Category: Hair Products

Hi,

I have a question about a product that is a “advanced herbal alternative” to Propecia. It is called HLCC Scripts Complete: site

Can you comment on the efficacy of this product? The site mentions studies show that the product is effective, but I can’t find any information on the studies. Did they provide research that was peer reviewed? Were they funded by a non-biased third party?

Any help you can provide would be much appreciated.

Thank you!

This appears to be just another saw palmetto supplement with various ingredients. I’ve written many times about saw palmetto before, but basically there is no good science behind the claims attached to this herb for treating hair loss. The rest of the ingredients are also commonly used in herbal hair loss treatments… but remember, if it’s too good to be true, it probably is.

I can’t speak to whether this product was researched and published in a peer reviewed journal, but I doubt it.

I’ve heard that borage oil, taken either orally or topically, can help with hair loss, and I don’t see any posts about that here yet. What is your opinion? I’m a guy in my early 30s with mild hair loss, diagnosed by my dermatologist as MPB.

Borage (also known as starflower oil) is used by herbalists to treat PMS issues in women. At least, that’s what I found via Google… because I wasn’t familiar with it.

It’s just another herbal treatment that some people claim can treat hair loss. It doesn’t. There’s no herbal treatment that I’ve found to treat MPB anywhere near the claims people make. If you decide to use this to treat your genetic hair loss, that’s your call to make — but don’t be too shocked when your thinning continues.

Hi Doc,

i recently added to 5mg Biotin to my regimen (i’m on Finasteride since 14 months, for maintaining). However i noticed that Biotin made my forehead so oily after 6-7 days of Biotin usage. i took biotin for 12 days, then i thought Biotin could cause sebum on my skin so i decided to give up on it. then my skin returned to normal conditions and dont have any sebum any more.

i need something which can speed up growth of my hairs and nails, also considering my nails are weak and grows late. Would you please advice me something instead of Biotin? or i should decrease the dosage and continue on Biotin, such as 5mg for 3-4 days?

Thanks in advance.

Thanks for sharing your experience. If your side effects from biotin supplement produces oily skin, the simplest thing would be to stop using it. I do not know of any supplements in medical literature that have been proven to make hair grow. If you’re on finasteride already, have you talked to your prescribing doctor about this?

I’ve written my thoughts about biotin being used as a hair loss treatment here, and my advice is “buyer beware”.

Is using hair cream good for a young man going bald good?and is afro american good for my type of hair.

I get questions like this from time to time, but I have no idea what you’re referring to as “hair cream”. Perhaps it is a language barrier, but you’ll need to be more specific as to what product you’re talking about. Some creams are good for hair to keep the looking vibrant or for styling, but I don’t know of a cream that treats a balding young man (even though I’m not even sure of your age).

My hairdresser told me her father used liquid parafin on small balding patch on his head and it grew back. Is there any truth in this?

Paraffin is a substance made from hydrocarbons with many uses (treating hair loss not being one of them). I don’t know what your hairdresser is talking about.

hello dr rassman/ pak
i want a comment on this product which can inhibit fgf-5, as they say.

Link: Lexilis lotion

thanks

According to that link, the product is described as a scalp lotion that contains “leaf extract from Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica)” and “Senburi, a whole plant extract from Japanese green gentian (Swertia japonica)“. These ingredients don’t hold a lot of value to me, but if someone wants to give it a try, that is your choice to make (though at nearly $130 per bottle, that is also a financial risk you’re going to have to be willing to make).

There are a lot of herbal products out there that make unsubstantiated claims based on poorly done studies. I can’t say if this is such a product since I’ve never heard of it before, but Advangen (the maker of Lexilis) offers a few topical products that claim to inhibit FGF-5. Why are they making a big deal about FGF-5? Well, they claim it will extend the hair cycle. And it seems that they’re basing that on a study the company says they conducted on 39 people and an unknown amount of mice.

I get asked about herbal products all the time, and people are desperate to try anything to treat hair loss, so there’s a huge market out there full of snake oils, lotions, and potions that will do nothing but line the pockets of those willing to take advantage of balding folks. That’s why I always remind people of one important thing — buyer beware. You can give this one a try if you’d like, but even if the hair cycle is extended, I don’t see how that actually treats hair loss.

I have a question I am surprised not to have seen answered yet.

What are your thoughts on the recently-release Vichy Neogenic product? It is making some fairly impressive claims. Thanks.

French cosmetics giant L’Oreal is well known for its hair color products, so maybe their marketing clout means more than I can ascertain from the non-scientific material I’ve seen announcing the Neogenic product (see here). I haven’t read any peer-reviewed studies that would convince me the claims are factual, nor would I suggest that this is the hair loss cure we’ve all been waiting for. But they say this is the evolution of their Aminexil hair loss treatment, for what it’s worth.

If the consumer believes the claims are true, then in the free economy it is the consumer’s choice to try the product. Until I can see more, I’ll just remind everyone that my motto has always been buyer beware.