Chapter Twenty-Three

Superoxide Dismutase

To be labelled a vitamin, a substance needs to fulfil three basic criteria. The first is that it is not a simple mineral, like iron, calcium or magnesium. It needs to be an organic molecule.

The second is that it needs to be essential for human growth, repair and/or reproduction. Without this organic molecule, we would eventually die as our stores of it get depleted. Long before death, however, chronic conditions would start showing in increasing severity.

The last qualification is that the substance cannot be made within the body, but has to be supplied in sufficient quantities from the diet.

The following two substances in the rest of this chapter are both organic compounds and are essential to life but, because they are made by the body, they do not qualify as vitamins. Their supplementation is often overlooked precisely because they are made by the body, as we age however or diet or suffer injury, the body cannot keep up with the extra demand for it. As pointed out in the chapter on diet, our metabolic and physical systems start running down when their repair rates fall off.

The first such compound on our list is superoxide dismutase (SOD). Its supplementation, though not a full answer to the problem of hair-loss, is probably part of it.

Superoxide dismutases are a group of enzymes found in every tissue of every organ of every living thing. Plants, mushrooms, worms, whales and humans – they all have them.

They are ubiquitous because they are responsible for the catalytic splitting of superoxides into oxygen and hydrogen peroxide. This reaction is brought about by simultaneous oxidation and reduction (a redox reaction, in other words) of the superoxide compound into two new compounds. This is known as disproportionation, or dismutation, hence the enzyme’s name. Since superoxides form wherever oxygen is being metabolised, the enzymes that tame them are also found to be there.

These superoxides are chemicals that used to be called hyperoxides. Some text books still refer to them by this name, in fact. In biological systems, these electrically-charged superoxide anions act as both free radicals and generators of other free radicals and, as such, are very damaging indeed. Free radicals are highly reactive molecules that act like loose cannons aboard wooden warships. Left unchecked these cannons would roll around the deck smashing everything in their path. One single, loose cannon will inevitably break the chains holding the other cannons tight, setting off a chain reaction that always lead to one final conclusion. One these rolling cannons will eventually smash through the walls of the ship and the whole thing – ship, chains, crew and cannons – will sink; lost forever.

In any living system, the same catastrophic sequence of events would also occur, metaphorically speaking, and the organism would inevitably die.

Superoxides are so damaging that they are fatal in even minute concentrations. They are so lethal, in fact, that the immune systems of most organisms use them (under extraordinarily tight control) to destroy invading pathogens. The phagocytes of the immune system engulf the invader and then generate superoxides at their cell surface and swamp the pathogen with them. In non-technical terminology, the engulfed organism is chemically scorched to death within seconds.

There are three types of dismutase found in humans which, together, make up a significant proportion of all the protein found in the human body. They are called SOD1, SOD2 and SOD3. These particular types also happen to be found in all other mammals, as well as most other vertebrates, in fact. SOD1 is found in the cytoplasm (the ‘jelly’ inside the cells themselves). SOD2 is found in the mitochondria, the structures within the cells where its energy is actually produced (the usual analogy being the power stations within a city). SOD3 is found within the extracellular fluid of the body, the lymph and serous fluids, for example.

These three types of SOD are just chemical variants of one another. Two have a copper and zinc chemical core, and are to be found in the cytoplasm and the extracellular fluid. The third variant has a manganese core and is the one found within the mitochondria.

In each location, the particular SOD present chemically decomposes the superoxide molecule into oxygen and hydrogen peroxide. Although the peroxide part of the original chemical is itself still highly toxic to living tissue, it is a lot less so than the original superoxide. The oxygen part of the split molecule gets used for normal cellular respiration. The hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) molecule is then dealt with by another enzyme known as catalase, which is also found in every living tissue and serves to break the peroxide down even further. This is the second of our non-vitamin compounds mentioned at the start of the chapter.

This catalase enzyme splits the newly-formed hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen, both of which now also become useful and non-destructive to living tissue. This reaction is also a catalytic one (hence the enzyme’s name) meaning that the enzyme itself does not get used up in the reaction. One catalase molecule will convert millions of molecules of hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen every second. It probably has one of the highest rates of chemical efficiency in any living system (technically speaking, this rate of efficiency is measured as a ‘turnover number’).

Both these enzymes, SOD and catalase, should be of immense interest to anyone seeking to regain their hair. Amongst all anti-oxidants, the SODs appear to be the most potent in reducing the rate of cell destruction and low levels of it lead to premature aging.

As for catalase, low levels of it appear to be the prime reason that hair turns grey. The hydrogen peroxide will not get broken down if catalase is either absent or suffering from severely low levels. This situation apparently allows hydrogen peroxide levels to build up and literally bleach the hair from within as it is being formed.

Anything, therefore, that can be used to safely restore catalase levels or fulfil the function of catalase could well be more than a little helpful in restoring hair colour. The results, of course, would take time to become visible and the bleached upper levels of hair will need to be cut out to restore a full picture of youthfulness.

Are there any problems with SOD supplementation? Well yes, there are, in fact, three.

The first is the source of the material. It used to be extracted from animal material (slaughterhouse waste, basically). Concerns about the potential spread of prion disease (‘mad-cow disease’ in colloquial language) closed off this source, however. Nowadays, the material comes entirely from vegetable sources. If in doubt, just check the label; it should not contain the word ‘bovine’. SOD occurs naturally in barley grass, broccoli, cabbage, wheat grass and most other green plants. However, the major source of the material, commercially-speaking, is just one particular type of melon.

In order to be used by the body, all SOD nutritional supplements, whatever their source, must be protected against the gastric acids of the stomach. SOD is a protein and therefore liable to be digested shortly after being taken orally unless preventative measures are taken. So the next problem is simply getting it past the stomach and absorbed, unaltered, by the small intestine.

To get around this problem at least one manufacturer now makes a supplement from SOD complexed with a substance called gliadin and encased in capsules made from vegetable gelatine.

This supplement is called Glisodin and the manufacturer claims it stops all sorts of oxidative damage to the body's cells. Internally, it helps against the damage caused by harmful bowel bacteria releasing poisonous gases, as well as over-oxidation caused by extended physical exertion, ultraviolet radiation, ionising radiation and using oxygen-rich atmospheres, etc.

Gliadin is a natural substance found mostly in members of the grass family. Chemically speaking, it is a protein that has attached to it a complex carbohydrate molecule. Chemicals like these have all sorts of biological purposes, including things like hormones. Generally, however, they form part of cell walls and are important for communication between different cells.

The third problem is that this gliadin content might be problematic for some. Essentially, since the advent of agriculture we have been consuming far more of it than our bodies were ever designed for. Evolutionarily speaking, we are not grass-eaters. This situation has accelerated over the last few years because new strains of wheat and other grasses have been bred that contain even more gliadin.

Luckily, however, the manufacturer of the SOD supplement mentioned has analysed exactly this problem and its potential impact upon its customers. A quote from its website states:

‘Gliadin is a wheat biopolymer and is a source of gluten. For this reason Glisodin is not recommended for anyone with wheat or gluten sensitivities. If so please use as directed by a physician. However, there is less gliadin in 250mg of Glisodin than in one slice of bread. Additionally, a published study hypothesised that the SOD delivered in the Glisodin complex actually decreased the pro-allergenic effects of gliadin during digestion [source cited]. Therefore, for most people the gliadin content in Glisodin is not likely an issue .’

Is it worth trying? Well, Glisodin quenches cellular inflammation; in this way, the body’s auto-immune response is moderated to some degree and the effects of this response on the follicle possibly thus reduced. This approach does not interfere with the phases of growth of the follicle, nor does it interfere with the body’s internal hormonal landscape. Using it also allows the scalp to be treated topically with a separate but complementary approach. Lastly, at the same time as prolonging the health of your hair, it also improves your gut health, protects your retinal tissues from ultraviolet damage and improves the appearance of your skin. So, if any of this holds appeal then perhaps a six-month course should be tried.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Methylsulphonylmethane

In the late 1940s there was a flurry of research papers that showed that a new and unknown compound found in cold-pressed cabbage juice healed stomach ulcers. It was dubbed vitamin U (the ‘u’ standing for either ‘unknown’ or ‘ulcer’, depending upon which source you choose to believe). Clinical research continued through the next decade as further types of intestinal tract ulcers were found to respond to this compound.

Despite being initially labelled as such, however, it turned out that it was not a new vitamin at all. The compound was actually discovered to be s-methylmethionine, a sulphur-rich amino acid type of chemical.

Medical interest in it lay not in what it cured, but rather how fast it did so. Quite simply, it worked far, far quicker than any conventional drug; anything up to ten times faster, in fact. This was unprecedented. Although its initial uses were for ulcers of the stomach and small intestine, it was further discovered to be very useful in treating colon inflammation (IBS).

A similar organo-sulphur compound, called methylsulphonylmethane (MSM) has now replaced it. MSMs original advocate was biochemist Robert Herschler who, in 1982, claimed that MSM was useful in stress, mucous-membrane inflammation, allergies and gastrointestinal conditions. Like s-methylmethionine, MSM is a naturally occurring bio-available form of sulphur.

MSM is found in nature in soil, plants and animals, but not in great amounts (by contrast, s-methylmethionine is very common in plants). Having said that, it is a very safe supplement and it would take in the region of umpteen pounds of the material, taken all at once, to possibly kill an average twelve stone human. This is, of course, a completely unfeasible scenario and the truth is that the person is more likely to fall under a bus on the way to buy a bottle of it than die from its ingestion (to use a simple, risk-comparison point alluded to in the introduction).

Not surprisingly, this supplement has now become very popular and is used to treat a large number of ailments. It is easily available, very cheap, very safe and has little to no taste or smell.

Why is sulphur so beneficial to human health? Well as explained in the chapter on diet the answer lies in the fact that sulphur forms a very large part of most living things. It is is found in the tissues of all plants and animals and happens to be the sixth most abundant mineral in the human body; about six ounces worth for that average twelve stone human just mentioned. It is to be found in every cell of the body, with the highest concentrations of it in the skin, hair, nails and joints. It is the sulphur disulphide bonds in keratin that are primarily responsible for the strength and insolubility of hair, skin and nails.

In the chapter on diet, it was noted that sulphur formed the mineral core of two major amino acids in the body, methione and cysteine. Every protein, polypeptide and enzyme that uses either of these amino acids in its makeup therefore contains sulphur. This means that it is present in every strand of DNA and RNA. It is also present in thioredoxin, a protein so important to human life that its genetic absence proves invariably fatal to the fertilised egg once it divides more than twice.

Sulphur is also a central component of a class of organic substances called glycosaminoglycans. These are long chains of sugars that combine with various proteins to form part of our connective tissues. These sugars hold water that acts as a lubricant and a pressure pad for our joints. Glycosaminoglycans include heparin (an anticoagulant for the blood) hyaluronan (which forms part of the synovial fluid between the joints) and the various chondroitins, found in all the cartilage, tendons and connective tissues of the body.

Sulphur is also known to be used in the production of insulin, bile and forms the basis of vitamins B1 and B7. Research also indicated that MSM may be active against cancer, something first noticed in the 1950s but largely forgotten and never fully explored.

Little wonder, then, that evidence of its almost miraculous healing properties can be found on any number of websites. Any condition that is directly or indirectly a result of a sulphur-based chemical’s deficiency would undoubtedly be helped by the assimilation of extra bio-available sulphur, which is precisely what MSM is.

So, is supplementation with MSM as an aid to reducing hair-loss a good idea? The answer is ‘yes’. It is safe, it is cheap, the biological mechanism behind it is fairly well-understood and the empirical data sound. It may help with other conditions and is a therapy that can be combined with others. The last point in its favour is that it remains completely under personal control.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Silica

Silica is a mineral that is used as an ingredient in some supplements formulated to address hair-loss. Some of these supplements are very well-known indeed and feature regularly in glossy magazine advertisements and suchlike. They obviously sell, therefore. So the question is; does the silica they contain work, or is it just added for some sort of placebo effect?

The dictionary defines silica as a common, colourless, white or very pale brown, vitreous, insoluble substance with the chemical formula SiO2. The name disguises its ubiquity, for it is also known by several other names including silicon dioxide, silicon oxide, silicic oxide and even silicon (IV) oxide. However, you might know it by its more usual mineral names, flint or quartz, and you will certainly know it much better by its most common name; sand.

You will not find much mention of silica in the medical literature because it has never been tested, cannot be patented and the conditions it is alleged to treat are all those associated with growing old. Moreover, it appears to have not one single known metabolic role within living things (plants and fungi included).

If it cured cancer or prevented heart attacks then some sort of testing might have taken place, but even the most enthusiastic salesmen of this mineral will shy away from making such claims. What they do claim is that ‘organic’ silica is incorporated into the body’s structures and provides a number of ‘amazing’ health benefits. These include preventing, improving, alleviating or speeding up the healing of the following: osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, bone fractures, skin ageing, brittle nails, brittle hair, wounds, sores, mouth ulcers, Alzheimer’s disease, general malaise and general or localised inflammation. It also speeds up the growth of hair and nails, softens the tendons, strengthens the ligaments, repairs cartilage, tones the cardiovascular system, strengthens the libido and relieves pain.

However, none of the above claims have ever been proved or even reliably documented.

The majority of these claims originate from sellers of Indian bamboo powder. Whether you wish to believe these claims, try their products or attempt to cure yourself with them is up to you, of course. The following two points ought to figure somewhere in your decisions, however, if you have any desire to apply even a little common sense.

The first is the fact that bamboo grows in India as a naturalised species of grass ( Bambusa vulgaris ). It is very common and there is absolutely no shortage of the material. These facts are augmented by the fact that it also grows very quickly; so quickly, in fact, that an entire forest can be generated within five years.

The next fact is that, according to the Indian government’s own figures, the average life expectancy of the average Indian citizen is well below that of both Western nations and Japan – a good third less, in fact. It is also at least five years below the rest of the world’s average age at death. This is despite having such a common, free, fast-growing natural resource that apparently possesses such a wide array of health benefits on every doorstep.

If the claims for silica’s health and longevity benefits can be dismissed, there is one application that cannot be so. It is as a hair, skin and nail supplement. These claims, unlike the others, do have a large degree of empirical, anecdotal merit.

The effectiveness of silica for this purpose may be gauged from the fact that just one famous supplement, Nourkrin, contains two types of it – organic and inorganic. This brand consistently outsells most other similar supplements. Moreover, this brand has been sold continuously for over twenty years without a single medical complaint being reported against it. It has specific formulations tailored for both men and women. It also has a large database of testimonials (some from well-known celebrities) complete with before and after photographs and their supplementation details. It has also conducted its own clinical studies that proved it not only outperformed the FDA-approved pharmaceutical treatments, but that it was also effective in combating hair-loss from most causes and not just MPB.

The fact is that if Nourkrin were a hair replacement clinic it would pass any competency test with ease.

As already stated, the sales literature for Nourkrin (and others like it) reveals that two types of silica form a large portion of the active ingredients, silica itself and horsetail extract (horsetail here meaning the plant and not actual horses’ tails, of course) with the plant supplying the ‘organic silica’.

So, what particular role does silica play? It has to be said that silica does not appear to promote new hair growth at all, nor does it nourish hair roots. The secret of its safety, in fact, is precisely because it plays no known metabolic role within any known species. If it plays no role, then it cannot interfere with any other metabolic process and therefore must be safe.

There is a difference, though, between a metabolic role and a structural one. And what the FDA, pharmaceutical industry and clinical testing lobby all appear to have failed to realise is precisely this distinction.

What silica might do is to literally thicken the hair shafts as they are being laid down within the follicle itself. Silica somehow gets incorporated within the keratin structure as a physical component of it. This is like adding ballast to cement and getting concrete as a result. A pure cement mix is physically weak; it is also brittle and wears down very easily. By adding sand (silica) to the mixture, however, the picture is transformed; the cement now simply acts as a substrate within which the sand grains get held together and which, in turn, take the brunt of the wear and tear. Since sand is very much stronger than cement, the whole mixture is also now strengthened several hundredfold. Silica appears to mineralise keratin in the same way; it seems to make the hair strand physically thicker and stronger. To understand why this helps the appearance of your head of hair, you need to understand that there are, in fact, three different aspects to hair coverage of the scalp.

The first is the density of the follicles on the scalp; that is to say, the number of hairs that are actually on the scalp. The more there are, the denser your head of hair. The second factor is the rate at which these individual hairs grow. This in itself has two aspects. The first is the rate of growth itself, while the second is the length of time it actually grows for. The greater the rate in both cases, the longer the hair can be grown and the quicker it will attain this maximum length.

The last factor is the actual, physical diameter of the hair shaft. Say, for example, you have very fine blonde hair; even if it grows very quickly and even if you have a lot of follicles the chances are that, because the hair is very fine (shafts that are relatively thin) your head of hair itself is likely to look as if its thinning compared to a scalp that has fewer hairs, is growing more slowly but has much thicker shafts. The simple difference, of course, is that given the same length of hair the total volume of hair itself is much larger in the latter example.

Thickening each hair shaft even by just a tiny fraction will achieve an increase in volume sufficient to make a noticeable difference. You find this hard to believe?

Well, it is an arithmetical fact that a two-inch pipe can convey four times the amount of water a one-inch pipe can. Similarly, a rod with twice the diameter of another will weigh four times more than the thinner one. This is easy enough to prove, even if your geometrical skills are not up to squaring the radius and then multiplying the result by pi. Take a square rod with a cross-section that is two inches in width. It has a cross-sectional area of four square inches (2 x 2 square inches). Now, double it to a cross-section four inches in width. The cross-sectional area is now sixteen inches (4 x 4 square inches). This is four times greater than the first and thus the rod will weigh four times as much.

The same rule applies to hair strands. A minute increase in the diameter of each hair will have an effect much larger than first imagined because, when multiplied by the total number of hairs on the scalp, a very significant increase in actual hair volume and weight can be easily realised.

The fact that the hair is also physically strengthened makes it less likely to break. It can also withstand wear and tear to a much greater degree. Thus, it is less likely that the shaft will become prematurely thinner by continual, everyday, physical abrasion (wear and tear, in other words).

So, is it worth taking any supplement that contains silica as a major ingredient? The answer has to be ‘yes’. It is very safe, relatively cheap (and certainly much cheaper than a wig or surgery) has a gradual and therefore much more discrete effect, has a host of other related benefits and, once more, is a regime that you remain in total control of.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Serratiopeptidase

The next supplement to undergo examination here is definitely not a vitamin, is not made by the body and does not help with growth, repair or reproduction. Quite the opposite, in fact. It is a selective agent of destruction. As we shall see, however, it is precisely its destructive abilities that hold the key to any regeneration of scalp hair.

It has been observed in both clinical and non-clinical settings that once a hair follicle has been dormant for more than thirty months or so it cannot be ‘reawakened’. Of course, this is not what people with hair-loss want to hear and it is not what hair-loss clinics want to tell them. This is nothing to do with sparing anyone’s feelings, of course, but simply because the clinics do not want to lose these people as a source of income. But the fact remains that, unless some sort of intervention is made early on during the process, the chances of anyone restoring their lost hair (as opposed to halting any further hair-loss) rapidly diminish.

Why should this be so?

Well, basically, the inflammatory response leaves behind low-level scar tissue. The condition is called fibrosis and it can occur anywhere in the body, not just the scalp. Different locations will have different names for the condition; cirrhosis is essentially the same as both Crohn’s disease and myocardial scarring, for instance. The locations are different (liver, bowel and heart) and the causes are different, but the underlying pathology is exactly the same; a build-up of scar tissue that prevents the organ or tissue from operating optimally. This scarring need not happen all at once, though, far from it.

Scar tissue and fibrosis simply occurs when there has been a sufficient build-up of connective tissue to interfere with the appearance, structure and/or function of an organ or bodily structure. Heavy scar tissue may well alter the affected area so much that the actual architecture of it becomes completely lost. In the case of the hair follicle, however, nothing so dramatic takes place. The fibrous tissue simply shuts down the blood supply sufficiently well enough to ensure that the follicle itself cannot grow back, much less produce a new hair. In essence, the hair follicle has been strangled with its own microscopic scar tissue.

This being the case, is there any point in continuing with a restoration programme? The answer is still a qualified ‘yes’. To see why, however, you need to understand the following. Without a programme in place, further hair-loss will continue to happen. Moreover, a simple programme that consists of nothing more than nourishing the still-present hair follicles will not suffice to re-establish hair growth in the dormant areas. On the other hand, dissolving the fibrous tissue that is clogging up the dormant follicles is undoubtedly the first step in getting them to regrow new hair.

Is this possible? The answer again appears to be a qualified ‘yes’.

In order to understand this second part, you need to fully appreciate what was said at the end of the chapter on diet. The body is always in a dynamic equilibrium; it is not a static entity, nor does it just grind along a time-worn rut until the point of death. Do not be mistaken, it would if you did nothing and just continued with those habits that led to the problem in the first place (drinking, smoking, over-eating, drug taking, etc). If you alter those habits, however, then the balance is disturbed and the body’s processes re-establish a new equilibrium. This was precisely the point being made in the chapter on diet because if this new equilibrium includes the optimising of the conditions for the regrowth of hair, then the hair will regrow. It is that simple.

In normal tissue, fibrosis occurs as a result of chronic infection or injury. It is the by-product of low-level inflammation. Inflammation occurs as part of the healing process. Histamine release signals new cells to migrate to the area, rebuild the tissue and lay down strands of collagen to hold everything together.

At the end of the healing process, much of the excess collagen gets dissolved by the body to be re-used somewhere else. As a result, red, lumpy scars gradually flatten, turn a normal colour and fade away. Depending upon the severity of the injury, the amount of scar tissue involved, the level of necessary nutrients available, and the efficiency of the repair mechanism, this dissolving process will remove all or just some of the fibrous tissue. To a large extent, therefore, whole process is time-driven.

Chronic, low-level, localised inflammation such as that experienced by balding men results in fibrosis because although the extent of the injury is fairly minimal (a paper cut is actually a major trauma by comparison) it does nonetheless continue over a very long time. The dissolving phase of the healing process runs out of time and the remaining scar tissue constricts the blood supply and other associated structures of the follicle. The scar tissue, thus, never gets fully dissolved.

So, is there anything that can be done? The answer, yet again, is another qualified ‘yes’. There are several things that could be done. There is a supplement that will help dissolve scar tissue. It has been used for years to dissolve internal scar tissue, principally the fibrinogen-based plaques that cause heart attacks and strokes. It could also dissolve fibrosis blocking the hair follicle.

The chemical is a protein called serratiopeptidase, but which is better known and generally sold by the name of Serrapeptase, or Serrazyme. It is an enzyme that literally dissolves dead tissue within the body. It works in exactly the same way as the body’s own proteases (the technical name for all protein-dissolving enzymes) as well as those found in nature.

To see how effectively they can work go and buy a fresh pineapple and then leisurely eat it. Most people will notice sore lips after eating the fruit whilst some may even notice open cracks in the corners of their mouth. The pineapple juice did this because it contains a proteolytic enzyme called bromelain which, as you will have just noticed, is spectacularly effective at dissolving the dead layer of skin on your lips. This is precisely why pineapple is used to tenderise meat in marinades and added to pizzas that are topped with fresh ham.

Serratiopeptidase was originally harvested from the silkworm. This little caterpillar (the only domesticated insect in the world, incidentally) lives on mulberry leaves and which, when pupating, spins itself a cocoon made of silk fibres. Silk, as you will already know from the section on the structure of hair, is made of keratin; it is protein in other words. After the caterpillar has turned into a moth and needs to escape the cocoon, it secretes (vomits, to be precise) the enzyme over the inner surface of the cocoon. This then literally digests a hole in the silk out of which the moth can wriggle.

Technically speaking, the moth does not produce the enzyme. It is the bacteria within its gut that do that (hence the vomiting). Once the biology of the process had been ascertained it was but a small step to work out how to manufacture the product using the bacteria directly without involving the moth.

If you research serratiopeptidase, you will notice that very few clinical trials have been conducted and that the pharmaceutical industry is doing its best to have the substance restricted. Once again, I would urge you to re-read the first chapter to this book and ask yourself why. The fact is that this is a natural product, sold and used for over sixty years with no reported deaths or injuries and that has attached to it reams of written anecdotal evidence, including unsolicited testimonials from its users. It cannot, however, be patented and the pharmaceutical industry can only stand by and watch as it eats into not only your unwanted dead scar tissue, but also their profits.

Is it worth taking this supplement? The answer is another qualified ‘yes’. Since it is also a natural anti-inflammatory and you do not want it damping down any histamine release it is probably best to take a course of it before trying anything in the next chapter - not during it.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Massage

There was a news report in the UK some thirty years ago or so of a Devon farmer who experienced a totally unexpected regrowth of new hair on his previously bald head. The story was so bizarre that it was reported the world over. Every morning apparently, as he milked his cows, they would lick the top of his head as if it were a salt stone. At first he just kept moving his head and shooing the cows away. Eventually, however, he gave up and became resigned to having a warm, sticky head until he could go back indoors for a wash and his breakfast.

After a few months though, he realised his hair was growing back. There is no known restorative ingredient in bovine saliva, nor is the smell of warm, fresh milk thought to be likewise involved (and much less the smell of equally fresh cow dung).

What had been happening, of course, was that the soft daily scrubbing of his scalp by the rough tongue of his animals induced very mild, almost microscopic wounds in his scalp skin; this was enough to fetch extra blood to the surface and, with it, healing factors including the collagen-dissolving ones. Dermabrasion flannels that remove scars and wrinkles work in exactly the same way.

As already explained, fibrosis is when the collagen-dissolving phase of the healing process eventually stops. As collagen-dissolution starts to fall away the blood supply begins to get cut off. By causing a new (even if very minor) injury, however, the healing process can be restarted and the collagen will begin to be dissolved again, as a result of which fibrosis is kept at bay. This appears to be at least one of the mechanisms behind some of the more general restoration techniques. It is almost certainly how products like scalp irritants work and why devices like needle rollers work too.

Scalp massaging techniques also work along the same lines. By massaging extra blood into the area, not only is the follicle kept active but, again, the collagen-dissolving enzymes within the blood are also brought to the area. Thus, massage is one of the third types of treatment. It uses external intervention of some sort to alter the scalp’s internal conditions. Exactly how this intervention is achieved can vary.

Let us examine direct massage first.

Swedish researchers have maintained for years that MPB is caused by the thinning and tightening of a membrane lying beneath the scalp tissue. This tough, fibrous membrane is called the Galea aponeurotica (from the Latin galea, meaning ‘helmet’). It is quite separate from both the muscles and the skin, which form the other two parts of the scalp structure. In biomechanical terms, the galea is simply a long, flat, broad tendon to which are attached the scalp muscles along the fascia of the top side and the skull’s bones at the edges of the lower.

The thinning of this structure is thought to be a result of the loss of fat deposits within it, while the tightening process is simply the result of ageing. Subsequent to both these factors is the loss of flexibility of the membrane and, with it, the circulation to the hair follicles.

Almost certainly, all of this is yet more myth. The vascularity of the scalp remains the same in bald men as it does in others. In other words, a scalp wound will bleed just as much. This is so because the blood supply to the skin and muscles of the scalp does not travel through the tendon at all, but rather across the softer tissues above it.

Another observation worth making is that the most obvious way of combating the problem has never gained much popularity, despite it being very safe, completely free and totally discrete. The method is quite simply to stretch the membrane manually. Basically, you put your fingers either side of your head, just above the ears and then, using a push and pull motion stretch and scrunch the whole scalp thus massaging it. The fingertips remain in the same place on the scalp; they do not move across the scalp at all. It is the scalp (including the galea membrane) that moves across the skull. More invasive methods have been proposed, including surgery to peel back the scalp and slit the membrane itself apart. This has (not surprisingly) proved even less popular.

Is the more conservative massage technique at least worth trying? As long as it understood that any noticeable results are likely to be from the irritation to the scalp’s softer layers and not through the galea being stretched at all, then there is no reason not to try. On the other hand, having grasped the mechanism behind the success, you may wish to try something a little more effective. It should go almost without saying that the fact that neither method (surgical or manual) has ever caught on is because neither has ever been seen to really work.

The dermabrasion flannels previously mentioned are impractical (unless you are totally bald) because any hair present will form a barrier and preclude its use. So if you are successful, then unfortunately it also means you will have to stop using it.

What about needle rollers, though? Once the exclusive preserve of high-level salons treating the wrinkled and damaged skin of wealthy sun-loving women, these little devices can now be bought very cheaply on the Internet. They may not be made to the same exacting standards as the original models, but that doesn’t matter; the needles blunt quicker than you might think and the whole device will need replacing, therefore, sooner or later anyway.

Full instructions should be supplied somewhere within the package. But, just in case they are missing, or you need clarification, the general rules for using needle rollers are as follows.

Only use a device with needles 0.5 mm or less long. The scalp’s top layer is thin, highly vascularised skin that has little to no fat beneath it. This skin also covers the hard body plates of the skulls with little to no free play. There is, therefore, little to no cushioning available to it. Using needles longer than the ones suggested here will puncture the scalp with ease (especially if used aggressively) which will lead to bleeding, scabbing, possible infection and subsequent scarring. Aggressive use with longer needles will not achieve results any quicker than gentle treatment with shorter needles. All you are trying to achieve is a reddening of the skin; anything more could definitely be counterproductive and will achieve no better results.

Only ever use on a freshly-cleaned scalp. If blood has been drawn, then it is advisable to re-wash the area. Use the roller in straight lines, lifting it at the end of each line. Use it as if it were a hairbrush, in other words, not a paint roller. This is to ensure that you are creating new micro-wounds each time instead of repeatedly opening up the same ones.

Start at the front of the scalp and run the roller to the back of the head. After a dozen runs or so, run the roller from side to side (from ear to ear). Do not use the ears as starting or finishing points, but rather roll in straight lines parallel to one another.

Lastly, use the roller diagonally across the scalp, using two directions each at ninety degrees to the other.

You will have now ensured virtually complete coverage of the balding parts of the scalp. Hopefully, you will not have drawn blood, but the scalp nonetheless should feel mildly hot and tingle slightly. Try and avoid the sun as much as possible. If this is going to be difficult, wear a hat.

Always rinse the roller thoroughly in hot water after use. You can sterilise the device if you wish by immersing it in an ordinary mouthwash, diluted bleach or diluted disinfectant. Always rinse after such sterilisation. Store the roller upright on the end of the handle, like a toothbrush in a mug. Do not allow the needles to come into contact with other surfaces.

Other points to note are that the device should not be shared; they are cheap enough to buy and any risk of cross-infection must be avoided. It also keeps the needles sharper for longer. Definitely do not use on animals, children or the elderly. Lastly, the device should not be used on already irritated skin, or skin that has any sort of infection; this includes fungal problems, eczema or acne.

After a few weeks use you will find that the needles have probably become blunt and somewhat ineffective. At this point it is time to buy a new one; make sure you dispose of the old device safely.

You should use the roller two or three times a week. Using it more frequently will not speed up the process and may, again, be counterproductive. You are not trying to achieve a running wound, but rather a series of very minor injuries that heal within a day. Over-rolling is like over-training, a trap that every knowledgeable athlete and trainer tries to avoid. It is perfectly acceptable to use the niacin therapy outlined in the relevant chapter between sessions, of course.

Although the production and dissolution of collagen starts immediately after treatment, it could still take several months of rolling before you see any marked improvement. Combined with niacin therapy, this time could well be shortened, however.

Always read the instructions that comes with the device. If the directions countermand any suggestions written here, then follow the directions and not this advice.

Having said all this there is an alternative to roller treatments. This alternative is to use a cheap nylon comb and run it slowly and consciously through your hair a dozen or so times before going to bed each night. Make sure to scrape the scalp with each run.

It is best to use a cheap comb because if you look carefully you can see that they are all made via a moulding/stamping process that leaves sharp edges on the points of the teeth. There will also be a sharp line on the top edge of the comb’s spine. More expensive brushes and combs are specifically manufactured to avoid these defects and as a result have bristles and teeth that are fully rounded. These will not generate any micro-wounds and so will not lead to histamine release. The correct level of pressure to use can be gauged by simply scraping the comb across the back of the hand. The right pressure will redden the skin and leave it looking slightly puffy and feeling itchy.

This comb method is cheaper, safer and easier than using a roller, just possibly not as effective. The choice is yours of course.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Lasers

It is well-known that living cells respond to electro-magnetic radiation. They are affected by gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet, visible light, infrared, microwave and radio frequencies. Just about the entire spectrum, in other words.

The frequencies that are known to be harmful are simply those that deliver too much energy too quickly for the living tissue receiving it. X-rays deliver far more energy than the glow from an open fire, for instance; in essence, however, both are sending out electromagnetic radiation that is being received by the body, which then reacts to it.

Frequencies that have no effect have often later been shown to deliver too little energy at any one time to elicit any immediately noticeable response. Cumulatively speaking, of course, the picture could be quite the opposite. For example, momentarily measuring the electromagnetic fields generated by a mobile phone might not accurately predict the damage being done by having the same phone held at ear level for several hours a day. This may be something to worry about for some.

Monochromatic electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength of 880 nanometres (visible as deep red light) has been shown to increase the microcirculation of the irradiated area and, as a result, reduce pain, increase DNA synthesis and speed up healing some four-fold. (A nanometre, incidentally, is a unit of measurement exactly one billionth of a metre long, and a metre is just over three feet long at 39.4 inches.)

The light at this particular wavelength was delivered by LEDs (light-emitting diodes). Once considered a wonder technology, these little bulbs cost very little nowadays and can be found in any hobby shop that has an electronics section.

This type of technology showed such promise that it has been tested by NASA, the US Navy Seals and the US Submarine Fleet. They wanted a cheap, portable, reliable device that accelerated healing. And that is precisely what they got.

Over 2,500 studies and clinical trials have proved that stimulating damaged tissues with this type of radiation delivered very noticeable increases in healing rates. Tests conducted with a laser Doppler velocimeter instrument showed increases in the capillary circulation of the irradiated area ranging from 400 percent to 3,200 percent after just one such treatment. By stimulating the production of nitric oxide the capillaries in these areas relaxed and increased in diameter; thus accounting for the overall increase in blood circulation. By switching to laser light of the same wavelength, however, even better results were obtained.

Laser light is the same as ordinary light except that, basically, the peaks and troughs that form each of the specific waves of light are all in step with one another. The technical term for this sort of quality is coherence. The difference this makes can be seen from the fact that light from a laser can cut through things, whilst the beam from a car’s headlight, even though much more powerful, cannot.

Different frequencies deliver different effects; or, more accurately, elicit different responses. The frequency that hair researchers are specifically interested in lies in the orange-red region of the visible spectrum. A therapeutic dose of light from this type of laser has been proven to reverse inflammation, increase localised SOD production and increase vasodilatation via localised nitric oxide production. It has also been shown to increase wound healing speed, release cell-multiplying histamine, increase collagen production and speed up collagen remodelling (the dissolving of already-formed scar tissue). All of these points are at least conducive, if not essential, for full and proper hair regrowth to occur.

The key to all this is that laser technology simply amplifies the body’s own biochemistry. It increases the repair rate of the follicular tissues several percent above the ongoing rate of their destruction which, given the rate of hair growth, means that within weeks or months remarkable rejuvenation can be seen. The other point is that this repair action works on all the growth and repair mechanisms, not just the hormonal or immunological factors. Compared to other therapies, therefore, it is exactly what was required - a holistic approach.

So, if it is possible for just one, all-round hair regrowth remedy to exist, then laser treatment is likely to be it. This is an exciting possibility because these devices already exist, are being used to treat hair loss and the component parts are easily available to build your own such device.

Based upon the accumulation of empirical evidence and application of scientific methodology, the standard wavelength of light for laser therapy has settled upon 650nm. As already mentioned this is roughly somewhere between orange and red on the visible spectrum. This wavelength represents a balance between the light’s energy transference and its penetrative ability. The shorter the wavelength, the more energy can be transferred (ultraviolet light is more powerful than infrared light) the shorter ultraviolet wavelengths, however, do not penetrate as well as infrared. Basically the shorter wavelengths get absorbed too readily, while the longer wavelengths have yet to be shown to be as effective as the standard. This is surmised to be because the wavelengths at 670nm and beyond are too readily absorbed by the red blood cells. The penetration of red light with a wavelength of 650nm is more than enough to reach the hair follicles and still deliver enough energy for their bio-stimulation to occur however.

The power ratings for such lasers are usually given in milliwatts (mW). The agreed standard for the lasers used for this type of work is 5mW. Wattages any higher than this have not been shown to produce better, nor quicker, results. In other words, there is an upper limit and 5mW appears to be that limit. Just for comparison, the laser in most DVD players will also have a power rating of 5mW whilst a laser pointer used in a lecture hall will have one of around just one or two mW.

The general energy requirement for bio-stimulation (it varies very slightly from study to study) is now known to be in the region of around three to six joules of energy per square centimetre (cm2) of skin. Anything less than this lower figure will probably fail to produce any stimulative effects at all.

What this means is that laser therapy is not just dose-dependent, but also has a very strict lower limit. Anything less than around two joules of energy per cm2 is provably ineffective.

It has also been shown that when using seven joules and above the benefits start to taper off. Living tissue has a saturation point, as it were, with a maximum amount of stimulation that it can take before the various mechanisms involved simply switch off. This occurs at around the ten joules per cm2 level, maybe slightly above. Anything beyond this level (although apparently harmless) will make the time spent, the energy applied and stimulation caused up to that point just a further waste of time. You will have overloaded the circuitry, as it were; the system will have shut down and any results obtained in that session up to that point will have been lost.

As a result of this research, virtually all laser equipment used in reputable clinical settings use 5mW laser devices, all operating at 650nm and clustered together in such a way as to deliver between three to six joules of energy per cm2. Anything you buy, use or make that fails to conform to these criteria means that you probably just wasting your time, effort and money.

Are they safe, however? Lasers almost automatically lead one to think of blinding oneself, getting burnt or causing cancer. This may be mere urban myth, so what are the real, proven risks?

Well, because lasers were known to have the ability to injure unwary eyes, legislation was passed in some parts of the world (the UK, EU and the US) that required all laser devices to be labelled with their degree of risk to a person’s eyesight. This legislation has since been adopted globally. As such, lasers are now divided into seven classes according to the potential damage they can cause to the eyes. The seven classes are 1, 2, 2M, 3R, 3B and 4, with class 4 being the most dangerous.

Lasers that are used therapeutically in hair restoration devices conform to the old IIIa and the newer 3R categories. In general terms, these lasers are subject to a maximum power output of 5mW and are only considered dangerous to one’s eyesight if looked at for more than two minutes or through optical equipment. This does not negate the risks, however, and throwing caution to the wind would still be a reckless idea. It is only a matter of commonsense, after all, to avoid such unnecessary risks.

Can such laser therapy cause cancer? The answer is simply ‘no’. Over 2,000 clinical studies have been conducted on the use of therapeutic lasers; in each of those studies, no mutational effects were ever observed resulting from treatment with those wavelengths in the red and infrared ranges within the time and power ranges used for laser therapy. The truth is that these types of low-level lasers emit a light that is non-ionising and therefore will not cause the type of DNA damage that leads to cancer in living tissue.

What about laser therapy stimulating an already cancerous growth on the scalp of a person who is not aware of its existence?

Again, the effects of laser therapy on cancer cells in vitro have been studied and it was observed that these cells could be stimulated with this type of laser light. However, with respect to a cancer in vivo , the situation changes completely. Small tumours treated with laser therapy may actually recede and completely disappear, although the laser treatment has no apparent effect on tumours over a certain size.

The reason for this apparent anomaly is simple. Glass test tubes ( in vitro ) have no immune system and the cancer cells can grow without check. In real life, however ( in vivo ) the immune system’s signalling mechanism is also stimulated, more than the tumour in fact, and this causes it to aggressively attack the growth, making it shrink.

So why is laser therapy not the gold standard for hair-loss treatment? The benchmark by which all other therapies are measured? Why is it so comprehensively ignored, when not being openly attacked, both on the Internet and in the relevant literature? Where exactly do the negative responses stem from?

There are two answers to this, of course. Firstly, the therapy is attacked because it so comprehensively undercuts almost all other current therapies. It is not invasive, it is not a drug, it does not interfere with the body’s own chemistry and, since you can switch the machine off or simply get out of the chair at any time, it remains under your personal control at all times. You can add to this the fact that the machines themselves are cheap to build, very robust and virtually maintenance free.

This is a very serious threat to the pharmaceutical companies and hair transplant clinics, etc. They are not likely to just sit back and watch their commercial operations wither away. They are lent weight in their actions by a very unfortunate event in the history of laser light hair restoration therapy some years ago – the invention of the ‘laser comb’.

To put it bluntly, these gadgets were cheaply produced, hugely overpriced and totally underpowered devices that promised everything the hair laser clinics did but from the comfort and privacy of your own home. They received FDA approval as hair-restoring devices and Time magazine even awarded one particular make their ‘Invention of the Year’ award in 2000. This, combined with a massive marketing campaign, meant that this particular brand sold in its thousands. This was a very great pity because it, the others like it and all their Chinese copies, did not work.

The resemblance between this type of gadget and the devices used in hair clinics is basically nil. The comb uses one laser-emitting diode that is targeted onto a series of plastic mirrors, which split the laser light into several beams. These are then passed out of the comb as ‘light bristles’, as it were, onto the scalp.

The problem is, of course, that one single diode, even if it emits the right wavelength, is simply too under-powered to reach the level where biostimulation occurs. By splitting the beam several times, this problem is compounded even further. Some of the Chinese copies did not even use laser diodes, incidentally, but were built with the cheaper red-light LEDs. As a result, none of these devices were effective and eventually this fact became public knowledge (mainly through Internet forums).

Laser therapy has, as a consequence, been comprehensively dismissed by people that equate these now notorious devices with the equipment found in clinics and by those other parties that have ulterior motives.

Why was there no backlash from already established laser clinics anxious to preserve their credibility, you might ask? The answer was, quite simply, that there was no need for it. The clinics have never needed to advertise themselves. Their advertising comes about mostly from word of mouth it seems and they generally have full appointment books. In these circumstances, there was absolutely no point in spending money on advertising. They have the science on their side, they have lots of satisfied customers all telling their friends, they have no pending lawsuits alleging incompetence and they have full waiting rooms.

To help decide for yourself whether or not you should even consider this approach, you will find plenty of testimonials and explanatory videos on the Internet. You won’t even need to use a clinic to test the potential benefits of laser therapy. There is one website in particular that will show you how to make your own device that will reach the same level of effectiveness as clinical equipment at a very small fraction of the cost.

If you have any difficulty in finding useful material on the Internet regarding these machines then make sure you are specifying laser hair regrowth and not laser hair therapy. The latter is apt to return results for laser hair removal clinics, which is precisely the opposite of what you want of course.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Future Treatments

From the previous chapter, it would seem that laser therapy is the ultimate treatment for hair-loss; the alpha and omega of all medical approaches. This, however, might not be true. It might be amongst the best types of treatment at present, but current research promises to consign possibly even laser therapy to the dustbin of history.

One of the most active areas of medical research lies in stem cell behaviour. Should treatments based around this research reach commercial maturity then the promise is that a new head of hair could be completely regrown within six months of a single course of treatment. In other words, instead of spurring old hair into regrowth a whole head of hair could simply be grown anew. This would be on a par with growing a new set of teeth on demand, for example.

What are the various avenues of research? How far advanced are they and what will the final treatments consist of?

Some of the companies involved, and their research areas, are outlined below. This is not a full list by any means and there is no guarantee that any further developments by these companies will ever occur. Moreover, given the size and value of the market, as well as the ongoing cost of maintaining research facilities, a great deal of secrecy and commercial sensitivity surrounds these companies and their data. It is not possible, therefore, to give a complete outline of their proposed treatments, the stage at which they have reached, their pricing models, or any future direction they may take. Do not forget that they are all in competition with one another and are understandably reluctant to compromise their commercial integrity or their shareholder’s trust.

Nonetheless, it is undoubtedly worth watching them to see how their proposed therapies develop.

Histogen Incorporated is pioneering the development of compounds that stimulate the patient’s own stem cells and making them turn into new follicles and hairs. The active ingredient is actually a protein mixture called ‘Wnt’ and the material as a whole is called ‘Hair Stimulating Complex’ (HSC). Treatment will apparently entail a visit to a clinic where HSC is injected just under the skin all over the scalp. The Wnt proteins then cause newly-formed follicles to grow from stem cells attracted to the site of the injection and, from them, new hair.

Follica Incorporated is another company that seeks to harness the ability of epithelial stem cells to migrate and turn into new follicles. The company’s chief scientific researcher, George Cotsarelis, published a paper in 2007 highlighting the fact that wound-healing could lead to ‘follicular neogenesis’, or growing new hair from new follicles.

This is not particularly new, incidentally; observations regarding this phenomenon had been made as early as the 1950s. Although observed, the explanation was unknown and, as a result, further research simply stalled. The presumption developed that growing new hair this way was impossible.

A year after the 2007 publication, the company released a statement to the effect that a small ‘proof of concept’ study was about to take place. Although no details were released, the data generated was apparently used to garner further support for the company; the latest news is that they either have, or will be, proceeding to clinical trials.

RepliCel Life Sciences’ approach is somewhat different. Rather than make hair follicles regrow in the scalp, they take donor dermal sheath cup cells, multiply them several thousand times over as standard cell cultures, and then inject them back into the recipient areas where thinning has occurred. Very few details about this process have been released. Since they have managed to secure some highly-placed corporate investors with their clinical data and experimental results, however, their efforts must be taken seriously.

The last company is Aderans Research Institute. This company is also taking cells and multiplying them in cultures for re-introduction back into recipient areas of the scalp. The difference between the RepliCel approach and Aderans’ is that the latter does not rely on just one type of cell, but takes several associated sorts and, again after injections, holds them in place with ‘extra-cellular matrix bio-scaffolds’ (presumably collagen and other suchlike factors). This may, or may not, result in a more complete or quicker end result.

These companies have all proceeded (or will be proceeding) to late-stage clinical trials and all are expected to release provisional details of their actual treatments (including clinical sites, prices and guarantees) by around 2016. It is only after the clinical trial stages are completed that any useful judgement can be made.

Once the technology is proven, there will undoubtedly be a sudden increase in the number of companies offering similar therapies. Some of these will be complete beginners, of course; but others will already be established hair-loss clinics capitalising on the new technology, having realised that their current practices have just been made obsolete.

The end result can only be good news for anyone worried about their hair-loss. The promise is that, with these treatments, you could be part of the last generation that will ever have to worry about hair-loss. Ever.

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Truth and Lies

Chapter Two

First Impressions

Chapter Three

Skin

Chapter Four

Hair Everywhere

Chapter Five

Hair Types

Chapter Six

Hair Structure

Chapter Seven

Sebum

Chapter Eight

Hair Growth

Section Two

Chapter Nine

Hair-Loss

Chapter Ten

Myths

Chapter Eleven

Patterns

Chapter Twelve

Science

Chapter Thirteen

Evolution

Section Three

Chapter Fourteen

Regrowth

Chapter Fifteen

Diet

Chapter Sixteen

Disguises

Chapter Seventeen

FDA Treatments

Chapter Eighteen

Other Drugs

Chapter Nineteen

Caffeine

Chapter Twenty

Shampoos

Chapter Twenty-One

Polysorbate

Chapter Twenty-Two

Niacin