Category: Hair Products

Just a general question to Dr. Rassman or any other doctor on the team. Regarding these topical fiber hairloss concealers such as toppik or HairSoReal I was concerned about 2 things.

1. Is the silica contained in them. I understand breathing in crystal silica can lead to silicosis and bronchogenic cancer, do you think the silica contained in these products can have a similar effect?

2. The D and C and FD and C colorings they use are FDA approved but do you think constantly using these products in your hair (where some might fall to the scalp) will lead to scalp cancer?

Thank you!

These camouflaging agents aren’t problematic if used correctly, but inhaling them in excess (either in a spray or in a powder that goes all over the place) could certainly cause problems. Generally speaking, the amount and type of silica found in cosmetics isn’t harmful… unless you happen to have an allergy to it.

I can not imagine that these concealers are carcinogenic to the scalp.

I am well-aware, as an avid reader of your blog, that there is no shampoo that will help to treat hair loss. This question is different. Are there any shampoos, or ingredients within shampoos, that you would recommend against. In other words, is there a particular ingredient that may cause damage to hair, or increase hair loss in some fashion? Thanks very much for your time and wonderful site.

I do not know of any shampoos to actively avoid. Over the years, I’ve read unverified reports from readers that suggest Head and Shoulders causes their hair to fall out, but if that were the case I’d expect there would be warnings and news items all over the place about it. It’s a very popular shampoo, but there’s a very active comments section at this old post.

I’ve also received emails from readers over the years asking about hair loss from sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) found in many shampoos, but I’ve pointed out before that it seems to be propaganda used by some companies just to sell SLS-free shampoo.

I don’t think there’s anything in commercial shampoos found on store shelves that will cause you problems, unless perhaps you’re allergic to something. I generally recommend that everyone try different shampoos and use the one that they like the most. I don’t have any particular shampoo preference over another.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

Hello Doctor,

I find the article on the invention of new molecule QR 678 for stimulating hair growth in one of India’s top newspapers. Here is the link to access the website of the clinic.

Please let me know your view on this. Best regards

There must’ve been quite the media blitz about QR678 in India, because I got a bunch of emails from people in that region asking about this.

First, I don’t like to depend upon a single set of tiny photographs with different lighting to determine hair growth… and that’s what I see in the article. A proper study would have been “blind” so that a placebo group is compared with a treatment growth in a statistically valid protocol. That’s not what this article points to, so I would be reluctant to believe anything that is not done the way I know proper research needs to be done and validated.

In digging a little deeper, one of the creators of QR678 says that there was a double-blind study done and he even summarizes the results on his blog, but as of writing this post, I’ve not seen the actual study nor has it been published in a peer-reviewed journal where it can be evaluated for legitimacy by qualified professionals. Thus, I’m forced to look at QR678 on its own merits and treat it like any other hair loss treatment that I’m asked about.

So many companies and doctors are trying to be among the first to offer a new stem cell treatment (because “stem cells” are great buzzwords right now) and from what I am understanding, that’s what this seems to be. It seems that this is something (stem cells?) injected into the scalp 8 times followed by a lotion rubbed on the scalp. As any regular reader of this blog knows already, I’m a skeptic about the majority of new hair loss treatments announced, and this case is no exception. The evidence is severely lacking that QR678 does what it claims, and so far, I’ve yet to see the proof beyond high praise from the creators of the product itself.

Dr Rassman is it possible shampooing with finger nails to promote hair loss?

Thanks in advance

Unless you have claws or talons, gentle shampooing with or without fingernail use is not a problem, ever. If you’re pulling your hair out when you shampoo, that’s a different story.

I have not seen any postings regarding the new LaserCap device that is now available for a cost of $3000 and would like to get your opinion.

Here’s a brief summary:

LaserCap is a 224 laser, portable, wearable under any hat device for intensive at-home use low level laser treatment, with comparable power to the leading FDA cleared in-office laser dome device – please see enclosed comparison chart (link here ). LaserCap is currently in pre-clinical testing in preparation for FDA trials to demonstrate efficacy as a hair re-growth device in women and men with androgenetic alopecia. LaserCap’s predicate device for FDA submission is the in-office 82 laser stationary dome device MEP-90 which was recently cleared by the FDA for efficacy in promoting hair growth in females with androgenetic alopecia.

We have posted many times on the efficacy of lasers for hair growth, and in my opinion, it simply does not work. But alas, it’s my opinion… and if you or anyone who buys and wears a “laser cap” can show me proof of the before/after results, then maybe my opinion will change. For a $3000 baseball cap with lights in it, it seems like an expensive gamble.

Realistically as I think more about it, it would be very difficult for me to recommend a product like this to someone with a straight face. It makes me wonder if generations in the future will point to this device and laugh as they point to the vibrating-belt weight loss machines from the 1950s.