Is there any truth that a peptide called TB-500 also know as Thymosin beta4 help with thinning hair?
Not that I’m aware of. There was a mouse and rat study published years ago that got companies excited to start marketing Thymosin beta-4 as the next great “cure”, but such studies are a long way away from human proof.
I haven’t seen anything about it in recent years, which leads me to believe it went nowhere. If anyone has more current info, please feel free to send it in!
Snippet from the article:
Hair loss from Suave product causes Unilever to settle for 10.2 million dollar lawsuit. Women reported having their hair become discolored, breaking off, falling out in clumps and suffering scalp burns after using Suave Keratin Infusion treatments.
According to a report by Law 360 which was published on Feb. 10, in United States District Court in Illinois late last week, Unilever settled a class action lawsuit filed by consumers concerning their hair care product, Suave Keratin Infusion treatments.
The company reportedly agreed to pay $10.2 million. The settlement will be split into two separate settlement funds, a $250,000 reimbursement fund and a $10 million injury fund. Plaintiffs who simply purchased the kits and did not use them will receive a $10 refund from the reimbursement fund.
Read the rest — Unilever settles $10.2 million class action lawsuit
I’m 17, 18 in 2 months, and I am a norwood class 3. My hairline is receded and the rest of my hair is extremely thin on the frontal, temples, mid-scalp and vertex. I’ve been taking Provillus for 3 months now with no success and emu oil for about 2 months with no success. I’m so depressed and i have to wear a beanie 24/7 now. All i want is to have my hair back, is there anything i can do?
You should really see a good doctor to get a treatment plan in order. At your age, finasteride works very well at reversing the hair loss. Nothing is guaranteed and I can’t say for sure what kind of results you’ll see. That said, I’m not surprised that Provillus or emu oil did nothing for you, even though it was only a few months of use.
The more time you waste with unproven products, the more hair you’re likely to lose.
There is a man by the name of Alan Tomlinson (at least I think that’s his name) and he created a product called ZX42. There are videos on youtube as well as websites that sell his product along with before and after pictures that can be found on said websites as well as on Google images, of course.
The marketing used to promote this product is pretty lame, but some of the results I have seen the customers have with it (not to mention the product creator’s own progress with regrowing his front hairline back) makes me unsure as to feel about this product.
Have you heard of this product or not, Doctors? Also, if ZX42 were shipped to you, could you analyze the product and see what, if any, efficacy it has in aiding and abetting in the regrowing of hair and such?
Thank you.
I personally hadn’t heard of it before, but the marketing for it does look pretty poor. One claim the product makes is “get all of your hair back in a year.” That’s a very bold claim and ultimately I’m going to assume it is complete BS. There is nothing that will bring back all of your hair, and if this stuff had an validity it would be the talk of the internet and medical literature. When I Google it, all I see are people calling it a “fraud” and “scam”.
We do not test products. We basically subscribe to the saying: “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is“.
Hello doctor. I’m upset because i’m wondering if there are side effects in using toppik (me for five years). Sometimes i have my nose bleeding and sometimes my eyes are weeping. i suspect the ammonium chloride including in the product. For the past 2 years i’ve used a mask to put it on.
Also when i get up in he morning my mouth is very dry. My doctor also discovered a nodule recently in the thyroids gland. do you think all these
events are related with toppik? Perhaps nanogen is less harmful.i thank you for your response
I would see a doctor about the nose bleeds and eye irritation. Certain substances can cause irritation to your eyes, but I cannot say if Toppik is the cause. If you’re getting Toppik in your eyes, perhaps another camouflage might do better for you, such as DermMatch.
I’m not sure why you would immediately point to Toppik as the source of dry mouth, nose bleeds, a thyroid nodule, and eye irritation. I’m not saying Toppik is not the cause. Perhaps it is, but there must be hundreds of other potential causes higher on the list than Toppik.
Dr. Rassman
Thanks for all the information on your blog. Im 29 years old male with thick head of hair but was wondering about the Haircheck device. My dermatologist that I see every year looks and examines my hair and says its good with no signs of male pattern baldness or thinning. He told me that everyone has different hair patterns. Sometimes your hair transition from the front different which I have a frontal hair whorl which makes my hair go different directions.
You are always talking about the Haircheck device to get your bulk test done. I was wondering what is considered normal hair density for your hair not to be considered hair loss or thinning (male pattern baldness)? Is it 5% or 8% or below that? I now that you have to measure the back donor hair to get a good reading for the rest of the hair. Every video I’ve also seen of the Haircheck device they tell you to measure in the middle of the hair and the video shows it too. If you measure it from the hairline would your hair density be a little different than back even without male pattern baldness? If you do have 10% percent difference in the front or hairline than the donor hair in the back does that mean you’ll definitely be bald there or thin out there or could it stay like that the rest of your life possibly?
Thanks for your time and hope to hear back from you soon! Sorry if too long! Have a good Holiday!
Hair loss can be a very subjective thing. Measuring how much you are losing or gaining over a period time can be an issue if you do not have an objective metric. Using pictures with constant lighting may be good, but even with the same haircut and same hair style, subtle changes in angle and light can make your hair look better or worse. Thus using photos are a very subjective assessment.
We try our best to be objective by putting a value / number to things we can measure. We use miniaturization studies to give a general understanding of what is going on visually at the microscopic level, as the more miniaturized hairs you have, the more active your balding process is. Perhaps one day there will be a machine to count every single hair on your scalp with an analysis of the miniaturized hairs to good, healthy hairs
We also use the bulk measurement studies to estimate the bulk of hair at different parts of the head in a given fixed area. But all these tests have their issues and limitations. Bulk measurements can be inaccurate if you have gel or other products in your hair, giving a false high value. They also cannot be done if your hair is too short, as we can’t “grab” a portion of your hairs to fit in the caliper.
We do not measure the hairline necessarily, because we use microscopic assessment in the leading edge of a hairline. The HairCheck instrument usually measures an area behind the hairline. If you really want to measure the receding hairline, just get a tape measure and mark out the relative distance from a fixed point (such as your eyebrow or tip of your nose). Bulk tests are mainly used to compare the donor (back) hair against areas on the top and front of your scalp.
Finally, there is no specific rule we use for the bulk test to give you a prognosis, rather, we use the bulk test to keep a record of how you are doing with the treatment (or no treatment) over a period of time. One bulk test session does not show change over time, while two sessions over a year apart may show what is happening to your hair. In other words, you need at least two sets of data at different times (a year apart) to get an idea of what is happening.
One bulk measurement session may give you an idea of the relative thinning between one area of your scalp to another area of your scalp, and non-balding people should not show a change in bulk between areas… so in this respect one test will show emphatically if you are balding or not. A variation of 10% may be considered to be within a margin of error, though I wouldn’t place much significance to an ultimate diagnosis if such a small variation in bulk is measured, as the test, in my opinion, has an error factor of at least 10% (some would say up to 15%) in experienced hands.
Dear Dr Rassman,
I just finished reading the “Hair Loss & Replacement for Dummies” which was very informative and interesting reading. In chapter 9, there are references to suggested intakes of daily proteins, vitamins and minerals that may aid in hair loss prevention. Can you recommend some over the counter supplements that would contain the daily recommended dosages without having to use several brands at the same time?
Secondly, if there is no one type brand that supplies all the recommended proteins, vitamins and minerals, which ones and what dosages would you recommend to take on a daily basis?
Thank you in advance
Vitamins and minerals may be good for the hair, but it will not reverse or regrow hair for those with genetic balding. I do not have a specific brand of supplements I recommend; however, I found that many patients seem to take prenatal vitamins since they’re a good source of vitamins and minerals and a low cost alternative than the branded “hair vitamins” (and they are OK for men).
Despite what is advertised, there is no specific vitamin or mineral that is targeted for hair.
(male)
I’m 17 and I’ve noticed that the hair on the top of my head has been thinning and falling out alot in the past two years. I strongly think that the problem was caused when I bleached my hair unprofessionally two years ago. After I bleached it and washed it off, I felt irritation and burning sensations on the scalp for about half an hour to an hour or so. What has happened to me and what can I do to prevent my hair loss? Also what products can I use to help?
Maybe the bleaching was coincidental to the natural genetic male pattern balding. Do you have a pattern to the thinning? In general, bleaching your hair doesn’t cause hair loss. If it did cause your hair loss, I wouldn’t expect it to reverse now that it has been 2 years since the insult happened. I don’t know of any products that will regrow hair that fell out from chemical damage.
I also can’t advise you without seeing you, or at least a set of good pictures.
Hi Doctor,
Just wondering if you have any updates on the laser cap trials yet?
Thanks
The results will not be analyzed for a full year from the time the study was started. I expect to see results from the study in the summer of 2014.
(female)
Hi, I have been relaxing my hair for 10 years, I am currently experiencing hair loss (due to ringworm!) which has lead me into taking better care of my hair.
My question is: Is it possible to relax your hair for, say 50 years, without damaging your scalp, if you avoid burns? Or is it inevitable that you will experience some form of hair loss/acute damage? Most people I know of have some problem or other due to relaxers.
Thanks for any help you can give.
I don’t personally know too many people who relax their hair, so I am not the best person to give you a professional opinion about this. Most of my patients are men and they usually do not relax their hair.
