Wen Shampoo range being blamed for Female Hair Loss

Hundreds of women in American have begun legal action after complaining that a popular celebrity-endorsed shampoo range has made their hall start to fall out.

Hollywood hairstylist Chaz Dean is the creator of the Wen products and sells them through his website, whilst infomercial firm Guthy-Renker market them; both have been hit with a lawsuit.
According to NY Daily News, there are more than 200 women across 40 states that have impleaded into a class-action lawsuit against the haircare company Wen. The lawsuit states that the products worsened hair loss within a matter of weeks.

Meanwhile, many women have took to the internet – specifically Wen’s Facebook page – to voice their anger, complaining they have developed bald spots and even posting picture evidence of the hair loss visible on their scalp.

However, it isn’t just a few strands falling out, in some cases it seems to be massive clumps which are coming out, with irreparable damage caused say some complainants. One woman wrote: “I can’t leave my house. I’m depressed…I’m overwhelmed and frustrated [and] I cry when I look in the mirror.”

Moreover, within the court documents, a woman named Amy Friedman explained how she had purchased the Wen Sweet Almond Mint basic kit in January of 2014 for $29.95 and two weeks later, her hair begun to fall out. After stopping using the product soon after, she still ended up losing ‘one quarter to one third’ of her hair and had to spend a lot of money buying hair extensions to cover bald areas.

Other problems women are listing linked to the Wen shampoo products include scalp burn, itchiness and rashes, resulting in unsightly sores on the scalp.

The lawsuit is claiming that the Wen products, which include the Cleansing Conditioner, were responsible for the hair damage.

Chaz Dean and his Wen range has a long-list of A-list celebrity endorsers such as actresses Brook Shields, Alyssa Milano and Christina Applegate.

Wen hair products promise to strengthen hair by the use of no additives or harmful chemicals. Their website states, ‘What sets Wen apart is its cleansing conditioner, a single-step process that cleanses and conditions the hair simultaneously.

‘The cleansers include a perfect blend of special ingredients, including natural botanicals and herbs…’

Unfortunately, scorers of women are now coming forward to demonstrate truly frightening side effects. The complaint in the lawsuit alleges that the conditioners “contain one or more active ingredients that act as a depilatory or caustic agent, causing a chemical reaction that damages the hair strands and/or follicle.”

Whilst Wen have released a statement saying there is no scientific proof their products are causing the women’s hair loss, and that they intend to vigorously contest the allegations, attorney Amy Davis, who is representing those affected, has suggested a possible reason.

Speaking to CBS News, she commented: “What we understand about the product and how it causes hair loss is it contains virtually no cleanser. It’s like using lotion to wash your hair, so instead of removing the product, when you rinse it off, it just becomes impacted in your hair follicle.”
Whatever happens next will be interesting to see, but in the meantime, Wen’s Facebook page is certainly compiling complaints thick and fast.

For both men and women, Medical Specialists® Pharmacy can provide hair loss treatments Regaine Foam or Regaine Lotion, as featured in numerous television adverts. Regaine products contain the active ingredient Minoxidil; clinically proven to help prevent further hereditary hair loss. Minoxidil works by increasing the blood supply to the hair follicles, helping to strengthen existing hair and stimulate secondary hair growth.

Women suffering with female hair loss also have the option of the over-the-counter treatment Florisene® – strongly recommended as an addition to any female hair loss treatment. Florisene® is especially recommended for women who have reduced hair volume (compared with several years ago) or who have recently noticed hair shedding as seen by more hairs in the brush, comb or when shampooing.

Chris Evans and his Hair Loss

Male pattern baldness will affect nearly half of men by the time they reach the age of 50, regardless of social class, race, etc.…that is the simple truth. Hair loss does not discriminate, and Medical Specialists® Pharmacy have reported countless celebrity hair loss stories over the years, such as Wayne Rooney’s very expensive hair transplant at a Harley Street clinic, Justin Bieber cheekily saying that Prince William should use hair loss treatment Propecia, and golfer Rory McilRoy teasing fellow pro Tiger Woods about his diminishing hair.

One story that seems to have resonated with the British public was the article Medical Specialists® published all the way back in 2011 about Chris Evans’ battle with hair loss, leading to a massive surge in traffic to the Medical Specialists® website from men wanting to combat their hair loss as well.

The popular, outspoken television and radio presenter first rose to prominence back in the early 1990s as the presenter of The Big Breakfast, and later his own written-and-presented show ‘Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush’.

With his thick, wavy ginger hair and rather prominent black, square glasses, Evans instantly stood out from the crowd, becoming popular amongst viewers; viewing figures for The Big Breakfast reached around two million per episode in 1993 – the highest rated UK breakfast television programme at the time.

However, Evans has not been without drama in his personal life, now into his third marriage and going through a notoriously bitter and public divorce from former Loose Women presenter Carol McGiffin back in 1994. It could be that these testing times in his personal life have affected his once luxurious thick head of ginger hair. After all, stress is just one of many factors that is often believed to be a contributor to hair loss.

Evans has commented on his hair loss many times in recent years, seemingly intent on fighting the problem before he turns 50 next year. The TV and radio personality actually invited the renowned Harley Street Trichologist Dr Hugh Rushton onto his Radio 2 Drivetime show in June 2008 to discuss some facts about male pattern baldness to listeners.

Then in 2011, the DJ revealed on his Radio 2 show that he was taking hair loss treatment, but did not confirm exactly what the treatment was, but from his comments it would suggest he was taking Propecia. Evans commented that in addition to the new hair growth on his scalp, there had been growth on other areas of his body too.

He said: “I’m taking these pills to help my hair grow but it’s not only the hair on my head that’s growing. Lots of trimming to be done.”

It remains to be seen if the DJ is still taking his hair ‘pills’, but he has most likely stopped them by now, going off the comments he made in October whilst appearing on an episode of Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch. Speaking to presenter Tim Lovejoy, Evans stated he was using ‘drops’ for hair growth, but didn’t specify which drops these were, adding they had been running down his face causing some hair growth there as well.

The drops in question were no doubt obtained from his ‘hair doctor’ Dr Rushton. There is a possibility Evans has already tried Regaine Foam or Regaine Lotion in the first instance, so what is this lotion that he was speaking about. When we asked leading retired Trichologist David Bailey, he said, “…Hugh like myself has dabbled with topical anti-androgens for some time, but it’s quite possible that he may have other ingredients in the lotion like Bimatoprost. This is the ingredient of Lumigan eye drops used for glaucoma, which have been shown to grow eye lashes in the patients that used them, and published medical papers have shown it to have an effect in re-growing male hair loss. Though I cannot go with the statement by Chris Evans, saying he grew facial hair due spillage on his face…I don’t think that is possible.”

Any male or female suffering with hair loss can find all the latest hair loss treatments on the Medical Specialists® website. We have the aforementioned Propecia (for men only), both Regaine Foam and Regaine Lotion (for either men or women), as well as Regaine for Women and Florisene – the latter of which is often taken for female hair loss in addition to the combined oral contraceptive pill Dianette.

People on higher salaries more likely to suffer hair loss

Working your way up through the ranks at your place of work could be great for your bank balance and enable you to splurge on luxury items, however it may prove disastrous for your hair.

Although hair loss is something that many attribute to old age, the hectic modern day working adult is susceptible to losing their hair, with men and women in their 20s losing hair. Almost half (45%) of men aged 16-24 and 47% of men aged 25-34 that were involved in a new survey, say their hair is already showing signs of thinning.

A L’Oreal Professionnel poll of 2,000 adults found that those with a salary of £75,000 or over were more likely to report they were suffering with hair loss because of the stress and demands of their jobs, in comparison to those on around £15,000.

In fact, only last year MP Nadine Dorries, who earns nearly £70,000 a year, spoke in a television interview about her hair loss. She described the massive impact to her confidence after waking up in tears each morning upon realising her hair had started to fall out.

The L’Oreal survey discovered that almost three quarters of women blame stress for hair loss and one in three were adamant they had noticed their hair was thinning.

Meanwhile, men typically put down genetics as the main reason for losing hair, but nonetheless half of men think that pressure at work is still partly to blame for hair loss.

However, across both sexes, the higher earners were far more likely to attribute their hair loss to work pressure compared to those on a smaller salary.

The survey found across the board that one in five men and women on a salary of over £75,000 per year were blaming work for their hair loss as opposed to just one in ten of those with a salary of up to £15,000.

Almost a third of UK women (30%) and around two-thirds of men (66%) suffer thinning hair or baldness, according to the research.

Despite the fact hair loss is very common – approximately 80% of men experience some sort of hair loss at some time in their life – it seems two in five men would prefer to suffer alone in silence than seek help and one in ten women are doing the same.

There is no reason to suffer alone though, millions of people in Britain alone are battling hair loss and Medical Specialists® Pharmacy are here to help. With our extensive range of hair loss treatments for men and women, you can act now to halt the progression of hair loss, and even possibly see regrowth of hair.

Medical Specialists® can provide the prescription-only medication Propecia (finasteride), which is used to treat male pattern baldness and works by blocking the conversion of testosterone to DHT, which thought to cause hair loss.  It is obtainable following a quick and easy 4-step process, which includes an online consultation with one of the Medical Specialists’® in-house doctors. Propecia is priced from as little as £47.58 per month.

Other options that can be used in conjunction to Propecia include Regaine Foam or Regaine Lotion, as featured in numerous television adverts. Obtainable from Medical Specialists Pharmacy from as little as £49.95 and £59.95 respectively, Regaine products contain the active ingredient Minoxidil; clinically proven to help prevent further hereditary hair loss. Minoxidil works by increasing the blood supply to the hair follicles, helping to strengthen existing hair and stimulate secondary hair growth.

Women can also take minoxidil, contained within Regaine for Women, and have the option of the over-the-counter treatment Florisene® – strongly recommended as an addition to any female hair loss treatment. Florisene® is especially recommended for women who have reduced hair volume (compared with several years ago) or who have recently noticed hair shedding as seen by more hairs in the brush, comb or when shampooing.

Embarrassing Bodies star Dr Christian Jessen has had a second hair transplant

The presenter of Channel 4’s Embarrassing Bodies, Dr Christian Jessen, appears to be battling his own embarrassing problem after the 36-year-old revealed he has undergone a second hair transplant procedure.

He first went under the knife to restore his blonde locks in 2009, and only made the news public a year later. Following this, it led to other celebrities such as footballer Wayne Rooney and celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey also having hair transplants of their own. In addition, Medical Specialists Pharmacy have since witnessed a huge surge in requests for hair loss treatments such as Propecia, Regaine and Regaine for Women as the problem of hair loss begins to shed the embarrassing stigma attached to it and both men and women start to embrace the number of options that are available to them.

Jessen’s thinning hair is what obviously prompted his first hair transplant four years ago; however his follicles were left more severely weakened after suffering with a debilitating bout of pneumonia in 2012. He commented: “Most of my hair grew back after the pneumonia but there was just a bit less. Any serious illness can result in hair loss. The same thing can happen to women after they give birth.”

As Jessen began losing more hair after his illness, the doctor became a target on the social networking website Twitter, as users began leaving him disgraceful comments such as: “great body, pity about the hair” and other more nastier insulting remarks.

Dr Jessen described the torment he was subjected to on the internet: “Your name crops up on blogs, chat rooms and forums like Twitter. They are not talking about your medical skills or your bedside manner – they just comment on your looks.”

Motivated by a wish for thicker hair once again, and tired of cruel jibes from Twitter trolls, Jessen paid £5,500 for a second hair transplant procedure with top celebrity surgeon; Dr Asim Shahmalak, at his Crown Cosma Clinic in Manchester. The transplant involved Dr Shahmalak grafting 3,000 individual hairs from the back of Jessen’s scalp and planting them into the front around the hairline. The procedure is known as ‘Follicular Unit Transportation’.

Besides the massive cost of the treatment – Wayne Rooney’s hair transplant is believed to have cost about £30,000 – it can take up to a year for transplanted hair to grow back and can frustratingly fall out or thin again in the future, leaving the patient not much better off than previously.

“I hadn’t realised that there was an option for a second hair transplant. When I was told it was possible, I thought it would be good to make my hair thicker at the front. There were also a few gaps which need filling. The techniques have improved a lot in the four years since I had the first one”, he said.

With more hair back on his head, Dr Jessen has now regained his confidence and says: “I am very pleased that I had it done – it has been very empowering for me. I thought to myself, “Why am I always telling people how to change things about their bodies that they dislike if I can’t do the same thing for myself?” We view cosmetic surgery for men and women so differently. Having a boob job for a woman is seen as such an everyday thing these days, but for a man to have a hair transplant is seen as a far bigger step. There are so many men out there who want to have this done but don’t dare. I just hope by talking about it openly that I will remove some of the stigma attached to men having cosmetic procedures. It’s great that other celebrities with transplants like Wayne Rooney and James Nesbitt have gone public as well. It may mean that more do not suffer in silence. When a transplant is done well, it can really transform your life.”

Setting patients back thousands of pounds for just one procedure of a potential few, hair transplants can only be afforded by a small minority of the millions of men around the world suffering with male pattern baldness.  In times of a crippling recession and austerity in Britain and many other countries, these expensive procedures are simply not a viable option for most.

For both men and women suffering from hair loss, Medical Specialists Pharmacy have a huge range of effective and much cheaper treatment options such as the prescription medication Propecia to combat male pattern baldness, in addition to Regaine, Alpecin caffeine shampoo. For women we have a number of treatments such as Florisene and the prescription medication Dianette – the latter can also be used for acne, hirsutism and contraceptive purposes. Visit the Men’s Health or Women’s Health area of the Medical Specialists website to find out more information on how to obtain these hair loss treatments.

Best foods for healthy hair

Most of us have probably seen at least one television advert for the latest ‘miracle’ shampoo that claims to give you luscious, glowing and healthy-looking hair by using said shampoo.  In recent years, Cheryl Cole is the latest in a long line of celebrities who have provided their good looking presence for such adverts, endorsing the L’Oréal shampoo products – ‘because you’re worth it’, as the memorable slogan states.

In one particular advert that features the attractive Geordie singer, she smiles at viewers and pronounces: “My hair feels stronger, full of life, replenished with a healthy shine. It’s got its mojo back.” Of course, information not fully made clear is that in addition to being blessed with good genes, the diet that these chosen celebrities are on is without doubt a lot healthier than the average person due to them being able to afford luxuries like personal chefs and trainers. Oh, included on the aforementioned advert is a very small disclaimer than informs viewers that Cole is sporting hair extensions…costing in the region of £1,000!

So, if you are not a multi-millionaire singer but are curious how to go about achieving healthier hair, what can you do? Well, if it is actually hair loss that is the problem (a problem ironically sometimes caused by extensions), there are clinically proven products available such as Regaine (for both men and women), Propecia (for men), Dianette and Florisene (for women).

However, as highlighted earlier, dietary choices can also have a major impact of the health, strength and structure of our hair. Occasionally, hair loss can actually be linked to a lack of certain vitamins and minerals.  A diet that is sparse of foods containing these important nutrients can be detrimental to maintaining a good head of hair.

Here are some of the best foods for healthy hair:

. Salmon – It contains plenty of protein, vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids; all vital for healthy hair. Your body doesn’t produce omega-3, but it is an essential component of hair growth. Approximately 3% of the hair shaft is comprised of these fatty acids. In addition, omega-3s are contained in cell membranes in the skin of your scalp and within the natural oils that maintain scalp and hair hydration.

. Walnuts – As well as boosting sperm health (mentioned yesterday), walnuts are just like salmon in that they are rich in omega-3. As your hair is unprotected from the sun’s rays, it is exposed to DNA damage and therefore the biotin and vitamin E in walnuts are particularly useful as they shield the cells from such damage.

. Carrots – It is a widely known fact that carrots are great at boosting vision. However, they are also rich in vitamin A. This helps in promoting the formation of sebum oil in the scalp. Sebum keeps your scalp and hair moisturised, resulting in much healthier hair.

. Beef – If you aren’t suffering with high cholesterol, beef (eaten in moderation) is excellent for hair. It contains protein, vitamin B, iron, zinc and other vital minerals that aid in maintaining the health of your hair and scalp.

. Prunes – Are you suffering from dryness, stiffness, thinning or discolouration? If so, then a lack of iron in your diet may be the cause for these problems. Prunes are known to be rich in iron and not only do they provide a boost to hair texture, they are great for ensuring regular bowel movements.

. Eggs – For those wanting a head of healthy looking hair, eggs are the way to go (again, eaten in moderation). They are packed with essential nutrients such as protein, vitamin B12, iron, zinc and omega-6 fatty acids. Lacking any of these vitamins and minerals will have a negative impact on hair. Eggs also contain biotin – useful to help combat hair loss.

. Green tea – Green tea is rich in polyphenols which work to keep your scalp healthy. A healthy scalp therefore means much healthier hair! Some experts also argue that washing your hair with green tea or applying it to the scalp can help with conditions such as psoriasis and dandruff by soothing skin and lessening irritation.

Lumigan eye drops could be used to combat hair loss

In the UK there are millions of men and women who are affected by hair loss. Although Male-pattern baldness is more common than female-pattern baldness, (affecting around half of all men at some point in their life), it can be a deeply stressing condition for both sexes and can often severely damage confidence and even impact on one’s social life.

However, there are numerous treatment options available to these millions of people in the form of Propecia and Regaine for males, and Dianette, Florisene  and Regaine for females. Today though, there is more hope for men and women around the UK who are losing their hair, after new research found that a side effect of the active ingredient in the eye drops ‘Lumigan’ may be utilised to create hair growth on the scalp.

Lumigan contains an active ingredient called ‘bimatoprost’, a type of medicine that is known as a prostaglandin analogue. Lumigan is usually prescribed for patients with ocular hypertension or open-angle glaucoma where there is increased pressure inside the eye. The bimatoprost works by decreasing the pressure inside the eye by increasing the drainage of fluid from the eye into the blood stream. If the pressure is not reduced then there is a great risk of damage to the optic nerve and then impaired vision.

One peculiar side effect though of the eye drops is the fact it can stimulate the growth of eyelashes, and now preliminary trials have already begun to see if bimatoprost can reverse the onset of male and female pattern baldness.

Lead scientist Professor Valerie Randall, from the University of Bradford, is a consultant to Allergan Inc which manufactures Lumigan. She says: “Bimatoprost is known to stimulate eyelash growth and is already used clinically for this purpose. We wanted to see whether it would have the same effect on scalp hair, as the two types of follicle are very different. Our findings show that bimatoprost does stimulate growth in human scalp hair follicles and therefore could offer a new approach for treating hair loss disorders.”

Androgenic alopecia is the most common type of hair loss in both men and women, and can strike in varying severity. The culprit for the occurrence of thinning hair is connected to hormones named ‘androgens’ and in particularly; dihydrotestosterone (DHT). This powerful hormone stimulates facial and bodily hair growth but has adverse effects on hair located on the head. It is believed that DHT initiates a process by which hair follicles begin to deteriorate over time and eventually stop producing hair entirely.

The promising aspect of the latest research is that it has been discovered that bimatoprost works on a quite different receptor that is unrelated to androgens. Prof Randall continued: “Even if the androgen receptor is telling the hair follicle to do negative things, the drug is telling it to do positive things.”
Bimatoprost has been applied to the living scalp tissue provided from donors undergoing cosmetic surgery. In merely a nine-day period, it was found that follicles that had been treated with bimatoprost grew a third more hair than untreated samples.

In addition, researchers discovered that follicles in a person’s scalp contain the same kind of receptors that respond to bimatoprost that are also in eyelash follicles. Prof Randall explained what this could mean for those who are losing their hair, saying: “This means that so long as the drug can be applied in such a way that it can reach the follicle, it should stimulate hair growth in patients.”

All that awaits now is the result of six-month long Phase II clinical trials, which are currently underway in the U.S. and Germany. The trials comprise of 220 men with male-pattern baldness and 172 women with female pattern baldness.  Comparisons will now be analysed, with some patients being administered a solution of bimatoprost on the scalp, some patients will be given an ineffective placebo, whereas others will be using the highly effective Minoxidil, the active ingredient contained in Regaine Foam and Regaine Lotion.

The bald truth on Velodrome gold

As Team Great Britain’s ‘super Saturday’ came to a close on Saturday night, the nation was left to savour our greatest Olympic day since 1908, with gold medals being picked up Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah and Greg Rutherford during the closing proceedings in the evening.

However, earlier in the day, people around Britain were already seeing their emotions reach fever pitch with the heart-warming tale of female cyclist Joanna Rowsell who bagged gold together with her teammates Laura Trott and Dani King. The Trio managed to beat the United States in front of a jam-packed Velodrome audience captivated by their enthralling 3000m race.

After finishing her emotional lap of honour, Joanna jubilantly roared and showed absolutely no hesitation in pulling off her cycling helmet, to reveal her almost completely bald head due to the hair loss condition Alopecia.

The 23-year-old from Cheam near Sutton, was diagnosed with alopecia at the age of 10 after first losing one of her eyebrows. Months later saw chunks of her hair begin to fall out and then shortly after this Joanna lost her eyelashes. Despite the best attempts of doctors to treat her, she was given the news that her condition was not curable.

The specific cause of alopecia is still open to debate, although many experts are in agreement that it is a disease of the immune system, whereby the immune system attacks the hair follicles. Others agree that the hair loss can also be attributed to stress, and Gail Porter is one celebrity who is suspected to suffer from stress-induced alopecia areata, following the collapse of her marriage to Toploader guitarist Dan Hipgrave in 2005.

Yesterday morning, Joanna spoke to the television show Daybreak regarding her Olympic experiences, and said, “I’ve always had the opinion that you only live once, I’m not going to let having alopecia hold me back. It has been great being a cyclist; it has given me so much more confidence in myself. Being an Olympic medal winner can’t help but give you even more confidence and I think if I can help raise awareness too that will help. I was over the moon to win. The crowd were going crazy and I was just trying to soak up the atmosphere. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity: home games, a gold medal and a world record. I’ve been so excited ever since it was announced that it was going to be in London. The crowd and their support definitely helped spur us on.”

Joanna’s gold medal happened to coincidentally fall on International Alopecia Day, an event which aims to raise awareness of the condition, and her story of success in the Olympics will prove an inspiration to the 8 million women in the UK who are believed to be suffering from some type of hair loss.

One effective treatment for alopecia areata in women is Minoxidil, which is dispensed by Medical Specialists as Regaine treatment for women, containing 2% Minoxidil. When asked, David Bailey, a UK leading Trichologist said, “2% Minoxidil is likely to give a cosmetically acceptable regrowth in those with patchy alopecia areata, but, using 5% Minoxidil in clinical trials gave an 81% response (1). It would appear that an occlusion of the treated area appears to be necessary to achieve and maintain maximum results.”

In addition, women can obtain Florisene from the Medical Specialists Pharmacy chemist shop, at just £13.95 for 90 tablets. Florisene has been developed by one of Britain’s leading hair experts following 10 years of clinical research, and is particularly effective for women between the ages of 18 to 50.

(1)     Fiedler-Weiss VC. (1987) “Topical minoxidil solution (1% and 5%) in the treatment of alopecia areata..” J Am Acad Dermatol. 16(3 Pt 2):745-8.