Hair, like water, food, or air... is something we rarely think about.  Until it starts to go away.  Then PANIC sets in and we have to fix the problem RIGHT NOW!  But what to do?  Sure, there are all kinds of choices advertised on the internet and each sounds great.  At first blush.  Once we get sucked in and spend our money, our time, our hair, we may find out that the reality is not always consistent with the promise.  So how to avoid the pitfalls and make the right choices?  In this series we'll explore some of the various things that are offered in this category, and in particular we'll focus on the caveats.  When we can understand the downside of each treatment choice we can make a more informed decision so at the end of the day, we are more likely to be satisfied with the decision(s) we've made.   

In our previous segment we touched on the various forms of hair loss that commonly occur. As we discussed, the most common cause of hair loss is hereditary baldness, or androgenetic alopecia (AGA) also known as male pattern baldness. We also touched upon other less-common causes of hair loss including disorders which may be linked to underlying diseases, medications, medical treatments, normal hormonal changes, stress, and poor nutrition.

Having spent the better part of two decades investing a great deal of effort to infuse our product line with credibility and validity, we are regularly taken aback by the proliferation of swampy used-car-salesman-like tactics some of our competitors use to peddle their products.  Now we certainly understand that not everyone has the training, expertise and motivation to rise to the level of service that we provide at HairGenesis®, but neither can we comprehend the outright lies, distortions, misstatements and other such nonsense proliferating in this industry.  

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.

    Currently, the typical drug-based regimen for pattern hair loss is either minoxidil and/or finasteride -- or possibly dutasteride.   A caveat with all current drug-based options is the potential for negative side effects.  Alternatively, in the past few years a series of naturally-based hair loss treatments have been developed containing active compounds and phytochemicals.  These generally offer an excellent safety profile, however, with rare exception, they remain largely unsupported by peer-reviewed data.

For people concerned about hair loss, many myths and half-truths abound, but useful information can be difficult to put your hands on. Therefore, an objective overview of pattern hair loss is desirable.  

In healthy well-nourished males and females the most common form of hair loss is androgenetic alopecia (AGA), also known as pattern hair loss. The disorder affects approximately 40 million American men.  It may be a shock to learn that common pattern hair loss affects 20 million American women. The difference between the genders is that a woman suffering hair loss usually retains her juvenile hairline but experiences loss of density behind the leading edge. In men, a distinct pattern manifests where the frontal hair line recedes at the same time that a thinning zone expands from the posterior crown. In more pronounced cases, these zones meet and the person is said to be clinically bald.

In the past fifteen years, HairGenesis® has gone through four significant formulation improvements.  

Today, Generation IV HairGenesis® represents the state of the art in naturally derived hair loss treatment 

methodology.  One of the most important features associated with the new formula is its dual-mechanism

design and deployment.