Over the past two years Sydney trichologist* Tony Pearce and Arthur Chan a Melbourne pharmacist, have been quietly pushing back the boundaries of medical treatments for hair loss. Mr Chan is the research "brains" whilst
Mr. Pearce provides the practical clinical setting at his Sutherland, NSW trichology clinic. By combining their expertise the pair are successfully recovering the hair of clients who'd previously been "written-off as untreatable" by dermatogists and the client's general practitioners.
Mr. Pearce believes the ingredients of their success are threefold: firstly, taking a detailed history of the problem whilst reviewing the client's general lifestyle, diet and stress. Very often, the recognisable problem is being exacerbated by an underlying condition such as a nutritional deficiency or prolonged stress. Hair is very sensitive to changes within the body, and hair loss is nearly always the consequence of an internal disturbance. Much the same can be said for problems of the scalp, although external factors such as chemical irritation or allergic reaction are often the culprits.
Second, an innovative use of pharmaceutical medication they've termed "medication tailoring". Medication tailoring means specifically formulating recognised pharmaceuticals in a strength and
dosage to match the client's problem, tolerance, and skin sensitivity. Successful outcomes are therefore optimised because client compliance is better, the medication is more effective, and potential side effects are vastly reduced.
A prime example of this is the topical solution Minoxidil. Minoxidil is the only externally applied solution internationally approved to stimulate follicle hair growth. It is commercially available from pharmacies "over the counter" in a 2% or 5% strength. It's known to be poorly absorbed by the skin, and its propylene glycol base is the predominant cause of common side effects such as itchy scalp, flaky scalp, or a rash.
By removing the propylene glycol and adding an
absorption enhancer, a 'second generation' formula of the original drug can be created that is more effective, user friendly, with minimal adverse reactions. "We're now using minoxidil solutions up to 10% strength with no untoward side effects in our clients." states
Mr. Pearce.
Third, clients are offered a unique "multiple therapy approach" to the treatment of hair loss. A multiple therapy or "inside/outside" approach combines Low Level Laser Light Therapy (LLLT) with approved contemporary medications. Additionally some unique alternatives can be employed if the usual medication isn't tolerated or results fall short of expectation. An illustration of this is the use of the oral medication Aldactone (spironolactone). Aldactone is frequently prescribed in the treatment of moderate to severe genetic thinning in women. It is a powerful antiandrogen (anti-male hormone drug) but can also be used to treat high blood pressure and as a diuretic. It has numerous unwanted side effects, and many women cannot take it. Chan and Pearce have overcome this problem by formulating and successfully treating clients with a topical antiandrogen that is as effective as the oral medication, but without the side effects.
Often a successful treatment direction came out of some long-distance "brainstorming" and lots of "This is the problem, what if we did this...?" emails and telephone calls between Sydney and Melbourne! When he took this new concept to the United States where he teaches twice yearly, Mr Pearce says the Americans were "stunned" by our treatment advances compared to what they were doing. "They just
couldn't hear enough about it"! he said.
Mr. Pearce believes his best testimonial is himself. He began losing his hair at 18 and was bald by 24. He says he remained "shiny" bald and was forced to wear hairpieces for the next 23 years. On 26th April, 2000
Mr. Pearce says he made the decision to try and regrow his hair, although he admits he was not very hopeful after being bald for so long. Fifteen months on, he estimates he has recovered about 30% of the hair across the top of his scalp. "It's been slow, and I realise I probably won't recover the density of hair I had as a teenager. But I'm 50 years old next year and to have some hair covering my scalp for the first time in nearly a quarter of a century, I'm delighted" he states. In terms of further improvement he calculates he's about half way there.
Severe or longstanding hair loss problems that were previously classed as "untreatable" can now be treated with a therapy combination increasingly accepted as a "world first" in its concept. The dedicated duo of Chan and Pearce are closing the gap between conventional western medicine/pharmacology, naturopathic medicine, and 'state of the art' technology. Without question, their approach offers today's trichology clients the best chances of a favourable outcome.
For specialised practitioners whose reputations stand or fall on their ability to provide successful treatments, the pioneering work of these two professionals are leading the way.
* a
trichologist is a qualified specialist of hair loss & scalp problems.
