allergan working aggressively on a latisse topical

[Tracy C]

I would be interested in the mechanism of action and if it can actually actively reverse miniturisation.

I would think it would have to do that. I use Latisse on my lashes. It has made my lashes thicker, longer and darker. How else would it be able to do that other than to increase the size of follicles?

[john2399]

I would think it would have to do that. I use Latisse on my lashes. It has made my lashes thicker, longer and darker. How else would it be able to do that other than to increase the size of follicles?

Tracy do you look like your avatar?

[Tracy C]

Actually no. My avatar looks like a cartoon version of me. That's why I chose it.

[BoSox]

So could Latisse actually reverse miniturisation? Obviously this will be something we'd have to take for the rest of our lives ( until future treatments are available )

[Tracy C]

So could Latisse actually reverse miniaturization?

We don't know for sure yet but it makes sense that is should. Minoxidil and Finasteride both reverse miniaturization to some extent, so why not Bimatoprost? The big question is does it do a better job than Minoxidil? That we do not yet know. Many are speculating that it will. I hope it does but I am not as convinced as others that it will. We will see.

Anything and everything that actually works to treat hereditary hair loss will need to be used for the rest of ones life. Only a true cure can eliminate that requirement. The only treatments that currently have the potential to be a true cure are under development at Replicel and Aderans.

[Follicle Death Row]

I would think it would have to do that. I use Latisse on my lashes. It has made my lashes thicker, longer and darker. How else would it be able to do that other than to increase the size of follicles?

Looks like it's a prostaglandin analog so it will be the first treatment of it's type for hairloss which is extra cool to be able to attack hairloss from another angle. So yeah rather that just more (& faster growing) hair I'd say we're in for proper shaft thickening effects just as it appears to do with eyelashes.

Re reversing miniturisation and minoxidil Tracy, thing is it has been suggested by some that minoxidil doesn't really actively reverse individual miniturising hairs but rather forces more hairs into the anagen phase at the same time thereby reducing the number of hairs resting and thus increasing hair volume and coverage without actually thickening individual hair shafts. Of course this has been much debated and no one can actually say for sure. All we know from the studies is that yes there is an increase in terminal hair from the baseline but that may simply be because you have more hairs in the actively growing anagen phase at the same time. That's why people think that the initial shed with minoxidil is good because it the cycle is being reset and some hairs are going into the resting phase only to re-emerge months down the line together at the same time in the anagen phase. Interesting but it's tough to say for sure what's happening. That's basically the cliff notes on the most recent belief of what's happening with minoxidil and it's mechanism of action.

You have to be careful in interpretating study results too. For example a sure a study with minoxidil could show an increase in hair shaft diameter but are hair shafts actually thickening? The answer could be no as by simply increasing the number of healthy hairs in the anagen phase will increase the non-miniturised to miniturised hair ratio thus giving a higher average hair shaft thickness in the treatment area without individually thickening hair shafts if you follow.

Actually I also left out that some have suggested that minoxidil's potassium channel opening properties act to let potassium ions out of the cell causing hyperpolarisation and keeping the resting membrane potential below the threshold potential which stops the CASPASE cascade from firing. Is that really going on in the cells? We can't say for sure.

I don't normally go into so much detail as it doesn't make sense to most but that's the science I've come across. They're 2 of the supposed mechanisms of action you will hear bandied around quite a bit. If it's the former, then there is no active reversal of miniturisation, if it's the latter, there is active reversal.

So sorry if that was long winded. The good news about allergan is that in theory at least, active reversal of miniturisation should occur. I guess if it does for eyelashes there's a good chance it may do the same for scalp hair. Fingers crossed.

[Tracy C]

I guess if it does for eyelashes there's a good chance it may do the same for scalp hair. Fingers crossed.

Both my fingers and toes are crossed.

Concerning your comments on Minoxidil, my own experience with the medicine is that my hair is thicker than it was before. Many women make have the same result. There is a reasonably good possibility that Minoxidil might work better for women than it does for men though.

[BoSox]

The trials will conclude in Sept, is that correct? Will we know before if they have something?

Speaking with Joe , he seemed very confident in Allergran. I hope he's right :P

[Tracy C]

I know Dr. Bauman has been prescribing Latisse off label for scalp hair. It is ridiculously expensive when using it for this purpose. However, he has stated that he is seeing improvement in some patients. I have recently read that some people are mixing Bimatoprost with Minoxidil. I am considering giving that a try since I am not willing to stop using Minoxidil. I will see my primary care doctor next week and I will ask him for a script for lumigan. It will either improve my hair or it won't - but I see no harm in giving it a try for six months or so.

[Follicle Death Row]

Both my fingers and toes are crossed.

Concerning your comments on Minoxidil, my own experience with the medicine is that my hair is thicker than it was before. Many women make have the same result. There is a reasonably good possibility that Minoxidil might work better for women than it does for men though.

Yeah I think you're probably right. Women seem to get good results with minoxidil. Us men tend to fare a little worse it seems.

[jpm]

anyone know the likely release date for a hair product, not and eyebrow one?

Also, combine this with a pgd2 blocker and I think big strides will be made against hairloss

[Lounk61]

Or the new Kirkland's Foam. Also Equate foam from Wal Mart.

Why do you think the foam is better than the liquid? Is it just easier to use?
Just an amusing thought: We landed on the moon in 69, and we have not come up with a cure for baldness in over 40 years since then. With all the technology and possible profit in a baldness cure you'd think we would have something by now. It's not like a cancer cure or even the cure for the common cold where there are many different viruses involved. To my understanding there is a specific cause for baldness. Hope we get a cure soon. Would love to have a decent head of hair for my last 20 or so years left on this planet.

[jpm]

Why do you think the foam is better than the liquid? Is it just easier to use?
Just an amusing thought: We landed on the moon in 69, and we have not come up with a cure for baldness in over 40 years since then. With all the technology and possible profit in a baldness cure you'd think we would have something by now. It's not like a cancer cure or even the cure for the common cold where there are many different viruses involved. To my understanding there is a specific cause for baldness. Hope we get a cure soon. Would love to have a decent head of hair for my last 20 or so years left on this planet.

I've wondered about this. I understand than baldness is not as easy to cure as it seems. But when you think of all the other things that humans have done, they seem much much harder!! Someday soon we shall have better treatments ....

[Maradona]

Why do you think the foam is better than the liquid? Is it just easier to use?
Just an amusing thought: We landed on the moon in 69, and we have not come up with a cure for baldness in over 40 years since then. With all the technology and possible profit in a baldness cure you'd think we would have something by now. It's not like a cancer cure or even the cure for the common cold where there are many different viruses involved. To my understanding there is a specific cause for baldness. Hope we get a cure soon. Would love to have a decent head of hair for my last 20 or so years left on this planet.

Nobody gives a **** about baldness that's the problem. Did you give a **** about baldness before you started losing your hair? I know I didn't. I was thinking of curing cancer actually or other autoimmune diseases...

If baldness could be really taken as seriously as other diseases (even though it isn't), we would have REAL CURE in 10 years.

No funding. Not enough scientists and companies. Nobody gives a ****.

[Tracy C]

Why do you think the foam is better than the liquid? Is it just easier to use?

The foam is easier to use, it dries faster, it is more stealthy, it is more convenient and it is less irritating to the scalp. All these things combined lend themselves to more compliance on the part of the user. When people are more compliant about using a medication, the medication is more effective.

We landed on the moon in 69, and we have not come up with a cure for baldness in over 40 years since then. With all the technology and possible profit in a baldness cure you'd think we would have something by now.

There are many reasons for this. First and foremost, hereditary hair loss is not a disease, it is a natural and normal human physical trait. The truth hurts but it is what it is. Secondly, many (possibly most) men do not care enough about there hair loss to want to do anything about it. For example; less than 10% of males who are suffering with hereditary hair loss are willing to try the current treatments. The rest do not want to be bothered with trying to treat it. Third, men who are not suffering with hereditary hair loss do not care about hair loss at all.

There is a mountain of money to be made if a true cure, or at least a more effective treatment, could be found. But finding that cure or that more effective treatment is a bigger and more expensive challenge than most who have the means want to take on. There are very few companies who are actually trying - and I am grateful for all of them.