Health Food Vitamin

Vitamin E (Tocopherol) as a Hair Loss Treatment 

There are a number of herbal supplements out there that claim to work as a treatment for hair loss.  Whereas there is no question that marketing is over-reaching at best in order to sell a product, the real question that any hair loss sufferer asks is: will this product help combat baldness or is there any chance that it will regrow hair?  To date however, it is important to understand that there is no hair loss cure, therefore realistic expectations must be kept when considering any hair restoration product.

Below I decided to take a look at an herbal supplement that has been said to combat hair loss.  This product is an “active” ingredient in a few hair loss remedies such as HairMax MD.  Vitamin E is also sold as a stand alone product in nutritional stores. 

Vitamin E (Tocopherol)

Vitamin E consists of 8 molecules, four of which are known as tocopherols (one of the ingredients in HairMax MD), the other four known as tocotrienols. Both tocopherols and tocoltrienols consist structurally of a chromanol head and a phytyl side chain. The difference between these 2 types of molecules has to do with the phytyl side chain where tocopherols are fully saturated and tocotrienols are not. Tocotrienols contain three double bonds at the 3, 7, and 11 positions. Ultimately, these two types of molecules are distinct entities and not derivatives of one another. (Theriault et al, Clinical Biochemistry (1990) 32(5):309).

So why take the time to explain all this? From my research it seems that there may be clinical evidence to suggest that tocotrienols may be moderately beneficial for hair loss sufferers – but there is little evidence to suggest that tocopherols are, at least not by themselves.

Another interesting fact is that tocopherols, though mentioned in some patents of the so called hair regrowing agents, are not the major active ingredient but only act as an aid to the formula itself.

A clinical study was performed on 19 balding individuals (14 men and 5 women) ranging from the ages of 23 to 59 suffering from genetic hair loss who have not received any other type of hair loss medication including minoxodil, finasteride, or ketoconazole. 11 volunteers received a capsule orally containing tocotrienols and alpha-tocopherol while 8 volunteers received a placebo capsule. The results of the study transmitted that all hair loss sufferer volunteers who took the tocotrienol / alpha-tocopherol capsules had at least some increase in visible hairs over the 15 month study which indicates that a mixture of tocotrienol and alpha-tocopherol appears to increase the number of visible hairs in balding individuals. Additionally, out of the 8 volunteers in the placebo group, 2 also experienced hair regrowth. 2 experienced hair loss while the other 4 experienced no change.

To read more about this study, visit: http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/7211274-description.html

In my opinion, one problem with the study is that the study group was small and one could argue that the hair count increase was either coincidence or that hairs were growing back as part of the natural hair growth cycle.

Keep in mind also that this study shows the effect of a tocotrienol / alpha-tocopherol mixture taken orally, not topically (as some hair loss treatments suggest). Additionally, what part the tocopherol molecule played in the increase of visible hairs cannot be determined from this study.

Conclusions:

Though some nominal evidence exists for the potential benefit of Vitamin E taken orally for hair loss, I would argue that a larger clinical study needs to be performed to rule out coincidence or hair growing back as a result of the natural hair growth cycle. 

In my opinion, it would be better to stick to the hair loss drugs that have been proven: Propecia(finasteride), and Rogaine 5% (minoxodil). As an adjunct hair restoration treatment, Nizoral shampoo or Revita shampoo both containing active ingredient ketoconazole may also be helpful.

Bill Seemiller - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of theHair Transplant Networkand theHair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

Caring for the donor scar after hair transplantation is relatively easy.  Your responsibility will be to keep the donor area clean by washing the area thoroughly but gently.  I find it helps to run my fingers with shampoo in the donor scar area in a circular motion in order to work off the dried blood that surrounds it.  Keep the sutures/staples in as long as your hair transplant clinic recommends and then after that just keep the area clean by washing.

The other component in properly caring for your donor scar to help minimize the risk of scar stretching is to relax.  Do not put too much strain on the hair transplant scar.  Don’t do any intense weight lifting, stretching, or heavy aerobic exercises for the first several weeks.  Gradually increase your workout routine over the course of several months.  Common sense is the key.  If you feel a strain in the donor area, stop what you are doing.   See the following hair loss Q&A blog: Fitness/Sports After a Hair Transplant for more information.

Also avoid putting your chin on your chest as that will cause additional strain on the back of the scalp. 

You can also ask your hair transplant surgeon how your physiology plays a role in the risk of donor scar stretching.

Those with extremely elastic scalps may have “thin skin” (though this is not necessary true).  The lack of collagen puts these hair transplant patients at additional risk of donor scar stretching.  Keep in mind that donor laxity can be a really good thing and will help maximize the number of follicular unit grafts that can be excised.  But there is a possibility that too much laxity is a sign of a lack of supporting collagen in the skin.  Be sure to ask your hair transplant doctor about this.

I hope this helps.

Bill - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

You might recall that different fatty acid or lipid composition in cell membranes was floated as a reason for the ninefold longevity of naked mole-rats over related rodent species. Plenty of oxidative stress in the older mole-rats, but little sign of biochemical damage resulting from it - in comparison to those other rodents long since aged to death, that is. Better, more damage-resistant building blocks down at the molecular level might be the cause:

A forthcoming Rejuvenation Research paper discusses the results of a similar consideration of cell membrane differences and longevity within the human species:

Fatty Acid Profile of Erythrocyte Membranes As Possible Biomarker of Longevity:

We concluded that erythrocyte membranes derived from nonagenarian offspring have a different lipid composition (reduced lipid peroxidation and increased membrane integrity) to that of the general population.

Note there again - reduced lipid peroxidation, as for the naked mole-rats, and therefore more resistant to oxidative stress. This is quite an interesting line of research, demonstrating some plausible indications of a structural contribution to longevity at the cellular level. I'm sure we'll be seeing more of this in the future, as research and debate continues.

A little while back, I took a look at using the big stick of materials science to manipulate biochemical states in the body - starting with efforts to build a better antioxidant:

This sort of initiative is but a tiny step on a very long path that leads to nanomedical robotics, artificial blood cells a thousand times better than the real thing, and even more impressive feats of engineering. But you have to start with what is presently possible. Some more on cerium oxide in this paper:

Treatment of Neurodegenerative Disorders with Radical Nanomedicine:

"Radical nanomedicine" means different things to different folk of course - anything from the mass-produced artificial blood cell nanomachines of the 2030s to next year's application of somewhat better and more useful nanoparticles. But the trend towards engineering your way out of unwanted biological conditions at the scale of molecules and cells is very welcome and to be encouraged. Engineers put the pieces together and get the job done - don't underestimate the power of that approach to problems.

One caveat on any work involving antioxidants is the evidence produced to date indicating that it matters greatly where your antioxidants do their work. Are they meandering around uselessly, far from the points at which oxidative stress is generated or causing damage? Are they interfering in the signaling mechanisms that actually use oxidizing molecules?

We had differing hypotheses about where putting catalase might do the best in terms of the advantage to life and health of the mice," Rabinovitch explains. So they targeted the gene in three different places in the mouse cells - the cytoplasm, the nucleus - where they thought it might protect the all-important DNA of the cell - and the powerhouses of the cells, the mitochondria - where cells "burn" glucose for energy and churn out high levels of these oxidizing free-radicals. The mice that lived longest had the gene in their mitochondria.

Here's another approach indicating that it matters where you put your antioxidants:

But if you're a clever engineer, this is all just another challenge to build around.

Keep in mind that every hair transplant clinic has their own hair restoration postoperative instructions and they vary.  Therefore it is always best to get detailed postoperative hair washing instructions directly from the hair transplant surgeon.

That being said, I thought I’d share my personal experience with hair washing after hair transplant surgery that worked well for me.

Day 0: (day of hair restoration surgery): Just relax.  Do not wash your hair at all.

Day 1: If at all possible, visit your hair restoration clinic for a postoperative hair wash.  If not, fill a cup with water mixed with shampoo and pour it gently over your head several times.  Gently massage the shampoo into the donor area, cleaning the area around the scar. 

Day 2 and 3: Fill a cup with water mixed with shampoo and pour it gently over your head several times.  Gently massage the shampoo into the donor area, cleaning the area around the scar.  Wash donor area normally working around the scar with care to work off any dried blood.  Apply as much pressure as needed however, avoid using so much pressure that it causes pain. 

Day 4: Assuming that your shower pressure is reasonable and not too harsh - let the water from the shower head hit your head normally.  Massage shampoo in your hands until it lathers.  Gently touch the grafts with the shampoo in the palm of your hands and gently touch with your finger tips.  Avoid any massaging of the transplanted hair at this point.  Continue washing donor area normally from this point on paying extra attention around the scar as to work off any dried blood and keep the area clean.

Day 5: Repeat the instructions from day 4 however, add very gentle back and forth motions with your finger tips through the transplanted hair.  Avoid using your nails at all costs.

Day 6:  Resume normal hair washing but be extra gentle with the hair grafts.

Day 7+:  Begin showering twice a day normally however, use a little extra care of the follicuar unit grafts.  Spend 10 extra minutes in the shower both in the morning and evening massaging with shampoo the hair grafts in a circular motion with your fingertips in order to start working off the scabs.  Avoid using your fingernails at all costs.  Do not apply a lot of pressure.  The trick is to apply a constant circular motion to gradually work off the scabs rather than simply picking them off.  Picking the scabs should be avoided at all costs.  Whatever scabs don’t come off in the shower will come off after subsequent showers and circular massaging.  Additionally, when you come out of the shower and after looking in the mirror see some loose scabs, feel free to perform additional soft circular massaging over the scabs in front of the mirror to work off loose scabs.  Scabs still tightly secured to the scalp should not be worked too much.  These scabs will come off after subsequent showers in the coming days. Patience is important and don’t force anything off. 

I have found that by using the above method, scabs typically come off between 8-12 days.

Bill - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of theHair Transplant Networkand theHair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

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