The continual war against hair loss

Hair loss is regarded as a problem for middle-aged males.

However, females and teenagers also suffer from this problem, according to the Hong Kong Society of Dermatology and Venereology.

Hair loss is a physiological phenomenon. It becomes pathological only when the loss is excessive or when the pattern of loss is abnormal.

About 90 percent of the terminal hair is at anagen phase, the growing phase. The hair on average grows at the rate of 0.37 millimetres per day.

It takes 2 to 6 years before becoming catagen, a transient period during which hair matrix cells stop dividing and hair stops growing.

The remaining 10 percent of the hair will be in a telogen phase, during which hair is going to fall out in about 3 months’ time.

It becomes abnormal if fallen hair in telogen phrase exceeds 10 percent of the total hair mass.

There are four types of pathological hair loss, according to the Hong Kong Society of Dermatology and Venereology.

The first and the most common one is androgenetic alopecia.

Its sufferers are mostly males, aged from 40 to 50, with hair falling out from the top of the head.

This condition is found in males around 20 years old and they comprise a rather small proportion of all hair loss sufferers.

Inheritance and the imbalanced excretion of dihydrotesterone, a male hormone, are the main factors that contribute to this kind of hair loss.

Alopecia areata is the second type. Patients, usually teenagers with stress, will experience bald, round spots on the scalp. This condition can be treated medically.

The third type is anagen defluvium. It is the result of radiation therapy, as for some kinds of cancers.

Some people experience hair loss after an infection, childbirth or a major operation.

The hair will all simultaneously shift to telogen phase. It stops growing and falls out, giving rise to the forth type of hair loss, which is called telogen effluvium.

As a testament to the scope of the problem, there is a wide range of pills, sprays and Chinese medicines in many dispensaries.

However, only Regaine is recognised as a safe hair tonic by the Hong Kong Health Department.

According to Prof. Kenneth Lee Kwing-chin, associate professor in the School of Pharmacy at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, there are two types of Regaine.

“One is capsules for internal use while another is solution for external use.

“The former one is used to reduce blood pressure and it was the original use of Regaine.

“Later we found that people taking Regaine had abnormal hair growth, so capsules were converted to solution for hair loss sufferers,” he said.

The active ingredient of Regaine is minoxidil.

Said he: “Minoxidil is a chemical substance that can make an artery dilate and it is believed that minoxidil can have the same function on vessels around the hair follicles.”

According to Prof. Lee, though there are several ideas about why minoxidil promotes hair growth, the actual reason remains unknown.

“One of the possible explanations is that after dilating the vessels around the hair follicles, minoxidil accelerates the blood circulation and increases the nutritional levels there that promote hair growth,” said Prof. Lee.

Yet, Regaine is suitable to only one type of patient.

“It is only effective in patients who experience hair loss because of extra secretions of androgen hormones and are bald at the top head.

“For the frontal baldness, or alopecia areata, the effectiveness of Regaine is still unclear,” Prof. Lee said.

The liquid Regaine can be applied on the bald part of scalp, but it takes 3 to 4 months before the hair regrows.

New hair is fine and thin.

Prof. Lee said, “About 1 year later, the hair gradually becomes stronger and as natural as the original hair.”

Besides minoxidil, Regaine contains alcohol and other solvents that may cause allergic responses and pain.

According to Prof. Lee, the side effects are minor and few people have allergic responses to the product.

“When people apply it the first time, they may feel a bit of pain,” said he.

But it does not last long.

“However, for people who have wounds or are very allergic to medicine, their scalps will become red and painful after application. They should stop using it,” said Prof. Lee.

People who have problems in their excretion system or women who are pregnant or undergoing breast feeding should be careful when using the solution or avoid using it altogether, Prof. Lee said.

Apart from Western medicine, there are several brands of Chinese medicine available in the market that claim to promote hair growth.

One of them is called Pura Pharm Haveron. It consists of extracts from herbs.

There are two lines of this product. One is for males and one for females.

According to Prof. Liang Song Ming, professor in the School of Chinese Medicine at the Chinese University, herbs used in Pura Pharm Haveron compensate for weaknesses in the patients’ kidney functions and blood circulation.

“From an herbalist’s viewpoint, we would not use different combinations of crude medicines for different genders,” said Prof. Liang. “This is just for commercial purposes.”

As with Regaine, Pura Pharm Haveron is not effective on all sufferers.

“It is only effective on those patients who are experiencing hair loss due to weak blood circulation and kidney function.

“For some patients, Haveron treatment may result in a more serious hair loss instead,” Prof. Liang said.

Vita Hair is a similar product. Its tablets contain essences of herbs designed to promote hair growth.

“It has similar functions to Heveron. It helps compensate for the weaknesses of the kidney function and speeds up blood circulation,” said Prof. Liang.

All these products claim the ability to reduce hair loss and ensure new growth, though their effectiveness varies with different physical conditions.

Nonetheless, they possess one similarity: They all are expensive.

Mr. Timy Cheung, 44, started to treat himself with one of these products after finding more and more hairs scattered on his pillow when waking up each morning.

However, the medicine was not as helpful as he expected. “It is expensive to treat yourself with this product and the effect is insignificant. I have been taking the tablets for a few months and there is only a little fine hair growing from my scalp,” said Mr. Cheung.

Said Prof. Liang: “There are traditional but cheaper methods that help promote hair growth.

“One of them is by making use of ‘Plum Blossom Needle’. Its fine, thin needles can stimulate the hair follicles by striking them on the bald scalp.

“Patients have to apply the needles to the scalp 10 minutes per day so as to enhance the blood circulation. Then more nutrients will be available to hair follicles.”

“Using chili wine or ginger when combing the hair is also effective,” said Prof. Liang.

“By putting juice or a fine piece of ginger on the bald parts of the head and combing the hair as usual, it can stimulate the hair follicles and speed up blood circulation.

“As for chili wine, it can be made by soaking a fine piece of chili into a bottle of alcohol for a week. Then apply it on the bald part daily.”


By Irene Lam

Hair loss is regarded as a problem for middle-aged males. However, females and teenagers also suffer from this problem, according to the Hong Kong Society of Dermatology and Venereology. Hair loss is a physiological phenomenon. It becomes pathological only when the loss is excessive or when the pattern of loss is abnormal. About 90 percent of the terminal hair is at anagen phase, the growing phase. The hair on average grows at the rate of 0.37 millimetres per day. It takes 2 to 6 years before becoming catagen, a transient period during which hair matrix cells stop dividing and hair stops growing. The remaining 10 percent of the hair will be in a telogen phase, during which hair is going to fall out in about 3 months’ time. It becomes abnormal if fallen hair in telogen phrase exceeds 10 percent of the total hair mass. There are four types of pathological hair loss, according to the Hong Kong Society of Dermatology and Venereology. The first and the most common one is androgenetic alopecia. Its sufferers are mostly males, aged from 40 to 50, with hair falling out from the top of the head. This condition is found in males around 20 years old and they comprise a rather small proportion of all hair loss sufferers. Inheritance and the imbalanced excretion of dihydrotesterone, a male hormone, are the main factors that contribute to this kind of hair loss. Alopecia areata is the second type. Patients, usually teenagers with stress, will experience bald, round spots on the scalp. This condition can be treated medically. The third type is anagen defluvium. It is the result of radiation therapy, as for some kinds of cancers. Some people experience hair loss after an infection, childbirth or a major operation. The hair will all simultaneously shift to telogen phase. It stops growing and falls out, giving rise to the forth type of hair loss, which is called telogen effluvium. As a testament to the scope of the problem, there is a wide range of pills, sprays and Chinese medicines in many dispensaries. However, only Regaine is recognised as a safe hair tonic by the Hong Kong Health Department. According to Prof. Kenneth Lee Kwing-chin, associate professor in the School of Pharmacy at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, there are two types of Regaine. “One is capsules for internal use while another is solution for external use. “The former one is used to reduce blood pressure and it was the original use of Regaine. “Later we found that people taking Regaine had abnormal hair growth, so capsules were converted to solution for hair loss sufferers,” he said. The active ingredient of Regaine is minoxidil. Said he: “Minoxidil is a chemical substance that can make an artery dilate and it is believed that minoxidil can have the same function on vessels around the hair follicles.” According to Prof. Lee, though there are several ideas about why minoxidil promotes hair growth, the actual reason remains unknown. “One of the possible explanations is that after dilating the vessels around the hair follicles, minoxidil accelerates the blood circulation and increases the nutritional levels there that promote hair growth,” said Prof. Lee. Yet, Regaine is suitable to only one type of patient. “It is only effective in patients who experience hair loss because of extra secretions of androgen hormones and are bald at the top head. “For the frontal baldness, or alopecia areata, the effectiveness of Regaine is still unclear,” Prof. Lee said. The liquid Regaine can be applied on the bald part of scalp, but it takes 3 to 4 months before the hair regrows. New hair is fine and thin. Prof. Lee said, “About 1 year later, the hair gradually becomes stronger and as natural as the original hair.” Besides minoxidil, Regaine contains alcohol and other solvents that may cause allergic responses and pain. According to Prof. Lee, the side effects are minor and few people have allergic responses to the product. “When people apply it the first time, they may feel a bit of pain,” said he. But it does not last long. “However, for people who have wounds or are very allergic to medicine, their scalps will become red and painful after application. They should stop using it,” said Prof. Lee. People who have problems in their excretion system or women who are pregnant or undergoing breast feeding should be careful when using the solution or avoid using it altogether, Prof. Lee said. Apart from Western medicine, there are several brands of Chinese medicine available in the market that claim to promote hair growth. One of them is called Pura Pharm Haveron. It consists of extracts from herbs. There are two lines of this product. One is for males and one for females. According to Prof. Liang Song Ming, professor in the School of Chinese Medicine at the Chinese University, herbs used in Pura Pharm Haveron compensate for weaknesses in the patients’ kidney functions and blood circulation. “From an herbalist’s viewpoint, we would not use different combinations of crude medicines for different genders,” said Prof. Liang. “This is just for commercial purposes.” As with Regaine, Pura Pharm Haveron is not effective on all sufferers. “It is only effective on those patients who are experiencing hair loss due to weak blood circulation and kidney function. “For some patients, Haveron treatment may result in a more serious hair loss instead,” Prof. Liang said. Vita Hair is a similar product. Its tablets contain essences of herbs designed to promote hair growth. “It has similar functions to Heveron. It helps compensate for the weaknesses of the kidney function and speeds up blood circulation,” said Prof. Liang. All these products claim the ability to reduce hair loss and ensure new growth, though their effectiveness varies with different physical conditions. Nonetheless, they possess one similarity: They all are expensive. Mr. Timy Cheung, 44, started to treat himself with one of these products after finding more and more hairs scattered on his pillow when waking up each morning. However, the medicine was not as helpful as he expected. “It is expensive to treat yourself with this product and the effect is insignificant. I have been taking the tablets for a few months and there is only a little fine hair growing from my scalp,” said Mr. Cheung. Said Prof. Liang: “There are traditional but cheaper methods that help promote hair growth. “One of them is by making use of ‘Plum Blossom Needle’. Its fine, thin needles can stimulate the hair follicles by striking them on the bald scalp. “Patients have to apply the needles to the scalp 10 minutes per day so as to enhance the blood circulation. Then more nutrients will be available to hair follicles.” “Using chili wine or ginger when combing the hair is also effective,” said Prof. Liang. “By putting juice or a fine piece of ginger on the bald parts of the head and combing the hair as usual, it can stimulate the hair follicles and speed up blood circulation. “As for chili wine, it can be made by soaking a fine piece of chili into a bottle of alcohol for a week. Then apply it on the bald part daily.”

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