Warning, Warning, Danger Will Robinson!

WATCH OUT for these practices and problems.
Where, in our opinion, we do not feel the customer is being properly informed

Proscar and Finasteride
Proscar (and other brand names) is a popular brand name for finasteride. Finasteride is a synthetic chemical compound. Sale of this drug around the world for the treatment of hair loss, as far as we are aware, in any form other than PROPECIA, is NOT allowed. Propecia is licensed for hair loss and contains 1mg of finasteride. PROSCAR (and some other brands) contains 5mg finasteride and is licensed only for the prevention of benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostate gland). You can, however, find Proscar and other makes on the internet - being sold for the treatment of hair loss. We personally feel this is incorrect, as measurements could be inaccurate and could, over a period of unregulated and unsupervised time, cause danger to the user.
Our Advice:
Although Propecia and Proscar are, as we understand it, exactly the same medications (except for the amount of Finasteride they contain), Finasteride should only be used as ‘PROPECIA’ for the treatment of hair loss. This is  labeled clearly on the box. We are of the opinion that any other form of finasteride should be considered at present untested and unlicensed to treat hair loss.

Avodart and Dutasteride
This going to sound familiar...see above! But our warning here is even greater. Brand name Avodart (and Duprost and others), generic drug name Dutasteride, is not licensed for the treatment of hair loss in any form. See Avodart company website. It is only licensed for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostate gland). The FDA began hair loss clinical trials which ceased in the early stages. Trials were re-started and are underway at present.

Like all drugs, unwanted side effects are possible. However, if they are experienced, Dutasteride appears to last in the body for a long period of time, so they could remain for weeks or even months.
Dutasteride should never be taken by a woman or a child
Our Advice:
We have heard stories of people having much success with Dutasteride, and have seen first hand, some good hair re-growth, halting and slowed loss results. Many will say its already been approved by the FDA as indicated above. However, our advice must be........males do not use for hair loss treatment, preferably until a least approved by the FDA specifically for hair loss treatment. Click here and see our latest news page on DUTASTERIDE. Females and children do NOT use OR handle.  

Government Approved Or Not?
Our Advice:
In the USA, the The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the body responsible for protecting public health. It is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and is responsible for the safety regulation of most types of foods, dietary supplements, drugs, vaccines, biological medical products, blood products, medical devices, radiation-emitting devices, veterinary products, and cosmetics. Amongst other things, the FDA look for the legal requirement for "substantial" evidence of efficacy demonstrated that has been demonstrated through controlled clinical trials. FDA or other governmental approval is probably one of the most important factors which needs to be taken into account when seeking any form of medical treatment.

The London, UK based, European Medicines Agency (EMEA) is a European agency for the evaluation of medicinal products. It's almost the same as the USA's FDA. The EMEA started in 1995 with funding from the European Union, the pharmaceutical industry and European member states. It is an attempt to harmonise the work of existing national medicine governmental bodies. So for products needing central approval, a pharmaceutical company submits an application for a marketing authorisation to the EMEA.

The only treatments that are FDA approved for hair loss are Minoxidil and Propecia. The LaserComb has been FDA cleared. Click the relevant Products to see the FDA approval letter.

Remember, natural treatments such as hair supplements can be beneficial to the condition of the hair but as far as we are aware, are not usually helpful in halting or reversing most forms of hair loss.

Money in Advance
Several so-called ‘hair specialists’ sales companies, will try to persuade you to pay large sums of money as full treatment, or as a deposit, in advance, for treatment courses that are ineffective. They can advertise a money back guarantee to justify the usually high up-front payments. We have also heard of such guarantees not being honoured.
Our Advice:
Find  a company that offer you a choice of paying for treatment in a way that suits YOU. Don't sign anything that ties you in to a long contract agreement. Find a treatment that can be discontinued at any time, for any reason and with absolutely no financial penalty. We feel paying as you go is a safe and secure way of staying in financial control and monitoring treatment along the way.

The Cost of Treatment
Some companies charge overpriced sums for lengthy periods of treatment. Further, substantial payments are usually requested up front.
Our Advice:
DO NOT purchase any treatment until you have researched costs and products thoroughly. Try the links and adverts on this site and compare costs. Hair loss is big business and competition is fairly keen. 

A Money Back Guarantee
Many firms offer a money back guarantee, claiming along the lines,  "if you do not see results, all of your money will be refunded"
Our Advice:
Beware! See that small print and read all the terms and conditions. Get a copy to read in your own time at home. A legitimate company that wants your business will welcome this. In most cases its going to be pretty difficult anyway to determine results from the use of your treatment/product unless extensive and constant monitoring has been carried out. It is also quite possible for any company to argue that you have not used treatment consistently and according to the instructions if hair loss does continue.

The salesperson
Look out for a consultant that appears more like they are selling you something rather than offering you a options and a treatment. 
Our Advice:
Check out the claims they make about their product. Search this site for links to their official web page and comments others have made. Say no to hard-selling tactics. You don't have to buy. There are lots of other companies out there. 

Saw Palmetto
We mention this here because Saw Palmetto is regularly advertised and described as a "natural" hair ingredient and therefore assumes safety and is actively marketed as such. While generally considered safe, it has a primary active ingredient, beta-sitosterol, which is chemically similar to cholesterol. High levels of sitosterol concentrations in blood have been correlated with increased severity of heart disease in men who have previously suffered from heart attacks.

Also, Saw palmetto in particular raises concerns for some urologists regarding their ability to diagnose and treat prostate cancer. (although this has been disputed). Any 5-alpha reductase inhibitor--whether saw palmetto or finasteride--will it is beleived reduce prostate-specific antigen (PSA). PSA levels are used as a screening indicator for prostrate cancer. Therefore, any person placed on finasteride or who takes the herb saw palmetto should, in our opinion, have a baseline PSA and digital rectal examination as an initial reference point.

Further Reading

Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency http://www.mhra.gov.uk

European Medicines Agency   http://www.emea.europa.eu

Food and Drug Administration   http://www.fda.gov

RX drug list  http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/finas.htm

The electronic Medicines Compendium  http://emc.medicines.org.uk

United Kingdom National Health Service  http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk

British Association of Dermatologists  http://www.bad.org.uk/about/

American Academy of Dermatology   http://www.aad.org/

IN SUPPORT OF BALDNESS   http://baldrus.com
THIS TEXT IS IN BOLD (excuse the pun) AND HIGHLIGHTED, BECAUSE THIS IS LITERALLY THE ONLY REFERENCE ON THIS SITE TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN. THEY SAY "No" TO RUGS AND PLUGS. HAVE A LOOK HERE FOR A BALANCED VIEW!

Avodart™ is a trademark of GlaxoSmithKline.
PROSCAR™ is a registered trademark of MERCK & CO., Inc.