While society has traditionally regarded hair loss as a problem associated with men, losing your ‘crowning glory’ also can be devastating to women and teens.  Over 40 million women are affected each year and are always looking for a way to stop their hair loss.

Lifes2good, a leading European natural healthcare company, is promoting a new product they claim will help women with hair loss.

The product called Nourkrin(TM) is a unique marine-based food supplement that is 100% natural and contains:

– Marine based extract of proteins and polysaccharides.
– Silica, an important mineral for reducing hair loss and maintaining strong healthy hair.
– Horsetail extract, the organic form of silica that increases the strength of the hair and revitalizes lifeless hair.
– IGG Protein aids in the digestion of the product.

Stress, poor diet, the Pill, HRTs, childbirth, cancer treatment, and menopause are blamed for a national problem that’s ruining the lives of over 40 million women who experience thinning hair and hair loss.

“Hair loss is a much bigger issue to women. Up to 60 % of women will lose hair some time in their life, it affects women’s self esteem, and they can become depressed,” says Dr. David Kingsley, the world’s only trichologist (hair/scalp expert) named as a member of the prestigious AAD. He recently authored the book, The Hair Loss Cure: a Self-Help Guide, operates two hair loss clinics in the U.S. and treats thousands of women. He uses Nourkrin(TM) in his therapies with amazing success rates. “Not all hair loss is genetic or permanent. In many cases, hair loss is a temporary issue and will eventually grow back.”

The company claims in a survey of 1,000 Nourkrin users, 62.5% saw an improvement in their hair after only two months.

A 30-day supply retails for $79.95 and is available at Vitamin World Stores, www.help4hair.com or by calling 1.888.577.7277.

CINCINNATI — Two-time Academy Award-winner Hilary Swank announced that she has committed to grow, cut and share her long hair with Pantene Beautiful Lengths.

This incredibly personal donation will be part of a year-long association between leading actress Swank and Pantene’s unique charitable campaign. In her new role, Swank will star in a Pantene Beautiful Lengths print public service announcement (PSA) and encourage people across the US and Canada to follow her example.

Pantene has partnered with the Entertainment Industry Foundation(TM) (EIF) to create Pantene Beautiful Lengths, a campaign that inspires people to grow, cut and donate their healthy hair to make free real-hair wigs for women who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment.

I have lost multiple family members to cancer and witnessed their struggle first hand. I’ve never heard of anything quite like Pantene Beautiful Lengths, and I’m proud to be asked to promote the goals of such a unique and heartfelt program,” explains Ms. Swank. “It’s an honor to be associated with Pantene’s campaign, and I just hope that my contribution will help to inspire others to get involved in whatever way they can.”

Since its launch in July 2006, Pantene Beautiful Lengths has attracted the hearts and the hair of women, men and children across the continent. Regardless of whether individuals donated in a private gesture at their local salon, or joined others in the growing phenomenon of community cutting events, their generosity has already resulted in more than 17,000 ponytail donations overall, a Guinness World Record(TM) and the distribution of 2,000 free, real- hair wigs.

For more information about Pantene Beautiful Lengths and ways to participate, visit www.beautifullengths.com or the Pantene Beautiful Lengths Blog http://beautifullengths.wordpress.com/.

WEST BRIDGEWATER, Mass. — Nothing can boost a woman’s self-confidence and attitude more than wearing the hair she always dreamed of but never thought she could have.

Especially Yours(R), a division of Specialty Catalog Corp., the leading company in direct marketing of wigs and hairpieces for black women, has announced an exclusive U.S. and Canada licensing agreement with Simi Belo, inventor of the revolutionary NewHair(R) natural-looking hair wear. Especially Yours(R) has also launched a direct response television campaign targeted to black women.

“Today’s time-challenged, over-scheduled woman is looking for versatility without sacrificing glamour,” said Jessie Bourneuf, president of Specialty Catalog Direct. “Once considered the domain of grandmothers and women with medical hair loss, today’s wigs, hairpieces and hair extensions are giving women all across America the freedom to unleash their true inner beauty while at the same time, eliminating bad hair days.”

“Celebrities such as Beyonce, Paris Hilton, Tyra Banks, Madonna, Halle Berry and Celine Dion utilize wigs, hair extensions and hairpieces to help ensure that they always have beautiful hair, day in and day out,” Bourneuf stated. “For the average consumer who wants to update her look or change her hairstyle for the summer or fall without damaging her own natural hair, she too can glam up her look with a wig, hairpiece or hair extensions.”

Wigs are an essential beauty item for many black women. Although African- American women comprise only 13 percent of the total female population in the United States, they purchase more than 50 percent of all retail wigs, weaves and hairpieces sold to women. Catalog and online sales of wigs, hairpieces and hair extensions are growing exponentially. Thirty percent of African-American women prefer purchasing their wigs from catalogs.

“Black women wear wigs as fashion accessories and as time-savers, as well as to give their hair a rest from the treatments required to help manage their hair,” Bourneuf said. “Sales of wigs are growing as more and more women seek to supplement their beauty arsenal with the right wig, hairpiece or hair extensions”.

“There are many looks and many types of wigs, hairpieces and hair extensions to choose from,” Bourneuf added. “Especially Yours(R) and Specialty Catalog Corp. can give you advice, teach you what’s hot and help you choose the styles and looks that are right for you.”

For more information, visit www.especiallyyours.com.

These women had no clinical improvement from the classical treatments with antiandrogens, isotretinoids or corticosteroids.   Their hypothesis was that some of these women have an excessive activity of the enzyme 5alpha-reductase.

To test this they gave 12 patients – six of whom had acne and the other six hair loss – a daily dose of 5mg of finasteride.

The results were overwhelmingly positive, 9 of the 12 patients (75%) benefited from the treatment, their symptoms decreased significantly and they felt better psychologically than before the administration of finasteride. The other three patients did not benefit at all from finasteride and reported no change in the extent of the acne/alopecia. The treatment was generally well tolerated, and only a few adverse effects were noted.

They concluded that in these types of patients an excessive activity of the 5alpha-reductase enzyme may the root cause of acne or hair loss.   However since 25% of the patients had no change, there must also be other pathways in the development of acne and alopecia in women who have normal levels of free testosterone.

It’s important to state that women who are pregnant or may become pregnant should not be taking finasteride and neither Propecia nor Proscar has been approved for use by women in the USA.
 

Effect of finasteride 5 mg (Proscar) on acne and alopecia in female patients with normal serum levels of free testosterone.

Gynecol Endocrinol. 2007 Mar;23
Kohler C, Tschumi K, Bodmer C, Schneiter M, Birkhaeuser M.
Division of Gynaecological Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine, Department Ob/Gyn, University of Berne. Berne. Switzerland.

Background: In some women with acne or alopecia who have normal serum levels of free testosterone, no clinical improvement can be reached by the classical treatment with antiandrogens, isotretinoids or corticosteroids. Our hypothesis is that some of these women have an excessive activity of the enzyme 5alpha-reductase.

Objective: To evaluate the subjective benefit of the treatment with finasteride (5 mg/day) in women with normal serum levels of free testosterone suffering from acne or alopecia.

Design: This was a retrospective study evaluating a questionnaire filled out by 12 patients, six of whom had acne and six of whom had alopecia.

Results: Nine of the 12 patients benefited from the treatment, their symptoms decreased significantly and they felt better psychologically than before the administration of finasteride. The other three patients did not benefit at all from finasteride and reported no change in the extent of the acne/alopecia. Treatment was generally well tolerated, only a few adverse effects were noted.

Conclusions: Nine of the 12 patients benefited from the treatment. This supports our hypothesis of an excessive activity of 5alpha-reductase enzyme in peripheral tissue in these patients. The fact that three of the patients did not realize any change in their symptom severity implies that there must also be other pathways in the genesis of acne and alopecia in women with normal levels of free testosterone. Further evaluation is needed to elucidate more precise indications for the administration of finasteride in women with acne and alopecia.
Source: PMID 17454167

West Bridgewater, MA (PRWEB) — WigShop.com, the online wig store, is encouraging its customers to lend support to women dealing with the trauma of medical hair loss by donating new or gently used adult wigs.

The program has been launched to connect women at medical and cancer centers with fashionable and useful products. Four organizations, from West Virginia to California, are accepting donations of wigs to distribute to women dealing with the trauma of medical hair loss. Special discounts on wigs are also being offered by WigShop.com to encourage women to participate in the donation program.

“We are so pleased to announce a partnership with three outstanding organizations that will accept donations of wigs and distribute the products to women who can use them due to medical hair loss or any other issues that causes stress related hair loss in a women’s life,” said S J Moore of WigShop.com.

Organizations currently participating in the wig donation program include the Cancer Center of Santa Barbara Brooke, Miles Perret Cancer Services in Lafayette, Louisiana, Army Medical Center in Houston, Texas, and the Veterans of Foriegn Wars Women’s Auxiliary in West Virginia. They are accepting gently used and cleansed fashionable wigs to distribute.

In America, it is estimated that the number of new cancer cases is estimated to be around 1.4 million people.

“Our patients come in daily to the Cancer Center of Santa Barbara and because of the WigShop.com donations, they are pleased to see there are wigs available here for them,” said R. Campuzano.

To donate a new or gently used wig visit www.WigShop.com/donate_your_wig and choose to send your wig to one of the three organizations. And to encourage women to participate in the donation program WigShop.com is offering special discounts as a thank you for helping women in need.

In this case in Tunisia, a 75 year-old menopausal woman was found to be suffering from male pattern baldness, otherwise known as androgenetic alopecia.

What made her case unusual is that she never suffered from virilization as well, which is the abnormal development of male sexual characteristics in a female.   The reason the two are associated is that excess testosterone causes both problems to occur.

In addition to this she had no sign of hirsutism either, which is excessive body hair.  This too is a sign of unnaturally high testosterone levels in women.

Her testosterone levels were checked and were found to be 3 times the normal limit.   The doctors then took X-rays and discovered that she had an ovarian tumor.

The tumor was removed and a hysterectomy was performed.   Two months later her hormones returned to normal levels.

The physicians recommend that in similar cases of menopausal women with recent and/or severe androgenetic alopecia, their testosterone levels should be checked in addition to ultrasensitive TSH and ferritin tests, in case they have tumors.

Androgenetic alopecia reveals an ovarian secreting tumor

Ann Dermatol Venereol. 2007 Feb;134
Masmoudi A, Meziou TJ, Reygagne P.
Service de Dermatologie, EPS Hedi Chaker de Sfax, Tunisie.

BACKGROUND: In menopausal women, rapid development of androgenetic alopecia may be associated with development of androgen-secreting tumors even in the absence of signs of virilisation. We report a case in which ovarian tumor was revealed by this condition.

OBSERVATION: A 75 year-old woman menopausal from the age of 44 years had experienced hair loss over the previous three years with exacerbation over the last year. Clinical examination revealed male pattern androgenogenetic alopecia but with no signs of virilisation. Testosterone levels were 3 times the normal limit. Radiological examination confirmed the presence of an ovarian tumour and hysterectomy was performed with bilateral actomy. Histopathological examination revealed a mature cystic dysembryoma of the right ovary containing Leydig cell islets. The outcome was favourable with normalisation of hormone levels 2 months after surgery and gradual hair growth.

DISCUSSION: This case involved a woman with androgenogenetic alopecia with no signs of virilisation or of hirsutism. The clinical picture was banal, and given the patient’s age, there was no justification for routine endocrine investigation. Because of recent focus on androgenogenetic alopecia, testosterone levels were checked, resulting in the discovery of an ovarian tumour containing Leydig cells. In menopausal women with recent and/or severe androgenogenetic alopecia, testosterone levels should be determined in addition to ultrasensitive TSH and ferritin.

PMID: 17375015

Fox News has all the details.

Having hair extensions or braids is very fashionable and desirable these days, but many people don’t know that they can result in permanent hair loss.

This type of hair loss is called Traction Alopecia and results from a constant strain being put on the hair that has been tightly woven or twisted.   This constant pulling of the hair puts a stress on the hair follicles and if left long enough can cause the hair follicles to be permanently damaged.

If you have braids or hair extensions and your scalp is inflamed or sore, you should have them removed as they may be too tight and therefore could result in you suffering permanent hair loss.

Even if you don’t have any problems you could still be causing damage to your hair follicles.   The problem with wearing braids or extensions for a long period of time is that you may not notice the damage being caused because it can get covered up by the braids or extensions themselves.  Once you remove them after a long period of time, you may notice thinning or balding areas that were previously hidden, but by that time it could be too late.

According to this study below this condition receives minimal attention in medical literature and because of that, a lack of attention in the mainstream media.

Braids and hair extensions, while they look good, can in fact be very damaging to your follicles, so you should think twice about having braids or hair extensions that are woven into your hair.

  Traction folliculitis: an underreported entity.

Cutis. 2007 Jan;79
Fox GN, Stausmire JM, Mehregan DR.
Medical University of Ohio, Toledo, USA. 

Traction folliculitis is a component of traction alopecia syndrome and has received minimal attention in primary source medical literature. The popularity of hairstyles that produce hair traction and the knowledge that early intervention improves prognosis amplify the importance of recognizing this entity. Traction folliculitis presents as perifollicular erythema and pustules on the scalp in areas where hairstyles produce traction on the hair shaft. In addition to the traction, concurrent hair care practices may play a facilitatory role in the development of traction folliculitis.

Treatment involves immediate removal of traction on hair and temporary alteration of the facilitatory hair care practices. In more severe cases, topical or systemic antibacterial therapy and, occasionally, topical corticosteroid therapy may be necessary. Failure to discontinue traction-producing hairstyles can lead to traction alopecia and irreversible hair loss. Cultural considerations often are paramount in hairstyle choices and hair care practices that cause predisposition to traction disorders. Thus, culturally competent counseling requires understanding the significance of the hairstyle and hair care practices to the patient (or caregivers), discussing the recommendations in a culturally sensitive manner, and negotiating mutually acceptable alternative practices.