 Revivogen – No Firm Evidence to Indicate Revivogen Prevents Hairloss
Revivogen is a natural product marketed for the prevention of hair loss. Like all of the other natural products for hair loss, Revivogen is not FDA approved which means there is no firm evidence to indicate that it prevents or reverses hair loss. Unfortunately there are no strict regulations for natural products so it is difficult to know for sure how effective a natural product is.
Details on the efficacy of each of the ingredients of Revivogen will follow. The only three products to have been acknowledged by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration – USA) are Minoxidil, Propecia (which have been FDA approved) and the HairMax LaserComb (which has been FDA cleared). The FDA is the US medical regulatory body; the government body overlook clinical studies carried out by pharmaceutical companies and approve medications if they are found to be safe and effective to their cause. The three FDA approved hair loss treatments are the only ones that can guarantee a high chance of hair loss stabilisation or regrowth because large-scale clinical studies have proved them to be effective. If administered and combined at the right dose for each individual, with the correct hair growth boosters, the great majority of users will experience hair loss stabilisation and most will also regrow hair. More information on the PROVEN TREATMENTS.
Back to Revivogen: The ‘Active Ingredients’ (as stated on the Revivogen website)
According to the Revivogen website, the active ingredients are Gamma Linolenic acid (GLA), Alpha Linolenic acid (ALA), Linoleic Acid, Oleic Acid, Azaleic Acid, Vitamin B6, Zinc, Saw Palmetto Extract, Beta-Sitosterol and Procyanidin Oligomers. Here are some details of the clinical studies Revivogen refer to for each of these products:
Gamma Linolenic acid (GLA), Alpha Linolenic acid (ALA), Linoleic Acid:
The Revivogen website states that these are ‘proven’ 5-alpha reductase inhibitors. Because 5-alpha reductase is the product that causes Testosterone to convert to Dihydrotestosterone (DHT), it makes sense that blocking this substance will inhibit the formation of DHT and therefore prevent hair loss. However, the clinical studies Revivogen refer to for these products are either carried out on mice or in cultured conditions (cell or skin samples studied in a lab). The conditions in which these studies were carried out may not have produced accurate examples of the effects the product would have if applied externally to a human being.
Azelaic Acid, Vitamin B6 and Zinc Sulphate
Incidentally, each of these products is contained in Belgravia’s daily hair growth supplement, Hair Vitalics, or Belgravia’s extra-strength formulation of minoxidil (12.5% cream). However, we only advise any such product as a ‘hair growth booster’ to the primary (proven) treatments as they may not be effective if used alone.
In a clinical study involving cultured skin samples the combination Azelaic Acid, Zinc Sulphate and Vitamin B6 applied to the skin resulted in significant inhibition of 5-alpha reductase. The study does not make clear the concentrations of each substance so it is difficult to compare the amount contained to that contained in Revivogen. This is another example of a study that does not accurately signify the conditions of the way Revivogen is used on living humans so again is difficult to judge whether the results are significant.
Saw Palmetto
Saw Palmetto is another product contained in Belgravia’s daily supplement, Hair Vitalics, but again, is not recommended by Belgravia’s hair experts as an individual solution for hair loss or without the use of one or more of the primary treatments. The studies for Saw Palmetto were effective in reducing 5-alpha reductase presence but involved cultured cells and were therefore merely a vague indication of the effects that Saw Palmetto might have in humans for the prevention of hair loss. For an effective clinical study it is important that the product is tested on living humans.
Procyanidin B-2
Revivogen talk of three studies for Procyanidin B-2 on their website. The first, unlike any of the other studies listed so far, was carried out on humans. 29 men took part in the study but there is no mention that they were experiencing hair loss. The study claims that on average, the 19 men using Procyanidin B-2 (10 used a placebo) experienced an increase in the mean diameter of their hair as well as an increase in hair count.
The study was not controlled or peer-reviewed and seemed to be carried out by the manufacturers of Revivogen so it’s difficult to say whether the results were fairly measured. The study was also carried out on a small number of subjects – too little to obtain an accurate indication of the product’s effects on hair loss.
The second and third study consisted again of either testing on live mice or cultured cells from mice so results on live humans in the dose administered within Revivogen may not resemble the results from the study.
So what’s the Difference between the Studies Revivogen Refers to and Official Clinical Studies?
The studies carried out for Propecia and Minoxidil (the two proven treatments) consisted of more than 1,000 subjects and were very closely monitored. They resulted in an accurate indication of the efficacy of each of the products. More information on THE EFFECTIVE HAIR LOSS TREATMENTS.
More information on HERBAL HAIR LOSS SUPPLEMENTS VS. PROVEN HAIR LOSS TREATMENTS.
|
Digg
Del.ici.o.us
Reddit
Yahoo Buzz
StumpleUpon
Google
Technorati
Twitter
