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.

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.

The distress of living with female hair loss

Male hair loss can be an upsetting thing to experience as given the choice; very few (if any) would choose to lose any hair from their head. They can no longer style their hair as they used to, as well as feeling undesirable to the opposite of sex and may receive light-hearted jibes from friends about their hair loss – which over time can affect confidence and self-esteem.

However, hair loss is not something experienced solely by men and for many women who suffer with this problem, the stress and emotional aspects involved with this can be much, much worse.  A 1992 study featured in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology contrasted psychological impact of hair loss on both sexes and found that women had a more issues about body image and were less able to accept the fact they had lost some hair.

We live in an age where media places far too much focus on what they deem as ‘beauty’ and there is an ever-growing obsession with celebrity culture, with more and more figures in the public eye resorting to whatever expensive treatment possible to retain a youthful appearance.

Hair loss can have a devastating impact on a woman’s confidence and it can be made worse by the fact some GPs are still failing to recognise female hair loss as a genuine medical problem, ignoring the huge distress endured by the majority of those who are affected, “because you are never going to die from it”, says Iain Sallis, a consultant Trichologist at a top hair clinic.

Elaine Nixon is just one of an estimated 8 million women in the UK alone who have some degree of hair loss. Elaine had such an impressive head of hair during her teenage years that she fashioned different styles for a hairdresser’s. However, when Elaine began to lose her locks by the time she was just 24 years of age, this prompted one particularly unforgettable and hurtful comment from a stranger at a bar who said: “You’re going a bit bald there aren’t you, love?”

“After that I just stopped going out” says Elaine, now 39. “You notice people looking at your hairline, not just in your eyes. It makes you so self-conscious. My confidence was stripped. I saw my GP at the time, but he was useless. I also went to see a cosmetic surgeon. But when I rang back after the initial appointment, the receptionist said ‘Oh yes, the consultant’s said there’s nothing we can do’. I was distraught. My real fear was I’d end up with a wig.”

Elaine’s hair loss was eventually pinpointed to a male hormone treatment she had been prescribed for a congenital deformity of her fallopian tubes, however there are a number of different causes for hair loss, and understanding the varying types of hair loss is important. Elaine sought help from a hair transplant expert for her hair loss, but for the majority of people this option is simple not viable. Operations cost thousands of pounds at a time, and more than one is usually required.
The main types of hair loss are:

. Telogen effluvium: General shedding/thinning of the hair that is normally only a temporary occurrence. It can develop rapidly, usually about 1 to 3 months following major ‘shock’ placed on the body such as stress, childbirth, sudden weight loss, illness, operation, or reaction to a medication. Regular hair growth and thickness is seen after a few months however persistent shedding may be caused by an iron deficiency or underactive thyroid gland.

. Androgenic alopecia: The most common type of hair loss in both men and women, striking in varying severity. The reason 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. Women usually experience a thinning of hair from the top of the head and it can get more noticeable after the menopause.

. Alopecia areata: Thought to be an autoimmune disease, it primarily affects teenagers and young adults resulting in round, patchy hair loss areas that may merge into one over time. The hair follicles are not permanently damaged, and in most instances the person will see hair growing back after several months. In a few cases, hair loss may be permanent but treatments to stimulate hair growth sometimes work.

Female hair loss may be helped through a number of different treatments. One of these is Minoxidil, dispensed by Medical Specialists as Regaine treatment for women (containing 2% Minoxidil). Speaking after British cyclist Joanna Rowsell’s Gold during the London Olympics, David Bailey, a leading UK 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.”

Medical Specialists offer a huge range of treatments at low prices for both male and female hair loss, so do not delay and head to the Women’s Health or Men’s Health areas of the website to see which treatment option is most suitable for you.

(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.

Can the ‘beautific’ drinks from Coca-Cola and Sanofi bring any health benefits?

Soft drink giant Coca-Cola is to join forces with the French multinational pharmaceutical company ‘Sanofi’ to launch a new range of ‘beautific’ drinks. The two powerhouses even claim that the new drinks will boost well-being as well as being able to ‘strengthen hair and nails’.

If that wasn’t enough, those who drink the Beautific Oenobiol brand on a regular basis, will apparently see an improvement to skin in addition to weight loss. Whether all this is true or not is another matter, but they are certainly bold statements from Coca-Cola and Sanofi.

The drinks will be given a launch this autumn primarily in France, before makers look to increase distribution throughout the rest of Europe. A spokesman for the launch said: “This is a small-scale pilot which is currently limited to a number of pharmacies in France.”

The Oenobiol range will come in four different flavours and will consist of mineral water, fruit juice and nutritional additives. The latter are what the manufacturers will help to embellish skin, strengthen hair and nails, lose weight and improve vitality.

Despite the early promise, it does remain to be seen just how successful the project will be between Coca-Cola and Sanofi. Their Oenobiol drinks are following a disastrous precedent laid down in the past after the shambles in 2009 that occurred when the drinks giant teamed with food company Nestlé to produce the green-tea brand, ‘Enviga’, which too claimed various weight-loss benefits.

A marketing war ensued and a lawsuit battle which eventually involved 27 U.S. states. In an embarrassing climb-down for Coca-Cola and Nestlé, all subsequent cans or bottles of Enviga were ordered to have a disclaimer printed that made drinkers aware that the product would not actually cause weight loss and that this would instead be achieved through a healthy diet and exercise.

The news about the latest addition in a long line of health drinks has not been met with excitement by everybody. It is believed that Coca-Cola and Sanofi only even made announcements regarding the new drinks after a leak from Sanofi labour union representatives.  They blasted that workers were irate the drug manufacturer was ‘spouting about beauty drinks’ only a month after plans were made for job losses expected to reach the 900 mark.

Release of drinks such as Enviga and Oenobiol are probably connected to an increasing worldwide obesity epidemic and concerns are growing. In recent years Coca-Cola and Pepsi, the world’s two biggest soft drinks manufacturers, have released ‘zero’ branded low calorie, no-sugar drinks aimed at those who are weight conscious.

However, the true ‘healthiness’ of these types of beverages is debateable due to the high volume of additives that are loaded inside the drinks, many of which are disastrous for teeth. After all, something needs to be put inside the drinks to give them a sweet taste with there being no sugar present.

In addition, it remains to be seen if the new drinks will be able to promote weight loss, strengthen hair, skin and nails, etc. From Medical Specialists’ experience, and from contact with our thousands of patients, success comes firstly from factors such as lifestyle improvements such as a healthier diet and more exercise. Help can also be had from clinically proven treatments for the aforementioned issues such as, obesity: Xenical, XLS-Medical, skin: Dianette, Spironolactone, Retin-A Gel, hair loss: Propecia, Regaine, Regaine for women, Alpecin caffeine shampoo and there are products such as Nizoral shampoo for dandruff and T/Gel for both dandruff and psoriasis. All are available today at incredibly low prices from Medical Specialists Pharmacy.

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.