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Research
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Hair
Loss Hair Growth Information |
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Normal Hair Growth and Hair Loss
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Male and Female Pattern Hair Loss
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For those concerned about hair loss, many myths abound but useful information can sometimes be difficult to obtain.
In healthy well-nourished individuals of both
men and women, the most common hair related problem is thought to be
male or female pattern hair loss, also
known as Andro Genetic Alopecia (AGA). To begin with, three things need to occur in order for one to lose hair due to common pattern hairloss (by far the most prevalent kind).
To be susceptible to this disorder three factors must coincide.
First, one needs to have the genetic predisposition.
This means that a person needs to inherit genes that render one susceptible to the chronobiologic and biochemical triggers that result in pattern hair loss.
Next, one needs to reach a certain age.
Commonly, nine year old children
for example do not experience pattern hair loss.
And finally, one needs to have the circulating hormones that precipitate onset and progression of the disorder.
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Multiple Factors involved in Pattern Hair Loss
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Each of these three factors,
genetics (heredity), chronobiology, and biochemistry are
very complex. For example, it is widely believed that the genetics of pattern hair loss
in men and women are associated with a fairly large number of genes
(at least eight genes are already known)
interacting in intricate orchestration. This is one reason why there are so many degrees and variations of pattern hair loss within the general population.
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Hair Growth Cycles
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In
unaffected individuals, scalp hair
typically grows for a period of two to
five years at a rate of approximately
one half inch per month. After a ninety
day resting cycle new hair replaces the
old one which has been shed. In
those suffering from pattern hair loss,
a change in the cycle of hair growth is
thought to occur. Growing cycles become
shorter and resting cycles become more
frequent. A negative change in the
caliber of the hair may also be
indicative that one is coming under the
effects of pattern hair loss.
In
both genders, typically, the onset of
AGA occurs in late puberty or early
adulthood. In men, advanced AGA
may result in loss of hair such that the
only remaining coverage is found
exclusively in the temporal and
occipital regions. Women are prone to
exhibit a more diffuse type of hair loss
with pronounced thinning in the parietal
region.
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Pattern Hairloss in Women
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Interestingly, recent studies suggest that women with some markers of insulin resistance are at significantly increased risk of female
AGA. Moreover, a paternal history of AndroGenetic Alopecia seemed to be a stronger predictor of female AGA compared to women with normal or minimal loss of hair.
Female AGA has also been linked with hyperandrogenism and hirsutism and, most recently, also with
PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), even though epidemiological documentation of the latter association is not necessarily statistically compelling. Nevertheless, the association between polycystic ovarian syndrome and insulin resistance is well documented.
The diagnosis of AGA in women is supported by a pattern of increased thinning over the frontal/parietal scalp with greater density over the occipital scalp, a retention of the frontal hairline, and the presence of miniaturized hairs in the effected zone of loss. Most women with AGA have normal menses and pregnancies. Extensive hormonal testing is usually not indicated unless signs
and symptoms of androgen excess are present such as
Hirsutism, severe unresponsive cystic acne,
Virilization, or Galactorrhea.
Read more about hairloss
in women.
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The Role of DHT in Causing Susceptible Hair
Follicles to Grow Smaller
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From a susceptibility standpoint, the inheritance pattern in both sexes effected by AGA is
polygenic (meaning that the pattern
hairloss is caused by multiple genes
linked to hair loss). Interestingly, the onset
and incidence of the disorder in women closely parallels that observed in males. The disorder begins in susceptible hair follicles, where
Di-Hydro-Testosterone (DHT) has been shown to bind to the androgen
receptor in susceptible hair follicles. This hormone-receptor complex translocates to the cell nucleus, initiating a gene activation program thought to be responsible for the gradual transformation of large terminal follicles to a miniaturized
phenotype (the hair follicles begins a
negative growth cycle, getting smaller
and smaller over time.)
This process occurs within a genetically predetermined anatomical region of the scalp. The resultant clinical picture may thus be described as pattern hair loss because the area of loss is segregated within a fairly well defined zone of the scalp.
Pattern hair loss is believed to result from the conversion of
Testosterone to a problematic
hormone known as Di-Hydro-Testosterone
(DHT) by an enzyme called
5-Alpha-Reductase (5AR). The DHT binds to specific points
in the hair follicle known as Androgen
Receptor Sites (ARS). One may think of this as an electrical plug going into an electrical wall outlet.
Unfortunately, when this attachment occurs in susceptible scalp hair follicles, it causes a negative change in the growth pattern of the hair. The follicle and accompanying structures begin a process of
miniaturization, that is getting smaller. As a result, the hair in
those follicles also shrinks in diameter and the hair growth cycle becomes shorter.
The result is smaller, thinner, virtually invisible hairs and a shrinking area of scalp coverage -
a process which is called male or female "pattern hair loss".
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The Role of the Enzyme 5-Alpha-Reductase (5AR)
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Strikingly, both females and
males diagnosed with pattern hair loss have higher levels of
5-Alpha-Reductase (5AR) and androgen receptors in frontal hair follicles compared to occipital follicles (hair follicles anatomically located outside the typical pattern of loss). Other predisposing factors such as differential cytochrome P450 levels in susceptible versus
non-susceptible hair follicles are less well
known, but may have contributory relevance as well.
The formulations of HairGenesis work by interrupting this negative
cycle and the activity of the enzyme
5-Alpha-Reductase, thus preventing damage to the hair follicle caused by
DHT. Therefore, a healthier hair follicle is better able to produce a healthier and stronger hair.
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Types of Hairloss
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In either gender, the differential diagnosis of AGA is typically made based on the patient's history and clinical presentation. The common differentials include
Alopecia Areata (AA), Trichotillomania, and
Loose Anagen Syndrome. Less typically, the cause of hair loss may be associated with disorders such as
Lupus Erythematosis, scabies or other skin manifesting disease processes. Scalp biopsy and lab assay may be useful in
determining a non-pattern hair loss etiology but, in such cases, should generally only follow an initial clinical evaluation by a qualified treating physician.
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Hair Loss and It's Affect On Hair Style Options
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Thinning
hair typically reduces the styling
options one may choose. When a person
begins to suffer the affects of male or
female pattern hair loss, one has fewer
choices, shorter styles and less
flattering hair cuts. Conversely, by
using a hair loss treatment such as HairGenesis,
which has been clinically demonstrated
to correct pattern hair loss, one may
regain a degree of hair style
flexibility. This is because individual
hair cailber corrolates to overall hair
density. In other words, as an analogy,
if a person has ten thousand hairs that
become twice as thick, it is essentially
as good as having twenty thousand hairs.
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Hair Loss Treatment Options Using Drugs
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From a treatment perspective, the mono-therapeutic interventions against female pattern hair loss have included topical
Minoxidil,
Oral Spironalactone, Oral Flutamide and other
AntiAndroGenetic compounds.
In men, Finasteride is indicated whereas the potent
Anti-Androgen Spronalactone is not.
Finasteride, as used in Propecia
and Proscar,
is a Type 2-selective 5-Alpha-Reductase inhibitor,
and was approved in 1997 as the first oral pharmacologic therapy for the treatment of men with
Andro-Genetic Alopecia (pattern hair
loss).
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Hair Loss Treatment Options Using Botanicals
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Recently, botanically derived substances have also come under investigation as
ingredients potentially useful against this pattern hairloss. Because these botanical substrates have been shown to operate via different mechanisms of action from one another, a
unique approach has been employed with an eye toward synergizing carefully chosen
herbal and botanical compounds into a successful, safe and effective
formulation.
Through many years of on-going research and ingredient testing and
usage, this has led to the development of HairGenesis.
In placebo controlled,
double blinded research, HairGenesis, containing both Type 1
5-Alpha-Reductase inhibitors (5AR) and Type 2 5-Alpha-Reductase inhibitors
has shown remarkably successful results in treating thinning hair and
pattern hair loss in both men and women.
The results of this
significant work has been outlined in a peer-reviewed, published IRB
monitored, FDA-regulated
IRB research study. In the published
report, HairGenesis was described as having been successfully tested in treatment subjects over the course of a 22 week trial.
Historical and basic science data for the compounds and complexes found in the
formulations of HairGenesis further support the hypothesis that
Hair Genesis offers
a both safety and a high
rate of efficacy in appropriately selected subjects. Follow up
clinical studies are being planned.
Evolutionary improvements to the HairGenesis treatment line are
ongoing as research and development of
this revolutionary concept in using
natural ingredients instead of drugs
gains wider acceptance and desirability.
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Additional Reading on Pattern Hairloss, DHT and
the Enzyme 5-Alpha-Reductase
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For those wishing to develop a deeper understanding of the processes involved in this subject, we have provided a selection of relevant research data covering important elements of hair growth and the disorders associated with hair loss:
Hair Loss: Causes, Clinical Manifestations, And Available Treatments
Androgen Disorders Related to Pattern Hair Loss
Please note that you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader
installed on your computer
to
read the Adobe PDF documents
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The information provided on this web site is intended for informational purposes only. It is not to be used as a substitute for the advice or treatment
that may be prescribed by a physician or other health care provider. The products and the claims made about specific products on this site
have not been evaluated by HairGenesis.net or the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, mitigate
or prevent any disease or illness. Results vary by person. Before using any information or products, you should consult with your physician.
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