Today's marketplace is filled with numerous products and treatments purporting to treat -- and even cure -- pattern hair loss. most of us are not specialists in the field, so how is one to know which product or brand to choose? without naming brands or judging individual treatments, here is a useful guide that you can apply to each hair treatment choice. see how one product stacks up across the others. assign a (+) symbol to those products that rise to each challenge and a (-) symbol to those that do not. the more positives a given product demonstrates, the more likely it is to provide genuine clinical value.
Question 1
If non-drug based, is the treatment supported with published, peer-reviewed medical evidence?
+ or -
Why it's important
Without objective proof, anyone can claim any benefit for any"thing". scientific medical research is grounded by a methodology which only validates a substance once it has successfully been proven by critical analysis. select for substances and treatments that have overcome this burden and you are more likely to be satisfied with your results.
Question 2
What sort of credentials and experience do the developers of the hair loss treatment hold?
+ or -
Why it's important
Pattern hair loss involves exquisitely complex interactions. these are based on biochemical, genetic, environmental and epidemiological factors. products developed by persons or entities who have a limited or poor understanding of each and all of these factors are unlikely to produce useful formulations.
Question 3
Has the product line been in long term use (i.e. for 10 years or more)?
+ or -
Why it's important
There are many flash in the pan products which are here one day and gone the next. for the most part, such products seem designed to grow the company's bank account more than they are designed to grow hair. on the other hand, if a product line has been in widespread clinical use -- with an excellent safety track record, it is more likely to provide one with clinical benefit.
Question 4
Is there a well-respected scientific rationale for the composition being sold?
+ or -
Why it's important
In medicine and science, treatments are developed based on a hypothesis driven approach. in the absence of this construct it is difficult to know the proper questions to investigate in order to arrive at a useful answer to the medical need being addressed. clinically valid products and treatments are able to point to a research path that is filled with testable -- and tested -- hypotheses.
Question 5
Are all products sold produced in the usa and under cgmp conditions?
+ or -
Why it's important
For safety sake, and also to ensure the highest potency. cgmp standards have been implemented in the usa by government oversight agencies including the fda. the purpose of such regulatory oversight is to provide consumers with reasonable assurance that the utility of the product will be consistent with the claims advertised.
