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.

Kate Middleton pokes fun at Prince William’s hair loss, suggesting a toupee

Canadian pop superstar Justin Bieber once suggested the young royal should probably be taking hair loss medication Propecia, and now Prince William has been on the receiving end of more stick; this time from his wife!

The Duchess of Cambridge teased her husband, The Duke of Cambridge, about his thinning barnet during a trip to the Sydney Royal Easter Show. The royal couple were greeted there by the majority of an estimated crowd of 150,000 people on what was a gloriously sunny day in Sydney.

Touted as an event that “brings the country to the city”, the two-week Sydney Royal Easter Show brings in an incredible 900,000 visitors each year, being a staple in the calendar of farmers, animal lovers, keen gardeners and the general public since its inception back in 1823.

The 31-year-old Prince has mercilessly mocked his 32-year-old wife about her choice of clothes during the visit, choosing to inform Kate she resembled a banana in a yellow dress she was wearing and commented a dazzling green outfit she was sporting looked too bright.

However, Kate soon managed to get her own back as the pair visited the impressive displays of produce, segregated by Australian regions. One exhibitor, Lyn Crejan, 67, was discussing the vast array of fruit and vegetables that were displayed in a colourful design behind her.

The 67-year-old showed the royal couple a tuft of alpaca wool that happened to be a comparable shade of brown to that of William’s hair, Kate duly pounced. The Duchess, wearing a stunning white Zimmermann dress, joked that William should try using the alpaca wool as a wig.

Ms Crejan, who works as a farmer in the settlement of Glenn Innes in New South Wales, said: “The Prince was interested in the alpaca and as I showed it to them the Princess said he should put it on his head.

“She said, ‘you need it more than me’, and pointed to his head and he laughed.”

It recent times at public events, it has been Prince Harry who has subjected Prince William to jibes about his hair loss, although the younger Prince has quietened his stance lately -  possibly after showing signs of hair loss himself.

Harry was photographed in February 2013 whilst on a trip to Lesotho in southern Africa on behalf of his charity, Sentebale, with noticeably thinner hair and his scalp quite visible through his famous ginger locks.

Hair loss is something that has been suffered by many male members of the Royal family, with William and Harry’s father, Prince Charles, also suffering hair loss for many years. In addition, the young royal’s grandfather, Prince Phillip and their uncle, Prince Edward, have lost much of their hair over the years.

Would you get a head tattoo to cover baldness?

Male pattern baldness is the most common type of hair loss in men, afflicting an estimated 6.5 million men in the UK and for many it is noticeable by the time they reach the age of 35.

In recent times there has been countless celebrity hair loss stories in the media. For instance, we have seen celebrities such as Wayne Rooney and Calum Best opt for expensive hair transplants, and even pop superstar Justin Bieber has come out and said that Prince William needs to take hair loss medication Propecia.

Other effective and proven hair loss treatments for men include Regaine Foam, Regaine Lotion and Alpecin caffeine shampoo. However, how about covering up your diminishing hair with a tattoo?

Yes, you read that correctly, a tattoo! British men are now able to benefit from a procedure which involves tattooing tiny dots on their scalp, helping to mask receding hairlines and hair loss.

The new technique will set men back quite a hefty amount however, between £500 – £3,000, providing them with what will seem like a full head of hair – all in just a couple of hours. Men will end up with a ‘buzzcut’, which may or may not be to everyone’s liking, but has been made popular in the last decade by celebrities such as Wentworth Miller and David Beckham.

A hair expert will apply differing shades of specifically blended pigments into the patient’s scalp, mimicking the size, shape and density of micro hairs, creating the buzzcut appearance.

The idea was formulated by Ian Watson, 42, founder of HIS (Hair-Ink-Skin) Hair. Mr Watson was in his mid-twenties when he suffered with alopecia, brought on by the loss of his brother to cancer.
In an attempt to cover the hair loss, Mr Watson asked his brother’s widow to use a fine ink pen and draw tiny black dots onto his scalp. Although the ink washed off in the shower, the whole premise got Mr Watson thinking and his idea gathered pace from there.

The treatment is suitable for varying types of hair loss, whether it be alopecia, cancer, and baldness. No anaesthetics, incisions or adhesives are used during the procedure, leaving the patient without any scars on their head. Adjustments can also be made in the future if there is further hair loss suffered, or style preference is changed.

The downside is the price as not many people in the current financial climate can afford to pay between £500 and £3000 for treatment, plus no actual hair is regrown or prevented from being further lost, as opposed to the previously mentioned Propecia.

Medical Specialists Pharmacy are able to offer the prescription-only medication Propecia (finasteride) to suitable males, which works by blocking the conversion of testosterone to DHT, responsible for hair loss.  It is obtainable following a quick and easy 4-step process which includes an online consultation with one of our in-house GMC-registered doctors, priced from as little as £47.58 per month.

Scientific breakthrough made for hair loss treatments

A new breakthrough by British scientists has raised hope for those suffering with hair loss, and the therapy may even provide help to victims of burns.

The results of the tests could pave the way for more hair loss treatments for both men and women, after results demonstrated it was possible to grow new hair follicles from human skin cells – basically the cells that contain the ‘instruction book’ for growing new hair.

Tests are still at an early stage, but the scientists from Durham University in the UK and Columbia University in the U.S. claim that their findings represent a huge breakthrough in treating hair loss that effects millions of men and women around the world, often causing a great deal of distress.

Not only this, but it seems a 40-year wait could be over in the futile efforts to successfully regenerate the crucial structures in the skin that enable hair to grow.

Human hair follicles are incredibly difficult to replicate in a laboratory environment, but the new technique has shown evidence they can be stimulated to grow in skin tissue and also to generate hair shafts.

Currently, expensive hair transplants notoriously used by footballer Wayne Rooney involve the surgeon transplanting hair follicles from the back of the head (where there is plentiful hair) to where it is needed at the front. Therefore, they are simply redistributing already present hair compared to the new technique which could significantly boost the amount of hairs on the head.

Columbia University researcher Dr Angela Christiano, herself a sufferer of alopecia and experiences clumps of hair falling out, said the research “has the potential to transform the medical treatment of hair loss”.

“Our method…has the potential to actually grow new follicles using a patient’s own cells. This could greatly expand the utility of hair-restoration surgery to women and to younger patients – now it is largely restricted to the treatment of male-pattern baldness in patients with stable disease. It could make hair transplantation available to individuals with a limited number of follicles, including those with female-pattern hair loss, scarring alopecia and hair loss due to burns,” she said.

The team of scientists started extracting tiny cells called dermal papillae from strips of human hair cells. These cells are located at the base of a hair and contain the ‘instruction book’ for the successful growth of new hair.

Next, they cloned the cells in a dish, making sure they had several copies of each cell. Similar procedures have been done previously but without any results in getting the cells grow hair after they have been put back into skin.

The Anglo-American team decided to turn the dish of cells upside down, to help them to form into the clumps found in nature. These clumps were transplanted into human skin grafted onto the backs of mice.

It was found that the cells from each of the seven human donors grew hairs and in some cases, the tufts broke through the skin.

Although the hairs were white in colour, Durham researcher Professor Colin Jahoda is optimistic it should be possible to create coloured hair and by using a sample of a person’s own cells, any new hair should be very similar in texture and curliness.

“It’s a key step because it is saying that you can multiply the process. It’s not just about one-for-one replacement. But you need to get hair that is the right colour and texture and this will need further work before human clinical trials can begin,” he said.

The cost to patients is still yet to be determined as clinical trials need to be carried out first. However, it is likely to be cheaper than hair transplants which can range anywhere in price from £6,000 all the way up to £30,000 per patient.

Website showing ghastly effects of smoking is launched as Stoptober enters final week

As we enter the final seven days of the Stoptober challenge, Medical Specialists Pharmacy would like to say a huge well done to the thousands of you who have made it this far and good luck in your quest to hopefully remain smoke-free for the rest of 2013 and beyond!

Stoptober is basically just October…without the cigarettes! Health experts say that if you stop smoking for 28 days you are in fact five times more likely to actually remain smoke-free for good!

Almost 21,000 followers have been amassed on the Stoptober Twitter page, as fellow smokers encourage each other on through the month.  In addition to helping each other with words of encouragement, smokers can still receive their free support pack as well as regular text messages that help to keep you focused, daily emails packed full of useful tips and advice, and there is even an interactive mobile app for iPhone and Android smartphones.

If you still need reasons or motivation to quit, this month has seen the interactive website ‘Tobacco Body’ launched by Finnish doctors in conjunction with the Cancer Society of Finland.

Users can first select the female or male body, and then browse through different areas such as ‘acne’, ‘face’, ‘hair’, etc. to see quite disturbing effects of smoking. It is plainly obvious to see the damage when the healthier non-smoker’s portion of the body is juxtaposed against the post-smoking side.
If it’s not bad enough that looks are severely impacted, smokers are at double the risk of a blood clot and usually have a worsened sex life. Male smokers have decreased blood flow to the penis, and are twice as likely as non-smokers to suffer with erectile dysfunction.

Smokers’ sperm density is also negatively affected, with the toxins in cigarettes diminishing both concentration and mobility of sperm cells in semen, harming the cell’s structure, according to the website.

With regards to skin, the website explains “smokers are more likely to get spots as smoking weakens the circulation which increases the risk of infection. It also make acne more difficult to deal with.”
Women smokers may not be aware of this fact, but the site also describes that smoking can actually cause hair growth on the face and arms as smoking increases levels of the male hormone, testosterone. However, there is good news in that acne and excessive hair growth in women can be treated through medications such as Dianette or Yasmin.

One person who is well on the way to permanently stubbing out cigarettes is Mike Wellings, finance director at Great Western Hospital in Swindon.

Mike, a bit fitness fanatic, was finding his stamina being limited because of smoking, saying: “I play lots of sport but I’ve found that smoking really impacts my performance. There’s also the combination of family pressure and health reasons. And, of course, I work in a hospital and it’s important to set an example.”

Like so many who wish to quit smoking, Mike decided to turn to the smoking cessation medication Champix to get him through Stoptober and beyond.

He explained: He said: “I actually started the course on the Sunday before Stoptober started. I used to smoke about 20 a day and now it’s gone down to about three. Champix makes it taste disgusting. And I’ve been drinking lots of fluids to combat the cravings too. I’ve been smoking for nearly 30 years. I tried quitting before, about four years ago when I was in Doncaster, and I managed to stop for three months. Then one day work got the better of me and I had a cigarette.  Everyone has been really supportive this time. I’m taking it just one day at a time.”

If you are a smoker who is aged 18 or above and wants to quit, you can quit today with the help of Medical Specialists Pharmacy. You can obtain the smoking cessation medication Champix following an online consultation with one of Medical Specialists’ GMC registered doctors. Champix works out from as little as just £75.00 per pack and mimics the effect of nicotine on the body, and as Mike Wellings discovered, decreases the enjoyment of smoking if you decide to have a cigarette whilst on the treatment.

More men fear hair loss than impotence

Hair loss and suffering with impotence are probably amongst men’s biggest worries and the cause for a great deal of anxiety.

However, a new study suggests that hair loss could actually surprisingly be a bigger concern to men than their performance in the bedroom. It could be that hair loss degrades confidence to the extent that many men feel this will affect their ability to find a partner in the first place.

The survey of 2,000 males found that an incredible 94% feared going bald, compared to 89% who feared about experiencing erectile dysfunction and losing their ability to perform in the bedroom.
Other things that caused fear for the men survey included going grey, feared by 75% of the men (although becoming a ‘silver fox’ never did George Clooney any harm!), whilst 64% were concerned about putting weight on. This is perhaps unsurprising when health experts have stated that by 2050 obesity is predicted to affect 60% of adult men, 50% of adult women and 25% of children.

In addition, 61% were terrified of losing their teeth, 45% had a fear of needing to wear glasses at some point, 31% were worried about losing their hearing and suffering with bad breath was feared by 24% – although the revolutionary and massively popular CB12 mouthwash has now helped with this problem for both men and women.

None of these fears compared to hair loss however. Psychotherapist Toni Mackenzie was not shocked by the survey’s findings.

She said: “Hair loss can be genuinely distressing for men. It can’t be easily disguised and people think its fair game for jokes, unlike things like putting on weight or going grey. Men who lose their hair are expected to take insults with good humour. The pressure this causes can have a huge effect on men’s self-confidence, which has knock-on effects on their physical and mental wellbeing.”

Ian Watson, of HIS Hair Clinics, commented: “Going bald is just too personal to be funny. I lost my hair in my 20s. I’ve had countless people rub my head like a lucky Buddha and been called everything from baldilocks to Fester. It soon becomes downright upsetting.”

The findings back up other surveys carried out this year, such as one recently commissioned by pharmaceutical and cosmetics company Alpecin, producers of the hugely popular Alpecin caffeine shampoo for hair loss. Their survey discovered that losing hair is an increasingly bigger concern for 21-30 year old men. There are countless studies, articles, and media stories that portray attractiveness as being a key factor in success and for many people hair is associated with attractiveness.

The fact that there are an estimated 6 million men in the UK suffering from hair loss, this equates to a huge amount of stress and fear. However, Medical Specialists Pharmacy are able to offer the prescription-only medication Propecia (finasteride), which is commonly 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 our in-house doctors. Propecia is priced from as little as £47.58 per month.

Other options in addition to Propecia include Regaine Foam and 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 which is clinically proven to help prevent further hereditary hair loss, showing success in 4 out of 5 men. It works by increasing the blood supply to the hair follicles which helps to strengthen existing hair and stimulate secondary hair growth.

The common causes of hair loss explained

Hair loss can be a deeply distressing experience for many people and the cause of a huge loss of self-esteem, even resulting in depression and severely impacting a person’s social life.
Although primarily attributed to men, hair loss can happen to both men and women. Many do not realise, but there are actually around 8 million women in the UK alone who are suffering with some degree as hair loss.

Even celebrities are prone to suffering with hair loss, with Manchester United footballer Wayne Rooney forking out thousands of pounds on multiple hair transplants in the last two years in a rather costly and apparently futile bid to fight his thinning hair.

Medical Specialists Pharmacy have previously looked at some of the best foods for healthy hair, but what a large number of our patients want to know is why they have lost hair in the first place.
Obviously there is a familial aspect when considering causes of hair loss as baldness tends to be hereditary. Looking at parents, grandparents, etc. can usually give you a good idea regarding your chances of keeping hold of a strong and healthy head of hair. You only have to look at Prince William, his father Prince Charles, and Prince William’s grandfather Prince Philip to see how genetics plays its part in hair loss.

In many cases, there are numerous ways to treat male hair loss and female hair loss such as Propecia (for men), Dianette (for women) and Regaine (for men and women), just to name a few.
However, here Medical Specialists list some of the common causes of hair loss:

. Male pattern baldness (MPB)

So common that many would barely bat an eyelid upon seeing a male who is experiencing MPB.  By the age of 60, two thirds of men will have experienced hair loss which is typified by the hair receding at the temples and leaving behind an ‘M’-shaped hairline. Fortunately, topical treatments such as Minoxidil (Regaine) and oral medications such as Finasteride (Propecia) can halt the process and even regrow hair in some cases.

. Physical stress

Physical trauma such as surgery, a car accident or severe illness can cause temporary hair loss. This type of hair loss is known as telogen effluvium and usually involves widespread thinning of the hair on the scalp rather than bald patches. The hair may feel thinner than before but then begin to grow back properly within around six months.

. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

PCOS is a common condition affecting millions of women in the UK and alters the way in which a woman’s ovaries function. The three main features are having high levels of ‘androgens’ (male hormones), ovaries that do not regularly ovulate (release eggs), and cysts that develop within the ovaries.  Just two of these lead to a diagnosis of PCOS. Whilst PCOS can cause facial hair growth, it may also result in thinning hair and hair loss. Many cases of PCOS are treated through birth control pills such as Yasmin, which blocks testosterone via its potent anti-androgen. Should you be unable to take birth control pills, you may be prescribed Spironolactone by your doctor.

. Pregnancy

Hair loss related to pregnancy normally occurs after delivery of the baby, instead of during pregnancy. Whilst a woman is pregnant, many hairs enter into a resting phase – part of the normal hair cycle.  The average head can lose around 100 hairs a day, but not all at once, so it is not noticeable. Pregnancy results in your hormones preventing those hairs from falling out, resulting in thicker and fuller hair. However, when the hormones return to normal, the extra hairs will start shedding.  You are not balding – your hair is just beginning the process of getting back to how it was in your pre-pregnancy state. Hair loss during pregnancy is much less common and should be discussed with your doctor as it could be the result of a vitamin or mineral deficiency.

. Lack of protein

Although there is little scientific evidence to definitely state a particular diet has a direct impact on hair growth, it is generally believed that if you are not getting enough protein in your diet, this can be bad for hair growth as hair itself is mostly made of protein. Therefore, a protein deficiency could cause dry or brittle hair, or hair loss in certain cases. Some foods rich in protein which are great for healthy hair include: eggs, nuts, salmon, chicken, whole grains and beans.

. Lack of iron

If you are losing hair, there is a chance you may have an iron deficiency.  Iron helps to create red blood cells and these work at transporting oxygen around the body. If there is not enough oxygen, the hair bulb may be unable to generate new hair cells, resulting in much slower hair growth. Some foods rich in iron which could help against hair loss include: dried fruit, beans, red meat, liver, egg yolks, molluscs, spinach, nuts, dark chocolate, tofu and whole grains.  If you suspect you may be suffering from anaemia and this is causing your hair loss, you should be first diagnosed by your own doctor, who can carry out a simple blood test. It is not advised to start taking iron supplements on your own accord and risk overloading on iron, which can be very dangerous.

. Lupus

The autoimmune disease Lupus causes the body’s own immune system to attack healthy tissue. The hair loss could be mild and happen whilst shampooing or brushing your hair. If the hair loss is more severe, it may fall out in patches and there is usually a rash that appears on the scalp.

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.

Four Welsh drug counterfeiters are sentenced

The UK’s governmental drug body, The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), have confirmed that four people based in Wales (three men and one woman) have been handed prison sentences after illegally supplying prescription-only and counterfeit medicine over the internet.

Andrew Luxton was sentenced to 12 months in prison on five counts involving conspiracy to sell or supply prescription-only medicines, possession of counterfeit medicines in breach of trademarks, possession of a Class A controlled drug (Methadone) and supplying a Class C controlled drug (Diazepam).

Samantha Steed also received 12 months in prison suspended for 18 months, on four counts involving conspiracy to supply prescription-only medicines, possession of counterfeit medicines in breach of trademarks and supplying a Class C controlled drug (Diazepam). Ms Steed was also handed a community service order of 18 months.

Carl Willis was sentenced to 6 months in prison suspended for 18 months, on three counts involving conspiracy to supply prescription-only medicines and possession of a class C controlled drug (Diazepam). In addition, Mr Willis must also attend a drug rehabilitation programme.

Anthony Luxton was sentenced to a Supervision Order on three counts which involved conspiracy to supply prescription-only medicines and possession of two Class C controlled drugs (Diazepam and Nitrazepam).

The arrests were carried out following an undercover operation focused on the Ebbw Vale area of Gwent, whereby an MHRA undercover agent obtained medicines online – from a third party based in Pakistan. The guilty foursome were importing the prescription-online medicines from Pakistan and then re-selling them to UK consumers in smaller quantities.

Investigators found large amounts of counterfeit medication and generic prescription-only medicine following searches conducted at the homes of those involved, including: Viagra, Cialis, Diazepam and Methadone. A computer at one of the addresses also unearthed damning evidence in the form of email exchanges between Andrew Luxton, Samantha Steed, Carl Willis and other individuals which showed a history of illegal drug activity.

The four defendants acted as ‘drop shippers’; a term Medical Specialists explained back in January when we reported about Pfizer’s fight against counterfeit drugs.  Although they were receiving large bulks of prescription-only medicine from Pakistan, they aimed to reduce the number of importations to minimise the chance of packages being intercepted upon entering the UK.

Nimo Ahmed, MHRA Acting Head of Enforcement said : “The MHRA is committed to pursuing those involved in the illicit supply of medicines and taking action to ensure the public is protected. These individuals were involved in a concerted conspiracy to supply counterfeit medicine and showed a blatant disregard for public health. Buying medicines from unauthorised sources significantly increases the risks of getting substandard or fake medicines. People who buy medicines without the benefit of a consultation with an appropriate healthcare professional run the risk being supplied with medicines that are not safe or suitable for them to use. You should take prescription-only medicines after an appropriate consultation with your GP.”

However, you can also undergo an online consultation with one of Medical Specialists’ GMC-registered Doctors and we supply prescription-only medicines to treat a wide range of conditions such as: male impotence, male hair loss, female hair loss, acne, obesity, high cholesterol and many more. Once approved by the Doctor, they will then write you a prescription which is passed to our in-house Pharmacy team and subsequently dispensed and dispatched to you within a mere 24 hours! (Allow extra time for overseas deliveries).

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.

Actor Simon Pegg shows off thicker barnet and thinner face

The British actor Simon Pegg has made appearances at several premieres this week, promoting the fourth installment in the Mission Impossible films. The star who has appeared in many notable films such as Run, Fat Boy, Run, and Hot Fuzz, is clearly now a major player in Hollywood, starring alongside Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.

However, it seems the “Hollywood effect” has taken over the highly popular Brit as he is now much slimmer in the face and his once receding and thinning hair appears to have been replaced by a much more fuller head of hair. This follows the comedian Ricky Gervais, who famously posed in a tiny pair of gold shorts prior to him hosting the Golden Globes back in January, showing off the incredible 22lbs he had lost during 2010 from his previous portly frame. Gervais too seemed to shrink simultaneously to his career taking off across the Atlantic.

Pegg’s hair transplant follows X-Factor judge Louis Walsh recently admitting in an interview that he had undergone a similar procedure which set him back roughly £30,000 after jibes from boss Simon Cowell, ‘He came up to me and said: “You know, you’re starting to lose your hair. I said, “I am not! And anyway, you’re going grey!”

‘I could have just left it and got on with things, but with TV today, everything is in high definition, and people notice every little thing’. Even Manchester United striker and footballing superstar Wayne Rooney earlier this year announced the news of his hair transplant after an expensive trip to a Harley Street clinic, tweeting his followers on social networking site Twitter – ‘I was going bald at 25, why not? I’m delighted with the result’.

However if you are you are not feeling flush enough to warrant paying 30k for a hair transplant you could try Propecia instead.