hair restoration news
Could Latisse be the Answer to Hair Thinning?
Latisse® is a popular treatment that is FDA approved to help users grow longer, darker, and thicker eyelashes. The treatment started off as a medicine for glaucoma when researchers noticed that their participants were also growing longer, more luxurious eyelashes during the testing process.
One doctor in Florida is now taking Latisse® from eyelash enhancer to hair restoration treatment. When one of his patients demonstrated an allergic reaction to the typical hair restoration medication Rogaine®, he suggested she use Latisse® to regrow thinning hair instead. Using a drop or two a day of Latisse® on the affected area along with a new daily vitamin regimen, the patient saw a reduction in the thinning of her hair in about four months.
However, there are definite disadvantages to using Latisse® for hair restoration including the high cost for an unproven treatment. While this one patient has benefited from the treatment, most scarring alopecias and those caused by immune problems most likely will not be improved.
Latisse® is not FDA approved for hair restoration on the scalp which means it hasn’t been tested in that area and any risks or potential long-term side effects haven’t been fully investigated. FDA approval for a new use of an already approved drug may take many years and cost millions. By the time it gets back to the patient, the price will surely be increased. For years this drug has been used in the eyes with a high degree of safety and no long term problems noted. On the skin some patients note a darkening and slight irritation when it is used on the upper eyelids.
When Latisse® is used to increase eyelash thickness and length, full results are often not seen until 16 weeks. It would not really stop the progression of hair loss for androgenetic alopecia patients, but possibly just lengthen and thicken the hairs like it does for the eyelids. Similarly, when used for eyelashes, results will gradually disappear if the treatment is stopped. The same can be assumed for the unapproved use of Latisse® as a hair restoration treatment. Once daily application is discontinued, the hair should eventually recede again leaving the user with the same thinning hair situation he or she started with.
Along the same lines, in order to maintain eyelashes grown by Latisse®, users must maintain a constant supply. While those using Latisse® for its FDA approved use for eyelashes may only need one bottle a month, those using it for hair restoration will need a much larger quantity given the size of the treatment area (3 or more of the 2-ounce bottles). With each prescription bottle of Latisse® costing an average of $100 to $150 a bottle, patients could easily spend upwards of $450 a month for as long as they want their hair restoration results to last. It seems like a high cost considering Latisse® does not promise to stop the progression of patterned baldness.
Currently FDA approved, topical and oral treatments like Rogaine®, Propecia®, and Proscar® are available to help slow and even stop hair loss; growing some hair back is also a possibility with some of these products. These products stop the progression of loss in over 80% of all patients who take/use them daily. If Latisse® does work, it would be applied in addition to the preventers of progression like Propecia®. Follicular unit hair transplant is a surgical procedure that produces permanent hair restoration results from hair loss as a result of hormones, trauma, androgenetic alopecia, and more. It’s important to remember that while off-label uses of products like Latisse® and Botox® do have potential, they also have potential for unexplored side effects until further studied.
For more information on the current list of FDA approved non-surgical and surgical hair restoration options, contact our office. We’re also on Facebook and Twitter with the latest news and update in hair restoration and research.
Part 2 of Dr. Griffins Series on PRP Technology: Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy Used in Skin Rejuvenation of the Face and Neck
Published in the May issue of the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy has proven itself effective in face and neck rejuvenation. As we discussed in our introduction to our blog series on Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy, PRP utilizes the healing power of isolated platelets from a patient’s own blood (much like the autographs used in the effective treatment of male-pattern baldness) to aid in the rejuvenation of soft tissues and bone several body systems. Dr. Griffin is especially hopeful about the potential benefits PRP therapy may bring to hair restoration patients.
During the course of the three month study, 23 patients were given monthly injections of their own centrifuge-obtained platelets into areas of depression or small wrinkles on their faces and/or necks. The results of the PRP injections were chronicled through a series of photographs taken with a dermoscope camera: allowing study coordinators to highly magnify the treatment areas progress. The results of the study show exciting promise for future use of PRP therapy in skin rejuvenation procedures. The study’s participants (whose results were a mixture of ratings derived from self assessment and doctor observation) showed best results in the improvement in skin homogeneity and texture (a 33% increase) and reduction in priocular wrinkles (30% reduction of crow’s feet.)
The study’s results are not only of interest to Dermatologist and Hair Transplant Specialists like Dr. Griffin, but also point to potential refinement in the facial fillers (like Botox® and Dysport®) and dermal injectables (like Restylane® and Juevederm®) cosmetic surgeons use to relax wrinkles and fill-in areas that naturally lose volume with age. This emerging research field is changing daily so stay in the loop by reading Dr. Griffins blog or visiting his website regularly.
Part 1 of Dr. Griffins Series on PRP Technology: Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy Explained
Deeply committed to education, Dr. Griffin of the Griffin Center of Hair Restoration and Research has been on the forefront of hair restoration research and technology since 1976; and the recent advancement in the study of platelet rich plasma (PRP) has been no exception. While PRP technology is most commonly hailed as an aid in healing, Dr. Griffin has been working to explore the ways in which PRP technology can aid in more effective hair restoration.
PRP technology is a subsection of Orthobiologics, which looks at various ways to help the body to help itself. In this case, platelet rich plasma is taken from the body by first drawing the blood that contains these platelets. Then using centrifuge, the platelets are isolated from the other matter and then re-injected into the body for various uses. The platelets isolated and utilized in PRP technology are special in their ability to release proteins called “growth factors” which help to accelerate tissue regeneration and heal the body.
For the skin care industry, PRP is promising in its ability to promote collagen growth in skin, helping to eliminate wrinkles and promote overall skin health. For orthopedic physicians, PRP technology is promising in its ability to accelerate healing of muscles, tendons, etc.
But for Dr. Griffin and other hair restoration specialists, the hope is that this new technology will improve follicular grafting, the hair-by-hair restoration technique. Because each strand of hair must be grafted and transplanted into the scalp one-by-one, physicians and scientists are hopeful that PRP technology will accelerate the healing of tissue for faster and more reliable acceptance of the new stands of hair.
While practical uses of PRP technology are still in the clinical trial phase, these advancements are very promising for the field of hair restoration. Dr. Griffin will keep you abreast of any updates with PRP technology that could affect you with a series of blog posts on the subject.
For more information about PRP technology or specific hair restoration techniques, we invite you to explore the Griffin Center website or contact our office to schedule a complimentary consultation.
Newsletter
Sign Up to Receive Occasional Special Offers and Our Monthly Newsletters
* = Required Field
Find us on Facebook and Twitter!