on patients with medical conditions or histories that involved skin cancer, scalp infections and photosensitivity to laser light.