Archive for June, 2010

It has been known for over 30 years that minoxidil stimulates hair growth, yet understanding the mechanism of action on the hair follicle is still very limited. Minoxidil was introduced in the early 1970s as a treatment for high blood pressure. Hair growth was a common side-effect in those taking minoxidil tablets and this led to the development of minoxidil lotion for the treatment of hair loss in men and women. The 2% product was first marketed for hair regrowth in men in 1986 in the United States and the 5% product became available in 1993. Despite much research over 20 years scientists still have only a limited understanding of how minoxidil stimulates hair growth. Response of the Hair Follicle… read more

At Pro Hair Biosystems we are always keen to point out that there is a whole range of products on the market for hair loss and the best product for hair loss, is the one that works best for you. You might even decide to use a combination of products. This is the same principle when doctor’s prescribe medicines, if there was one perfect tablet for blood pressure then no-one would prescribe the others. So how do you, as a potential customer, judge the likely success of a product? One way is looking at the number of repeat orders. If clients reorder products, then this must be because they are finding sufficient benefit to continue the treatment. In June 2010… read more

(reproduced with thanks to Science Daily*) Hair is important for temperature regulation, physical protection, sensory activity, seasonal camouflage, and social interactions. Hair is formed in hair follicles, which are complex mini-organs in the skin that are specialized for this purpose. All hair follicles are formed during fetal development, then new hair is generated in the hair follicle by continually undergoing phases of recession, rest, and growth throughout life. The length of the hair is determined by the duration of the growth phase; for example, the growth phase for scalp hair can proceed for a number of years, while the growth phase for eyebrows last a few months. After the growth phase, hair formation ceases, and the follicle recedes and enters… read more

The theme of James Bond seems to reoccur quite a lot in these blog entries, mainly because Sean Connery started experiencing hair loss very early in his career and wore a hairpiece in most of the 007 movies, which he stopped wearing in his later movies and lost none of his charm or magnetism. Just for fun, here are some interesting facts on Sean Connery and the other James Bond actors and movies. 1. Sean Connery’s contract allowed him to keep most much of the wardrobe he wore in the Bond movies. He ended up with 147 suites 23 Tuxedos 17 Overcoats 11 Jackets 41 Hats and 68 pair of shoes all of which he wore when playing 007 2…. read more

Saw Palmetto is a popular herbal treatment for benign (non cancerous) prostatic hyperplasia, also known as an enlarged prostate. However, this tiny fruit has also been used to help prevent hair loss. Saw Palmetto has existed for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. It has been known to be used by both North and South American Indians, as well as Aborigines. The herb was used for a number of purposes including appetite stimulation, painful menstruation and even as a treatment for infertility. The Link between Saw Palmetto and Hair Loss It appears that the Saw Palmetto fruit contains an agent that works against the male hormonal metabolite, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which is known to be involved with causing pattern baldness in… read more

In a number of previous blog entries and also extensively in the forums, it has been reported that a cocktail of hair loss products often works better than one single hair loss product, therefore attacking the chemical and physiological causes of hair loss from a number of angles. For example, ProFusion Shampoo and Conditioner can be used with Propecia (Finasteride) and Regaine (Minoxidil). How does Finasteride Work? This involves a lot of biological terms but we have tried to explain these where possible. Finasteride inhibits an enzyme in your body called Type II 5α-reductase. This enzyme converts testosterone into Dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Two distinct isoenzymes (or isozymes) are found in humans: Type I and II. Isozymes have a slightly different chemical… read more

We obviously wish England every success for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. One of the greatest football players we have on our team is Wayne Rooney and in 1966 when we last won the World Cup we had Bobby Charlton…….see the link? In 1966 Bobby Charlton and the team won a heroic victory over West Germany to take the World Cup back to Blighty. This turned Bobby (and Jackie) Charlton into a worldwide legend for the next 40 years! Everyone wanted Bobby Charlton on their TV programmes or as a match pundit or anywhere in front of the camera. The fact that Bobby had very little hair never detracted from the success of this great sportsman. People saw… read more

In our regular blogs we often state how in our experience, hair loss in young men, particularly when it begins in their teens is often more aggressive and difficult to prevent than in older men, where it is generally more gradual. Even the future King of England is not exempt from this. Although he is in an incredibly privileged position, probably with access to the most eminent dermatologists and trichologists in the world, sadly Prince William is also losing his hair. The next question people are probably asking is whether Prince William uses ProFusion products and we would not be betraying any confidences by saying that, to the best of our knowledge, he is currently not a customer. Even though… read more

Discovering the Gene Responsible for Hair Loss Scientists at Bonn Universityand Düsseldorf University have discovered an important hair-loss gene. During their study, the researchers investigated over 500,000 positions in the human genome, and found a gene variant which occurs clearly more frequently in bald men than in control persons. In 2005, these scientists had already characterized the first hair-loss gene inherited through the maternal line, which explained why hair-loss in men often reflects that of their maternal grandfathers. This newly discovered gene, on the other hand, may now account for the similarity in cranial hair growth between father and son. The researchers had concentrated their attention on the genomes of just under 300 men suffering from marked hair loss and… read more