Botox is an injectable form of the botulinum toxin. This toxin comes from bacteria, and in its natural form, it can cause a severe variety of food poisoning. Its usefulness in cosmetic procedures comes from its ability to freeze and relax small muscles under the skin. In clinical practice, it is injected directly into the muscle, where it blocks nerve signals, effectively paralyzing the muscle. Recently, it has been experimented with by some doctors for off-label uses, including stopping hair loss.
History
First introduced in 2002, Botox was originally used as a cosmetic procedure to reduce facial lines and wrinkles, especially in the area between the eyebrows. It quickly became the most commonly performed nonsurgical cosmetic procedure in the world, according to the Botox cosmetic website. Off-label use soon extended to easing migraine headaches, reducing excessive sweating and controlling muscle spasms. Recently, a California doctor claimed that it could be used to stop hair loss.
Hair Loss
Hair loss occurs when hair follicles shrink and stop producing new hair cells. This forms bald patches as groups of follicles fail, usually in a genetically predisposed pattern such as that seen in male pattern baldness. Current treatments for hair loss include topical products, such as Rogaine and Propecia, and surgical hair transplants.
Claims
In 2009, Beverly Hills dermatologist Dr. Simon Ourian announced that after three years of testing, he had refined the Botox procedure for use fighting hair loss. His discovery of this off-label use for Botox came about because he was using Botox injections to treat his mother's migraine headaches and noticed that she started regrowing hair previously lost because of chemotherapy. He then started trying the procedure on volunteers and developed a combination of Botox injections plus vitamin injections that appeared to be successful at halting hair loss.
Potential Mechanism
The proposed mechanism behind using Botox for hair loss is that the injections relax the muscles around shrinking hair follicles, which increases blood flow to the area and causes the follicles to resume their growth. The vitamin injections that Dr. Ourian used along with the Botox injections are ones that have shown some promise in stimulating new hair growth.
Skeptics
Many other doctors have weighed in with their opinions on using Botox as a treatment for hair loss. Many are skeptical, pointing out that only one doctor has claimed using it with any success, and he has produced no photographs or published any peer-reviewed articles backing up his claims.
Member Comments