Crinagen is an all natural alcohol-free topical scalp spray clinically backed to reduce the amount of DHT (dehydrotestosterone) in the scalp. It contains no alcohol, and has displayed no side effects. Crinagen is also equally safe for men and women and is most effective in men and women with thinning hair. In addition to blocking scalp DHT, they both are reported nourish the scalp’s hair follicles. Crinagen usually displays its effects on average in five months.

How It Works:

The product's main ingredients are Saw Palmetto, Zinc, and Azelaic Acid. All 3 ingredients are reported to reduce the production of scalp DHT and nourish the scalp's hair follicles.

Developing Realistic Expectations:

Crinagen has not been clinically proven nor approved by the FDA. Thus, like Revivogen and Tricomin, Crinagen should be used only after seriously considering proven treatments like Propecia (finasteride) and Rogaine (minoxidil).

Don't expect immediate results. It's recommended to use Crinagen for at least 6 to 12 months before determining its effectiveness. Documenting your progress with bi-monthly photos can help you determine whether or not Crinagen is working for you.

Hair shedding is a common symptom the first few months and a sign that the medication may be working for you. It's crucial to push past this stage with continued use for the recommended period of time.

To date, only surgical hair restoration is proven to grow hair in completely bald areas. You are invited to have a free virtual consultation with one of our prescreened hair restoration physicians.

Stemcelex is the newest product in a long line of hair restoration therapies claiming to “cure” hair loss via stem cell therapy. Given the recent onslaught of news regarding stem cell based hair loss treatments, injectable baldness cures, and research breakthroughs, it’s not surprising to see new therapies claiming to aggressively fight hair loss through these same mechanisms. However, is Stemcelex truly a stem cell based, regenerative hair loss cure, or is it another therapy simply riding the recent wave of interest in these types of non-invasive, revolutionary treatments?

At first glance, Stemcelex seems quite impressive. The product website is filled with scientific explanations, graphs, charts, and diagrams explaining the science behind stem cell based hair restoration. Stemcelex even states its affiliation with Dr. George Cotsarelis, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center who, along with a talented research team, recently discovered that the bald scalp does not suffer from a lack of stem cells, but rather a dysfunction in the pathway to properly activating stem cells to produce hair. The finding was significant and Dr. Cotsarelis’ involvement and the seemingly detailed science look promising, but what about Stemcelex itself? Does it utilize these scientific breakthroughs and offer an effective treatment for hair loss?

Unfortunately, despite the impressive name recognition and detailed explanations, Stemcelex doesn’t appear to live up to its lofty hair restoration claims. Despite claiming to “activate” the dormant stem cells described by Dr. Cotsarelis, Stemcelex does not offer any sort of feasible molecular/stem cell based therapy. The website cleverly explains the science behind stem cell inactivation and the promise of reversing the dysfunctional pathway, but instead of reinforcing Dr. Cotsarelis’ view that cures for reversing the inactivation pathway are not yet understood, Stemcelex claims to actually fix the stem cell inactivation through a series of unproven homeopathic and herbal treatments for hair loss.

So, what is actually inStemcelex? The treatment involves a three day cycle of different lotions and topical treatments for baldness applied twice a day.

Day1: On the first day of the hair restoration cycle, a topical lotion made from Jaborandi Pilocarpus is applied twice after washing and thoroughly drying one’s hair. According to Stemcelex, Jaborandi Pilocarpus is a parasympathetic activator (it excites the nerves that cause the body to “rest and digest” during periods of relaxation) that rids the scalp of excess oils and dandruff that impede healthy follicular hair growth. Furthermore, Stemcelex claims that Pilocarpus naturally darkens and thickens existing, native hairs. According to the experts, Pilocarpus has no reproducible pharmacological applications and any evidence that it actually thickens and darkens hair is anecdotal.

Day 2: The second day of the cycle involves Veratrum Lobelianum, a family of herbs commonly used in Chinese medicine.  Stemcelex claims these herbs can penetrate the scalp and activate the necessary molecular signaling to “regenerate” the hair follicle stem cells. Furthermore, Veratrum allegedly down-regulates or prevents the production of Dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the hormone directly responsible for male pattern baldness. According to the research, members of the Veratrum family have been used in everything from a Native American poison to a drug researched in human blood pressure.  Currently, they are used in cancer treatments. Although the science behind cancer therapies indicates that the drug could have some molecular benefit in signaling cell activation and inactivation, there has been no research or evidence suggesting that Veratrum is useful in fighting, reversing, or preventing the effects of male or female hair loss.

Day 3: During the third day of the Stemcelex cycle, a kelp based topical extract is applied twice daily to provide nutrients to the “new hair growth” and also ensure that the scalp remains clean and healthy. This step of the treatment doesn’t claim to be more than a simple dose of nutrients useful in good scalp hygiene.

After reviewing the active ingredients behind Stemcelex, there is no evidence to suggest that Stemcelex is an effective hair loss treatment at this point in time. The idea of activating the dormant stem cells is important to finding a molecular cure to hair loss, but despite understanding this importance, Stemcelex doesn’t offer any concrete stem cell reactivation agents. It’s possible that Veratrum may prove useful in cell signaling and reactivating dormant cells, but the current research and evidence simply don’t support its use at this time.  Furthermore, Stemcelex charges a hefty $99.85 for a month supply of the treatment which may keep even the most curious and enthusiastic hair loss suffering men and women away.

Altogether, the idea of reversing dormant hair follicle stem cells is important, but therapies for effectively stopping and rewiring this pathway do not seem to exist at this point in time. Unfortunately, this seems to nullify the claims made by Stemcelex and prevent it from becoming a stem cell hair loss cure.

Childbirth may result in hair loss. It's common for many women to notice hair loss about 3 months after they've had a baby. This too, is caused by hormones. But this is not something to worry about. You see, during pregnancy, hair that normally falls out is kept in by high levels of hormones. Once the hormones have returned to pre-pregnancy levels, this extra hair falls out. The normal cycle of hair growth and loss then begins again.

As the field of medical hair restoration continues advancing and evolving, hair loss sufferers look toward new, cutting edge clinics and corporations for faster, more effective, and less invasive hair loss treatments. In various but not all cases, the breakthroughs achieved through oral medications and topical solutions (seen in proven hair loss treatments like Rogaine (minoxidil) and Propecia (finasteride) are fantastic.  Thus, hair restoration entities continue striving to create the next advancement and bring the world closer to a “hair loss cure.” However, for each hair restoration treatment that’s proven safe, effective, and efficient, it seems as if a dozen others are rejected for being unproven, inefficient, or unsafe.

For this reason, it’s always advantageous to thoroughly research the newest hair loss solutions and determine whether they are safe and effective, or if they fail to live up to the high expectations set by the current gold standard treatments such as proven solutions Propecia and Rogaine.   Below, we evaluate whether Spectral.DNC, a topical solution created by Divine Skin Laboratories (DS Laboratories) can help stop hair loss and regrow hair.

Spectral.DNC is a topical treatment formulated by DS Laboratories which claims its “the world’s most effective topical hair loss treatment.” But can Spectral.DNC live up to these lofty claims and offer a more effective solution, or will it suffer the fate of many therapies before it and fail to gain the approval of the hair restoration patient community?

According to DS Laboratories, Spectral.DNC is applied (as an atomized mist or liquid) to the balding scalp twice daily, once in the morning and once at night. Along with a series of vitamins and herbal supplements (herbal extracts, copper peptides, and a vitamin complex), the active ingredients in Spectral. DNC are 5% minoxidil, Aminexil (SP94), and Retinol. Since minoxidil is also the proven, active ingredient in topical Rogaine, Divine Skin utilizes a frequently asked questions feature on its website to explain how Spectral.DNC is different and more effective than minoxidil. According to Divine Skin, it’s the two other active ingredients – Aminexil and Retinol that make Spectral.DNC more effective than Rogaine.

Aminexil (or Aminexil SP94) is a compound currently featured as an active ingredient in a line of healthy hair shampoos by L’Oreal. Aminexil is allegedly helpful in the treatment of perifollicular fibrosis – a pre-mature aging of hair shafts caused by inflammation and an overproduction of collagen proteins. It’s worth noting that while some reputable sources have researched its connection to perifollicular fibrosis, it hasn’t been conclusively linked to hair loss (especially androgenic alopecia hair loss), nor is Aminexil proven to treat perifollicular fibrosis. Furthermore, Aminexil is not recognized or approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a treatment for any type of hair loss.

DS Laboratories indirectly counters these statements by sharing the results of a “worldwide” study which demonstrated an 8% increase in hair growth and a 6% increase in hair shaft diameter in hair loss sufferers using Aminexil (compared to a placebo group). This study however, is not without its limitations.  This study was conducted in 1994, only contained 130 participants, lasted for 42 days, and doesn’t appear to be published in any sort of peer reviewed publication. Because of this, it’s difficult to evaluate whether or not the addition of Aminexil as an improvement over simple 5% minoxidil. But what about the Retinol?

Retinol (and its derivatives) is a form of Vitamin A, often used in medical dermatology for maintaining healthy skin and treating specific types of acne. Allegedly, certain forms of Retinol act as hair restoration drugs (after periods of long term usage) by preventing hair loss hormones from binding to target receptors and killing healthy hair follicles. While evidence of these claims was difficult to find, many Retinol users claim that the drug is harsh on skin and utilizing it in the scalp would cause irritation and require small, likely ineffective dosages. Much like Aminexil, there’s no solid evidence to suggest that Retinol makes Spectral.DNC a more effective hair loss solution than Rogaine or other minoxidil related products. Interestingly enough, while copper peptidesare listed as in inactive ingredient, research supports that copper peptides may play a role in transforming thin vellus hairs into thicker terminal hairs, increasing follicular size, and regenerating healthy scalp skin.  However, because copper peptides aren’t listed as an official “active ingredient” by DS Laboratories nor do we know its concentration, it’s difficult to gauge its efficacy within Spectral.DNC.

The only proven and FDA approved ingredient in Spectral.DNC is 5% minoxidil. While minoxidil is safe and efficient, it’s unclear what the additional ingredients in Spectral.DNC may actually accomplish. Furthermore, the cost of Spectral.DNC runs between $35.00 and $45.00 for a month supply, compared to around $ 25.00 for a three month supply of generic 5% minoxidil.  According to DS Laboratories, the only known side effects revolve around minoxidil (which are no different than those associated with Rogaine).  Although minoxidil is relatively safe and effective, it’s been used as a hair loss treatment for decades.

Those hair loss sufferers considering using Spectral.DNC as a treatment for thinning hair can feel confident knowing that they will, at the very least, obtain similar results to using minoxidil 5%.  Until the other active ingredients are peer reviewed, whether or not Spectral.DNC is more effective than Rogaine 5% is mostly conjecture.

Brilliant Hair Loss Treatment, or is it a Scam?

ElectroTrichoGenesis (ETG), also known as Cosmetic TrichoGenesis (CTG), is a little known hair loss treatment that makes some very lofty hair growth claims. How does ETG work and is it really clinically proven to treat androgenic alopecia(genetic balding)?

How ElectroTrichoGenesis (ETG) Works

ETG is promoted as a safe, painless and non-intrusive. Treatment is administered via an “ergonomically shaped couch with a semi spherical hood” manufactured by Current Technology Corporation in Vancouver, Canada.

The patient reclines on the chair and the hood (with disposable liner) is placed over the head but does not make contact with the scalp. This special hood contains electrodes that deliver “specified pulsed electrostatic energy” delivered passively to the scalp by the low-level electric field generated within it.

ETG is believed to stimulate the regrowth of hair through the positive influence of the pulsed electrostatic field it generates. This field is said to stimulate “changes within the hair bulge and the follicle, stabilizing hair loss and stimulating new hair growth”. Patients receive a single 12 minute session weekly.

Is ETG Clinically Proven?

The following three studies on the efficacy of ElectroTrichoGenesis (ETG) as a treatment for thinning hair have been published in peer-reviewed journals:

Maddin, W. Stuart; Bell, Peter W.; James, John H. M. (1990).
"The Biological Effects of a Pulsed Electrostatic Field with Specific Reference to Hair Electrotrichogenesis". International Journal of Dermatology29(6): 446–450.

Benjamin, Benji; Ziginskas, Danute; Harman, John; Meakin, Timothy (2002).
"Pulsed electrostatic fields (ETG) to reduce hair loss in women undergoing chemotherapy for breast carcinoma: A pilot study". Psycho-Oncology11(3): 244–248

Maddin, WS; Amara, I; Sollecito, WA (1992).
"Electrotrichogenesis: further evidence of efficacy and safety on extended use". International Journal of Dermatology31(12): 878–80

According to the 36-week comparative, controlled study conducted on male subjects at the University of British Columbia and published in The International Journal of Dermatology, 96.7% of those treated experienced cessation of hair loss and/or hair regrowth. Decreased hair loss was seen as early as 4 to 6 weeks but many patients required more time for results.

The pilot study conducted on women undergoing chemotherapy for breast carcinoma and published in  Psycho-Oncology,showed that twelve out of 13 participants had good hair retention throughout the chemotherapy period and afterwards with no reported side effects.

As with the clinically proven medical hair loss treatments Rogaine (minoxidil) and Propecia (finasteride), ETG is said to be most effective in the early stages of balding.

Conclusion

Although the data put forth in this article seems to paint ETG as a clinically proven and highly effective hair loss treatment, it’s important to note that the procedure is not new. The studies referenced above were published more than 13 years ago. If ETG truly works to stimulate hair growth and suppress the advancement of hair loss, why has it not become a fixture in the world’s leading hair restoration clinics? Where are all the glowing, unbiased reviews?

With no reported side effects, there may be no harm in giving ETG a try if there is a provider in your area and the fees are reasonable. However, balding men and women are encouraged to consult with an experienced and reputable hair restoration physicianin order to diagnose the cause of their thinning hair and learn about the outstanding medical and surgical options available today.