Category: Hair Products

I received this comment to my post from last month about Eucapil from M. Sovak, M.D., University of California Medical School –

Response from the inventors of Eucapil:

We understand that a comment by Dr. Rassman was published on the site consecrated to the surgical hair loss restitution. We therefore understand that plastic surgery will remain the priority of its practitioners.

We nevertheless have to correct a number of statements which are erroneous:

1. Eucapil is not a cosmetic available only in “the Czech and Slovak countries”. Eucapil was approved as a cosmetic in the Czech and Slovak Republics and thus under the EU Law of Cosmetics can be made available in all EU countries.

2. The definition of a cosmetic in Europe is not the same as in the US and the producer of Eucapil, Interpharma Praha, is not making any medical claims whatsoever. In the EU, a cosmetic is a product which acts on the skin and its appendages without having any systemic effects.

3. It is not clear what “good things for the appearance of hair” means. To state that there is no suggestion or proof that Eucapil can reverse hair loss is simply untrue. We refer the reviewer to the appropriate scientific presentations and articles in peer-reviewed journals on the website, www.eucapil.com (Sovak M, Seligson AL, Kucerova R, Bienova M, Hajduch M, Bucek M. 2002. Fluridil, a rationally designed topical agent for androgenetic alopecia: first clinical experience. Dermatol Surg 28:678-685, with an erratum on p.971; Bienova M, Kucerova R, Hajduch M, Fiuraskova M, Sovak M. Efficacy and Safety of Eucapil Gel in hirsutism (Pilot Study). Proceedings of 14th Congress of European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, London, October 12-16, 2005; Kucerova R, Bienova M, Novotny R, Hajduch M, Fiuraskova M, Seligson AL, Sovak M. Eucapil in Female Androgenetic Alopecia: Efficacy and Safety after 9-month use. Proceedings of 14th Congress of European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, London, October 12-16, 2005).

4. Everybody in hair dermatology knows that the reversal of hair loss can occur only if the follicles are still viable and this applies to systemic therapy such as one with finasteride (Propecia) or the topical material such as minoxidil (Rogaine). We agree, however, with Dr. Rassman that the ultimate and best way of dealing with hair loss which can no longer be reversed is to use implants and other plastic surgery approach which today has been developed to excellence.

5. Eucapil IND has recently been filed with the US FDA with all relevant preclinical and clinical information. We should perhaps state that the primary endpoint of the studies is arrestation of hair loss of those who suffer from continuous effluvium (hair fall out) and that as a secondary point and based on clinical observation there is a statistically significant increase in the hair diameter which may be responsible for the overall improved appearance of the hair. We wish to be sure that the readers of this response understand that Interpharma is not a “producer of natural supplements” which pushes “claims that may not be valid”. Interpharma works strictly under good manufacturing practices (GMP) and publishes its findings in recognized journals. More information for anyone who would wish to read scientific abstracts is contained at the Eucapil website, www.eucapil.com.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

Dr. Rassman,

I have written in before but i have a question concering hair loss shampoos. I have been researching Revivogen and ThmusSkin Shampoos. What are your thoughts on these topical hair treatment agents? I am 22 years old and have a full head a hair and show no signs of balding but it does run in my family. Would these be effective in keeping my hair that i have? People have told me to not worry but its difficult. I would like a “security blanket” to assure no hairloss will take place. Please Help!

Thankyou

The following is what I wrote about Revivogen back in December, 2005:
Revivogen seems to make claims about ‘proven’ DHT blocking and ‘Doctor formulated’ natural ingredients. Kevis has minoxidil as an active ingredient. There is clear value to minoxidil, but you can buy this over the counter at substantially less money than with the Kevis formula and Revivogen has made claims that are not widely accepted although it has been around for years with some good reports by some consumers. I have made comments on non-FDA approved medications and claims about safety and effectiveness in the past (see Scalpmed and ViTrichol for examples).

With respect to ThymuSkin, their website does not disclose any active ingredient that I can find. As I have stated countless times on BaldingBlog, it is a “buyer beware” market. If you want a medical advice, the only medical treatment proven to work is topical minoxidil and oral finasteride.

Millions of people like you want their “security blanket” and spend millions of dollars annually on hair products. It is not my place to tell you how to spend your money. If you wish to try the products, keep me posted on how well it has worked or not worked.

Here is a press release for another magical cure (*cough*) for hair loss. Actually, they try to make this sound like some grand new discovery, but once you get to the last paragraph you realize they are just selling a shampoo called Follipro. I have used copper peptides in my practice for the impact on wound healing in some of my patients. It seems to have value in minimizing post-operative pink discoloration in some patients. The company which sells it does claim hair growth benefits, but I have never seen these benefits.

Press releases need to be looked at carefully, for they do not always tell an accurate story.

• Have Scientists Accidentally Discovered the Answer to Hair Loss?

hi
i am writing this letter to you asking for advice .

I have been eating whole raw egg for the last two years for good health. Suddenly after two years i realized sudden slow hair loss. i used minioxidil but its still falls out. kindly advise me with what to do.

Whole raw eggs are good if you like your protein and fats that way. The relationship between raw eggs and hair loss are not there. Minoxidil is not the best first approach to genetic male hair loss. Get your hair mapped out for miniaturization and then with a diagnosis in hand, you can be smarter about your hair loss and approach it correctly.

Hi there Dr. Rassman,
I had some serious breakage due to over processing. The stylist I went to used bleach on tons of hair rather than a “10 hair test strand” as she called it. The test strand was done because I told her my hair was previously bleached and processed since then and that I was too scared to do what she recommended. Her so called “10 hair test strand” turned out to be some 50,000 hairs after she was done! My hair is now super thin and I had to cut off a foot and still thin. I even have a bald spot in front where it has receded. So I read that M-T-G (not mane and tail at the drugstore) used on horses can help with the growth process. But I am worried because the 1st ingredient is sulfur. And the 1st ingredient in color removers/strippers is also sulfur. And yet I was told that color removers are harsh on damaged hair and *will* caused very processed hair to break. So now I am worried about using Shapley’s M-T-G. What do you think? Thanks!

Be careful who you listen to. When I do not know something, I say so. I do not know much more about MTG products than I stated here. I don’t like the concept of using sulfur in any form on damaged hair. Be careful, you may be taking to many risks as you experiment with your hair.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

I am taking a GNC product called Ultra Nourish Hair which contains 1200 grams of biotin along with other vitamins, and the box says to take 2 pills a day. My question is, would this product help me alot to grow my hair longer, faster, and stronger? Please let me know if I’m using a good product or not!

I don’t have personal experience with Ultra Nourish Hair, so I can’t tell you for sure if this will help your hair grow stronger or faster, but there are plenty of online reviews that seem to be positive. Keep in mind that there are numerous products out there that claim to give the best hair growth results, so finding one that actually does what it says can feel like an impossible task. While I really have my doubts about many of the commercial products out there on the market making hair growth claims, Ultra Nourish does contain biotin in it (which has marginal value, if any, in people who are well nourished).

Please note that this product will not treat male pattern baldness (genetic hair loss), but aims to grow your existing hair faster.