Avacor Products
One of the difficulties in evaluating Avacor stems from the fact that it's marketed as a hair care system with three components. Review of the herbal compounds present in the shampoo and topical solution reveal a number of herbal products that are generally thought of as safe, such as ginkgko biloba, bilberry and horsetail. Although these herbs are commonly used, none of them have been specifically implicated in preventing hair loss. One herb that is listed, Sabal Serulate, could be an alternate spelling of the compound Sabal Serrulata, an herb that is also known as sawtooth palmetto. Sawtooth palmetto is thought to block the formation of the hormone DHT, which is thought to have a crucial role in the hair follicle death that leads to male pattern baldness.
Minoxidil
The Avacor "Physician's Topical Formula" does contain a medication that is FDA approved for the treatment of balding. This medication, called minoxidil, is commonly marketed under the name of Rogaine. Although approved by the FDA, minoxidil has several known side effects--including the development of acne on the area where it is applied, headaches and dizziness, low blood pressure and irregular heartbeat. People taking minoxidil may also experience blurred vision and chest pain. Although these side effects are rarely dangerous, they can be serious when combined with the effects of other medications (especially blood pressure medications) and can be extremely uncomfortable.
Avacor Marketing Materials
Shipments of Avacor often come with a copy of a "study" that was conducted evaluating Avacor's effectiveness. However, this study has no "control" group (necessary for measurement of the placebo effect) as well as no mention of any side effects. This causes some doubt as to the validity of the study, because one of the main Avacor ingredients has several known side effects that would likely occur in a clinical study. In addition, the relative lack of information regarding the ingredients, as well as the (possible) misspelling of some of their names, is a cause for concern. In short, Avacor is likely no more dangerous than Rogaine, but it's also probably no more effective, either.
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