What is Progesterone? (Part one)

Progesterone has been shown to have DHT inhibiting effects and is thus used by both men and women, often in the form of topical applications, to combat hair loss. Progesterone creams provide a transdermal method by which levels of the progesterone hormone can be increased at a desired location of the body. Hair loss is not the primary reason for the use of progesterone creams. While applied topically, some of the progesterone absorbed in this way will find its way into the body in general, so there may be systemic implications to its use. Progesterone can also be taken in pill form to increase broader systemic efficacy.

Topical progesterone is available as capsules, vaginal creams and suppositories. The medication is applied by women to sensitive areas of the body such as the breast, abdomen, inner thighs and the palms of the hands. Men who use progesterone creams can apply it to areas such as inner forearm, chest, neck or scrotum. Because of possible side effects for the health of the thin areas of skin through which the progesterone is absorbed, it is recommended that the site of application is changed periodically. This has obvious implications for those intending to apply progesterone creams regularly to the same parts of their scalp.

Progesterone creams are not FDA approved for use against hair loss in men or women, and if you are considering using one for such purposes you should consult a well-informed doctor before commencing use. This is especially important for women of all ages, men or women already taking medication to address hormonal imbalances in their bodies, or women who are or think they may become pregnant.

More next time!

What is Dutasteride? (part two)

Dutasteride is a dual DHT inhibitor, meaning that it acts on both type I and type II of the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase. Results have shown that its use can lead to a 93% reduction in the conversion of testosterone into DHT in the body, much higher than the inhibiting ability of Finasteride. It is possible that executives at GlaxoSmithKline were uneasy about the fact that because their DHT inhibitor was more powerful than Finasteride, despite the fact that this led to increased benefits as far as hair loss were concerned, the drug might be too strong for a nervous market in which Finasteride was already underperforming.

Although not confirmed, the final phase of Dutasteride testing may once again be underway. In the meantime it has begun to be prescribed off-label for some men hoping that its powers to inhibit DHT will help them retain or grow back more of their hair than Finasteride is capable of achieving for them. Because its side effects may be more severe and neither the dosage nor the long term impact of the drug for the purposes of hair loss have been approved by the FDA however, there are many reasons to be wary about the use of Dutasteride in this way.

Still, this could be the next systemic drug to be approved by the FDA to treat hair loss. If you are impatient and willing to take the risk, a 0.5 mg soft gel will currently cost you $2-3 per dose with a prescription. Beware however that it is not possible to easily divide a soft gel capsule into smaller quantities the way Finasteride users have been able to cut up larger doses of Proscar originally intended to treat BPH. Also, considering the fact that studies have shown that Dutasteride remains in the body for up to 240 hours (as opposed to 6-8 for Finasteride) after being taken, and that in some cases DHT was at only 25% of its normal levels up to a year after ceasing to take the drug, you might want to think seriously about those uncharted side effects. As with Finasteride, Dutasteride should never be handled by women who are pregnant or may become pregnant.

What is Dutasteride? (part one)

Dutasteride is a so-called second generation dihydrotestosterone (DHT) inhibitor produced by the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline. Like Finasteride (Propecia), it was developed to treat the enlargement of the prostate gland in men known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). As was the case during Merck's Finasteride testing back in the 1990s, Dutasteride's beneficial effects on hair loss became apparent during GlaxoSmithKline's clinical trials of the drug as a treatment for BPH. Dutasteride was granted FDA approval as a drug to treat BPH and appeared on the market in 2003 branded as Avodart. For the purposes of treating BPH, the recommended dose is a 0.5 mg soft gel capsule once daily. It is important to note that at this stage, Dutasteride has not been approved by the FDA for the purposes of treating hair loss. If this ever occurs, like Finasteride it will only be approved for use by men.

In a repeat of the history of Finasteride's development as a hair loss drug, GlaxoSmithKline set about conducting trials into the use of Dutasteride, their own DHT inhibitor, for the same purposes. However, the company shelved their plans for a drug to rival Finasteride in the market for hair loss treatments after phase 2 trials of Dutasteride had been completed. It is not clear why they didn't go through with a final phase of testing the drug in preparation for its approval as a hair loss treatment but it has been speculated that market forces were responsible. The company had been going through a number of mergers which may have had an impact on continuity in decision making among their various divisions. In addition to this, Finasteride, while already established on the market as an effective hair loss treatment, had not been meeting Wall Street's profit expectations. This may have been due to negative publicity surrounding the potential side effects of the drug as far as sex drive and sexual performance were concerned...

More tomorrow.

What is Crinagen? (part two)

Unlike other topical scalp solutions Crinagen is not sold with associated shampoos and conditioners. Typical of his medically sound methodology, Dr. Razack explains this simply by stating that they are unnecessary as there are already effective options on the market. For use with Crinagen he recommends an anti-inflammatory shampoo such as Nizoral or T-Gel.

In addition to Crinagen, Raztec Enterprises later developed Natrecia, a herbal supplement specifically blended to combat hair loss. Natrecia can be used by men and women with minimal side effects, and is intended to be taken as a pill once daily.

A 30 day supply (1 bottle) of Crinagen costs $19.95, though it's worth buying more because the price per bottle reduces if you buy 2 or 4 bottles at a time. A 30 day supply of Natrecia is also $19.95 and there are similar advantages to buying more bottles in one go. Shipping in the US is free.

Neither Crinagen nor Natrecia is FDA approved, because like Revivogen, their exclusively natural lists of ingredients mean that they do not require such regulation. Crinagen was developed before the comparable product Revivogen appeared on the market and while it has many loyal customers, it now exists in the shadow of the latter product in terms of market share. It is possible that this has more to do with marketing than anything else though, as Dr. Razack's product web site is heavy on the science and relatively light on marketing. In fact, with it's triple action approach to inhibiting DHT production, stimulating blood flow in the scalp and suppressing immune system reactions within the follicles themselves, Crinagen combats hair loss on more levels than its newer but more slickly marketed rival. All this may be about to change however, as the Raztec Enterprises web site is currently being revamped for a relaunch in the near future.

What is Crinagen? (part one)

Crinagen was developed by Dr. Nasser Razack after he began to experience hair loss as a college student in his mid 20s. His realization that there were few credible treatment options available at the time led to exhaustive medical research into its causes and possible treatments on his part. In 1997 he published "Conquering Hair Loss, A Complete Medical Guide To Hair Loss Assessment, Prevention and Restoration", a comprehensive book setting out the results of his research in great detail. At the same time, his company Raztec Enterprises released Crinagen onto the market as an all natural topical spray designed to be applied to the scalp to prevent hair loss and aid regrowth.

Currently an interventional neuroradiologist at the Bayfront Medical Center in Florida, Dr. Nasser Razack's approach to the problem of hair loss has always been meticulously scientific. Crinagen only contains ingredients and compounds that have been medically proven to be effective in treating hair loss, and Dr. Razack's review of the medical literature is as thorough as it gets. The basic ingredients of Crinagen have remained the same since it was first produced, though a number of new versions have been released over time. Each new version introduced minor changes to the product, but Dr. Razack is slow to make changes to the formula for Crinagen because he prefers to wait for conclusive medical evidence before deciding to include a new ingredient. The current version was released in October 2001 and is the 4th to be released.

Because it is a topical and completely natural product like Revivogen, Crinagen can be used by men and women alike and has no systemic or hormonal side effects. In addition to being a DHT inhibitor, Crinagen works to increase the flow of blood to the follicles of the scalp. It also suppresses immune system reactions that can cause inflammations of the scalp which in turn compound the damage caused to follicles by DHT. Crinagen has been proven to reduce DHT production in the scalp by up to 98%. Its ingredients not only combat hair loss, but also combine in ways that enable Crinagen to work simultaneously on a number of fronts at once. Some of its most powerful ingredients are Azelaic acid, Vitamin B6, Zinc acetate, Niacin, Saw Palmetto, Ginkgo Biloba and Proanthocyanidins from grape seed extract.

More tomorrow...

What are Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) Inhibitors?

If you're serious about preventing hair loss and encouraging new growth, you need to take action to prevent the damaging effect that the male hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) has on the follicles of your scalp. There are several main ways to go about this.

Depending on your gender, stage of hair loss and other factors, your available options may include taking a daily Finasteride or Dutasteride tablet or capsule to reduce the levels of DHT circulating throughout your entire body. Or, if you don't like the idea of such "system wide" approaches, or cannot use them for other reasons, you might benefit from natural and topical solutions, lotions and creams applied directly to the scalp to combat various phases of the production of DHT and its attempts to combine with your follicles' androgen receptors.

In addition, some of these products are frequently used in combination with each other. Tomorrow I'll take a look at some of the market leading and most popular DHT inhibitors.