Cyclosporine for Hair Loss Revisited

During the past several years, the single biggest breakthrough in hair loss treatments has been in the form of Janus Kinase (JAK) inhibitors. They can cure immune system disorders alopecia areata (AA), alopecia totalis and alopecia universalis in many patients. However, before JAK inhibitors came, there was another immune system suppressing drug called cyclosporine that I will discus in this post.

While JAK inhibitors seem to be close to a cure for a majority of patients suffering from alopecia areate, their effect on patients with androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is unproven and controversial. A US based company named Aclaris Therapeutics claims that there is a chance that specialized covalently bound topical JAK inhibitors will cure androgenetic alopecia in many patients (oral JAK inhibitors do not work for AGA but do work for AA). The implication is that male pattern hair loss might have a significant autoimmune component to it, a conclusion that it seems is not supported by many hair loss researchers. It is also possible that topical JAK inhibitors help hair growth via a totally different mechanism unrelated to the immune system.

Cyclosporine A and Hair Growth

Some time ago, I mentioned a study that showed oral cyclosporine A (also referred to as ciclosporin A or as CyA) to benefit scalp hair growth in some men with androgenetic alopecia. I thought it significant that well before JAK inhibitors came on to the scene, there was already a drug in the form of cyclosporine that targeted the immune system and that seemed to benefit scalp hair growth.

However, several bloggers mentioned that topical cyclosporine experiments by some hair loss sufferers did not seem to lead to any decent results insofar as scalp hair regrowth goes. Moreover, the effect of JAK inhibitors versus that of cyclosporine is very different. Also, the past studies linking cyclosporine and hair growth are somewhat ambiguous (more on that further below). I therefore decided to relegate cyclosporine to the backburner for a future post and forgot about it until the below happened.

RiverTown Therapeutics and their Cyclosporine Product

The biggest news in the hair loss world this month has been RiverTown Therapeutics’ new website. Edit: no longer working after the company closed in 2020. I have generally not been too keen about this company even though I have mentioned them several times in my blog posts this year.

My two biggest reasons for being pessimistic about RiverTown are the facts that:

  1. Minoxidil by itself can give good results in terms of hair growth in some people (so their Minoxidil containing RT1640 product could just be glorified Minoxidil). And a company named Follica (US) has already tried a wounding plus Minoxidil approach that is likely superior to just Minoxidil.
  2. RiverTown has not even conducted phase 1 clinical trials for RT1640 at present per their product pipeline page. By the time all 3 clinical trials are concluded, we could very well have a few more superior treatments on the market (Follica, Tsuji, Shiseido and more).

Adding to my skepticism about RiverTown are small details such as its actual home page still saying “under construction” as of today. And the CEO’s Linkedin profile does not even having RiverTown listed in there yet.

Having said that, I was pleased to learn that the respected hair loss researchers Dr. Elaine Fuchs and Dr. Maria Hordinsky are both on RiverTown’s scientific advisory board. Moreover, RiverTown’s CEO David Weinstein was previously associated with a company named GliaMed. They had a product called GM1485 that never came to market, but that supposedly (in animals) promoted “the regeneration of all components of the skin after injury, including nerves, hair follicles, blood vessels, dermis and epidermis with minimal scarring”.

Hopefully the fact that last week the US House of Representative overwhelmingly supported the passage of the 21st Century Cures Act will help RiverTown and other companies in the hair loss world bring forth their products to market significantly faster.

In any event, getting back to the subject matter of this post, the reason I mention RiverTown is because the new website clarifies that the company’s RT1640 hair loss product contains three ingredients, one of which is cyclosporine A:

  • Minoxidil (already FDA approved).
  • Cyclosporine A (already FDA approved).
  • RT175 (a proprietary chemical entity developed by one of Rivertown’s co-founders that has been tested in 600 humans).

Cyclosporine A and Hair Loss: Past Studies

So now I had to look up all the past studies that mention Cyclosporine and hair in the same page. Below is a chronological list of the most important such studies, with my notes in blue.

  • Cyclosporine and Male-Pattern Alopecia, 1987 (US). Just 1 patient, but a very positive result with new hair growth in the temporal region of the scalp when on cyclosporine, which then went away when off the drug. An interesting quote: “Hypertrichosis has been reported to occur in 60% of kidney transplant recipients treated with cyclosporine”. Hypertrichosis means excessive body hair. If something can grow new body hair (or convert vellus body hair to terminal body hair), it is surely not out of the realm that it can also grow new scalp hair? It should be noted, however, that cyclosporin might be increasing DHT levels and that could be increasing body hair.
  • Topical Cyclosporine in Male Pattern Alopecia1990 (Israel — from the prestigious Technion University). Two out of 8 human subjects who suffered from AGA saw significant growth when on topical cyclosporine for 4 months. One of those two saw cosmetically evident growth. Same authors have another study from 1988 based on transplanted human hair onto mice, and they concluded that cyclosporine A may be effective in the treatment of alopecia.
  • Effects of Cyclosporin A on Hair, 1994 (Germany). A very interesting statement: “One of the most common dermatological side effects of oral CyA is dose-dependent hypertrichosis”. It seems like CyA causes new body hair to develop from vellus hair. Also, the conclusion is that oral application of CyA proved successful in treating AA as well as AGA. However, the topical application failed to treat either condition.

Comparison to JAK inhibitors

While cyclosporine A and JAK inhibitors both have immunosupressive properties, their mechanism of action is different.

According to the earlier mentioned Japanese study, cyclosporine A inhibits T-cell activation by “interfering with the production of interleukin-2 (IL-2) by inhibiting IL-2 gene expression, probably through the inhibition of calcineurin, a Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent phosphatase”. A bit difficult but not impossible to understand. Cyclosporine is used for a number of inflammatory skin conditions, especially psoriasis.

JAK inhibitors are a type of medication that inhibit the activity of one or more of the Janus kinase family of enzymes (JAK1, JAK2, JAK3, TYK2). In the process, they interfere with the critical JAK-STAT signaling pathway. Aclaris is working on a  topical covalently binding, highly selective JAK3 inhibitor to cure AGA.

I hope the five or so scientifically astute regular commentators that we have on this blog further compare and discuss JAK inhibitors versus CsA.

My Hypothesis

Over the years, I have read numerous online forum posts from people stating that when they started losing their hair, they also started getting a lot of scalp itching (largely in the same areas where they were also experiencing hair loss). I have witnessed the exact same phenomenon on my own scalp and use dermatologist recommended dandruff shampoos to tackle the problem whenever it arises.

This has led me to wonder whether people who have male pattern hair loss combined with a lot of associated itching, inflammation and dandruff also have an autoimmune component to their hair loss? Perhaps men with male pattern hair loss can be divided into two broad categories:

  • Those with an autoimmune component to their hair loss manifesting with itchy scalps and high skin turnover (flaking).
  • Those without any autoimmune component (and normal scalps with no itching)?

The fact that both the immunosuppressant drugs CsA and JAK inhibitors can help some men with male pattern hair loss makes this hypothesis less far fetched than originally thought.

111 thoughts on “Cyclosporine for Hair Loss Revisited”

  1. Admin good post like usual.

    I might as well chime in since we are very close to knowing whether JAK will work or not. And you forgot the most important fact that Aclaris is trying JAK inhbitors in the 1st quarter of 2017 in a Phase I study.

    It’s getting late, been waiting for a very long time. Remember that JAK Rux is already FDA approved and they have been testing it on AA hair loss suffers for several years now.

    Early 2017 we find out if JAK works and if it does not then I am 100% out even if they find a cure since no other treatment will come within the next 10 years probably 20. Let Life Live.

    Have a Safe and Happy New Year everyone since you will be doing a lot of celebrating in 2017. Just my prediction. But I will be proven right.

        1. Do you think we could psychologicaly handle a hair cure?

          I mean we be the most confident people ever.

          It be like cokecain. It be a tuff job trying to keep the ego down. A challenge I except vo lol

    1. Like you Nasa I truly beleive in Jaks for treating hair loss.
      Yes L’oreal and Follica are making some progress but I don’t truly beleive in them. For Follica ” starting in the office” what does that mean ? iF it does work we should go in on lab or in office somewhere in the Us to start our cure program ? Maybe L’oreal could find something too but it will take so much time …
      And what thinking about cotsarelis ? in 2012 he was saying that he would have found something to inhib PGD2 and cure hair loss in 2 years !! we are in 2016 guys !

  2. I would think immune system type of things like Cyclosporine would need to be taken internally not topically to ever really do anything.
    The issue is the whole immune system and internal medicine in general is so poorly understood its way too dangerous to mess with that stuff for something like hair.
    The immune system is probably involved with MPB but the question is will anyone ever figure out what? I say no and its too risky

  3. Specialized topical JAK inhibitors will cure androgenic alopecia for everyone who needs it, because the things I write tend to come true. That’s just me using “The Secret”. Also, perception affects reality… that’s just quantum physics.

    The one caveat is that we do have to cross our fingers for a good while to show we are humble, appreciative, and not overly presumptuous regarding outcomes of the universe.

    You’re welcome.

    1. I hope thats a joke about quantum physics, perception affecting reality is just an interpretation to describe whats going on and not a description of whats really happening.

  4. I have flaky scalp at times and also itchy. Sometimes there might be tiny bumps as well, wonder if it’s more to it….

  5. There’s a lot of evidence to support the idea that there is an immune system reaction causing hair loss. I have two theories on it which I’ve put to test and would say I’m about 70% convinced that both are right.

    Firstly – diet – overeating or consuming too much energy which is produced by burning derivatives of glucose instead of fat. Burning this fuel creates oxidative stress which causes inflammation. Fix/test – restore correct energy metabolism from cutting all sugars from diet and going keto for at least three weeks so your body adapts – I.e. eating only meat, veg and fats for a while to train your body to burn fat. When I did this for 1 month, hair seemed healthier and my minox use suddenly started being super effective. Hard to stick to though…

    Second – flogging the dolphin – produces a huge spike in prolactin (research shows this doesn’t happen during sex however which us weird) + raises DHT. The HL more likely linked to prolactin though, the DHT side of things is a small part imo. Test – go at least 7 days without whacking it whilst taking pumpkin seeds or nettle tea every day. Test will shoot up as not inhibited by estrogenic prolactin, DHT will be lowered and immune system won’t be responding to inflammation.

    Always told I’m talking bullshit – I’ve posted pics before and linked them here though. Instead of mouthing off, take a few weeks to try what I say and see if I save you big £$¥€…

    1. So eat healthy and don’t jack-off. I’ll give a massively reluctant go. Strange there’s no release during sex – I predict my girlfriend is going to have an irritating month!

      1. Its more than eating healthy… You want to be fully ketogenic for a few weeks then start reintroducing sugars as per Danny Roddy diet. Try it and see, and get back to us!

        1. Danny wanks off to ray peat. Ray loves sugar and OJ. Coffee. Coconut. Thyroid hormone.

          Going Keto for months can make the gut leaky allergen.

          1. Which is why id never do it long term. The idea is to train your body to burn the right energy and minimise oxidative stress. I think it’d the kind of thing that should be done every once in a while for a few months before introducing normal diet again. Btw. Even taking an aspirin each day as per Danny Roddy suggestion stopped me shedding in two weeks…def inflammation role present

            1. Impossible that aspirin would stop telogen hairs from falling out, so insane statement and biologically impossible. For a telogen hair to remain in place ALL NEW HAIRGROWTH must be halted, come to a complete stop, then the new hair will not push the telogen hair out of the scalp.

              All your posts are so far fetched that mental disorder seems the most likely exanation. Sugar and wanking, have you COMPLETELY lost hold on reality??

    2. Hey GBH, hey everyone

      I have had already published my theory but dont know why admin deleted it.
      Like you said I think there is a real connection with our immune system. But I tend to think its related to our sexual activities. I’m working in a dermatology departement but I dont know if it could come from prostate or testicles ( that’s why onucs dont deal with androgenic alopecia ).
      What it’s sure is when you have an orgasm have you ever feel like some small chills on the top of your head Under the skin ?
      I think this kinds of things lead to inflamation like a immune reaction could do.

  6. AGA Jak will NOT be tested in early 2017 nasa….

    Thorn replied to me months ago and said they have no release date or price… for anyone that cares

    1. Correct. They plan on posting proof of concept in the first half of 2017 for AA oral and topical. AGA will be in the second half of 2017. I’m hoping the AA topical results will shed some light on the chances for the AGA version.

    2. Just emailed Aclaris for Timeline confirmation for Phase I for AGA using JAK.

      Can we ever get a break? Everything is always next year.

      Thorn’s reply about release date or price. We just want them to test it to see if it works first maybe they will test it 1st quarter 2017. Sounds like Thorn was referring to the Final Product.

      To those who say I am JAK obsessed. JAK inhibitors are the only thing already FDA Approved and PROVEN to work to regrow 100% of original hair from a bald head. Yes only for AA hair loss. If other people want to wait, and wait for all the other potential treatments fine and I hope they work. But JAK is here and almost now. We just need them to do the test. Then you can either say I told you so or stop jumping up and down from joy.

    1. Maybe I shouldn’t say that definitively. Just the way it’s going right now I wouldn’t set yourself too high to get knocked down but I’m just another opinion. Supposedly it would bring back the last 5 years of hair loss easily which would be great yet just the way information is being transferred about this thing it’s super sketchy.

    2. Brotzu is fake, he mixed some ingredients that has some vague losely connected effects when extreme doses are used.
      (Its actually like washing the hair in horse piss, yes that is where equol was first discovered, in horse urine, fact.)

      Its like adding bubble gum in bread dough and promise bubbles. (Rimmer, T.)

  7. I Love how you guys are throwing out what will and won’t work, as if you actually know any more than the rest of us. None of us have a clue. Its all up in the air. Wait and see, and stop answering questions you don’t have the answers to.

    1. No am not saying something from my mind, according to cots who is in this field for decades said it won’t work. This guy is the one that everybody is making fun of him including the admin and now he is preparing the best treatment possible without cloning. Understand now ?

      1. Khourli I totally agree with you bro! Follica is probably the only treatment that will come out before 2020 without any type of cell injection. Safest method. I’m still very hopeful for Samumed as well.

        Steve- Congrats on taking fin. I hope it works wonders for you my man. At the very least halt your hair loss until a better treatment comes out. Take a good hair vitamin like Maxi Hair by Country life and 500mg of Lysene a day. It worked well for me

  8. @steve. I understand your sadness….Nobody wants propecia… You need a new safer and better alternative than Finasteride….It’s pathetic. Good luck you need it,

  9. At the age of 17 when I was losing hair. My scalp was extremely itchy. Dandruff. When I touched my head with fingernails the scalp was soft and you could make finger nail impression.

    Hair loss calmed down now n no Dandruff or itechy scalp.

    Side note I find it strange by the age of 19 I had considerable hairloss but never once walk up to hair on pillow or hair in shower. I have never seen any hair from the hair loss lol. Weird

  10. But…remember @Steve and others…
    Finasteride adverse effects in subjects with androgenic alopecia: A possible therapeutic approach according to the lateralization process of the brain. A new scientific paper this year. In conclusion we need something new ASAP. That’s all…That’s the real truth…!

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27046152

    1. Hello Dr Paul, thanks for scaring people about fin and don’t worry we won’t come to you for HT. We will use fin for now till we get a new treatment so go and retire ;)

      1. No, we will use dut. Fin has so limited effect but the side effects are often strong, dut is at least 100x better and for me no negative side effects, double win.

  11. Paul stop scaring people from using fin. It saved my hair for over 12 years. Just because you got sides or never used it because of your fear don’t scare others from saving their hair.

    If you are young, balding and want to stop or slow hair loss get on Propecia. Nothing else is out that will work as well.

      1. However it still is the only viable and easily obtainable option. So I don’t know where you get your “it’s had it’s day” opinion.

        The fact is a huge number of finasteride users, in fact most finasteride users do not post in forums. You never hear their experiences.

        I really don’t think I’m on my own when I say that I have experienced zero negative sides from finasteride. I’m on my 4-5th month and I have stopped shedding, experienced general thickening and a small amount of regrowth. My sperm is the same, I spert as hard and have not once flopped out on a leg over. My mind feels sharp and I haven’t grown tits.

        While I think awareness of and type of drug use is paramount, I think giving the scare stories to adults who make tough choices is a poor show fella. Let him see if it works out for him, gauge his own body. The chances are in favour of being fine!

        1. @Skin. Who cares that? Stop talking non-sense…
          What are you talking about? I can assure you that there are more stories of failure with Finasteride than success stories. I’ll tell you why …. Propecia lawsuits in 2016. Pathetic and deplorable. That’s how the hair loss industry is.

          https://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/lawsuit/propecia.html

            That’s the truth. Do you know what a systematic review is? OK, then you will understand this 2016 study. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2016 Jul; 9 (7): 56-62. Epub 2016 Jul 1.

          Adverse Effects and Safety of 5-alpha Reductase Inhibitors (Finasteride, Dutasteride): A Systematic Review.

          Sexual effects including erectile dysfunction and decreased libido and ejaculate were reported in as many as 3.4 to 15.8 percent of men. Merck said only 1% did not it? What a lie.

          https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27672412

          I hope you understand, thank you. We need a safer and, of course, more effective alternative than Finasteride and Minoxdil prehistoric treatments for MPB.

          1. How are small study showing 3% to 15 % erectile dysfunction proof there are more horror stories than success stories? What scientific value do these small studies have? For starters 3-15% is a huge variable. Which one is it? Why such a large variable? if you wanted to you could read it as 85% don’t suffer e/d. Which would still make it a viable drug.

            1. @Skin. Not at all…

              There are still many people who can not take Finasteride and many people have filed lawsuits
              Ergo do not make it viable. People with MPB needs new treatments as soon as possible.

  12. Paul isn’t scaring people from using fin. FIN is scaring people from using Fin. Ive said it here before and ill say it again. Give it a go if you want, but the side effects are real. Maybe not for EVERYONE but I think the majority experiences it, be it during or post use. I was 23 when I used it. Scared the crap out of me with the sides, both brain fog and ED. And it was NOT in my head.
    Mjones it may well have held onto your hair for years and thats awesome I am glad it worked for you. But you are still on it. And have been a loooong time. Post fin crash is real, and you have no idea if u will experience it. Seems like the longer people were on it the more likely they were to crash once they stopped. I wouldn’t wish that on you for anything, and sincerely hope that never happens to you. But you are only halfway through finding out if you will have sides. You know you can take it without sides, but dont know what will happen when you stop.

    Use at your own risk. I did. Wish I didnt. But lets not turn this into annother FIN thread. Apologies admin. But one thing paul said is true without a doubt – we need a new treatment. Now.

    1. exactly. Hairloss…ya life goes on. No erections?! You’re life is literally over. Food/water and Sex, the basics needed in life.

      1. But what about all those who have increased sexual capacity on fin, and on dut even more, like myself?

        What about all the guys who get ED in a period of 10 years who were not on fin? Seems like the general population has a fairly similar frequency of ED diagnoses when compared to long-term fin users.

        What about all who were on fin and did not get ED?

        Most did NOT get complications from fin, and a lot of people get sick or get ED without fin so how to know fin is always the reason for ED in these lawsuits? I bet all of them ate potatoes in the same period, how do you know it wasnt french fries that did it, since the common factor is obvious?

        I could sign this “from a finasteride survivor”, the problem is that everyone survived finasteride. The upside is after all much bigger, for finasteride and even more so for dutasteride.

  13. im 32 nw2 and its really starting to thin on crown…im taking .25 ed..this is my first week i dont feel anything..still shedding…my libido wasn’t what it was when i was 27 so i wont attribute that to fin .. i did however feel major brain fog for 3 days but i think thats because i stopped taking a benzo cold turkey that i had been on for months…i stopped taking it because fin is the only medication i want to be on

  14. As a young finance student, I started preparing my baldness investment venture this week. I loaded up on some Replicel shares (RP.TO) and I will invest in histogen after their IPO. Next, I might also look to invest in Aclaris (JAK) and maybe PureTechHealth (Follica) on the London Stock Exchange.
    On top of getting my upcoming baldness cured, I will get rich along the way. You guys should look into doing the same if you have a broker account. I’m a big fan of turning our “misfortune” of baldness around and using it to our advantage as insider information into the baldness market

    1. I’m a graduating finance student and for F’s sake, do NOT invest in Replicel. Aclaris maybe is investable. Is Replicel traded on the TSX even??

        1. they did a 10:1 reverse split, it didn’t shoot up on news…also note, the bid is a $75 lot!!…over 10% of that trade will be trading costs!!

    2. Lol, ‘as a young finance student’. I graduated with a degree in finance also buddy, trust me you know jack shit about investing. Not to be rude but c’mon. What’s your investment on Replicel based off? If anything you should short all these companies so its a win-win. If they all tank bc no good treatment you become rich. If they bring a cure, you get hair.

    1. No, I’m not on any treatments anymore. I tried RU, minox, Nu Hair dht blocker, saw palmetto, nizoral, and fin. RU got too expensive and too much of a hassle with ehh results. Fin gave awful sides, minox worked a little but not well and my hairloss is diffuse so it got to where there was way too big of an area to cover and had big bags under my eyes. Saw palmetto was one of the first things I tried along with Nu hair, which basically is saw palmetto too. Didn’t really see any major results. Now I just take a vitamin and a biotin vit.

  15. Haha don’t worry I have put much into Replicel, I know they don’t have solid financials and it’s definitely speculation rather than investing. Nevertheless, I like feeling like I’m actually contributing to the advancement of the hair loss industry in my own way. Replicel is on the toronto venture exchange trading for 0.70$. Penny stock territory but I figured the worst than can happen is I lose the small amount I put it, whereas if they successfully complete the trials, the stock is going through the roof even if they only capture a small percentage of the multi billion annual hairloss market.

    1. Buying shares in the secondary market does absolutely nothing for the company. You are just gambling and trading with other gamblers. Quit school and get a job, save your money.

      1. WOW don’t hate our profession. FINANCE is most definitely a job, and not sure bout him, but quant finance programs are extremely hard. BTW, if you ever want to become wealthy while “working” ie. not starting your own business, you need to make wise investments. You will never become wealthy if you just work and put you extra money in the bank, FACT.

        It’s mainly a terrible investment b/c the stock has trended down since its IPO to less than a 10th of its value and the volume is anemic.

        1. He wasn’t hating on your profession. The poster said he was speculating.

          ” You will never become wealthy if you just work and put you extra money in the bank, FACT.”

          What kind of advice are you giving? You can be wealthy and never put a dime in the stock market..?

          “It’s mainly a terrible investment b/c the stock has trended down since its IPO to less than a 10th of its value and the volume is anemic.”

          No, that’s not why it’s currently a bad investment. Rule number 1 of investing – past performance is not a guarantee of future results. It’s a poor investment because of its financials. I haven’t looked into the company but weren’t they having trouble getting the money to initiate trials in Germany?

  16. I dont think anyone should be avoiding jacking off/sex. Its good for heart health and that is way more important than hair health.

    Minoxidil with things added work better than minoxidil alone imo.. not the shit that is in lipogaine or the ds labs stuff but something more like prescription stuff.
    Its obvious minoxidil with retin a works better than minoxidil alone.
    I use minoxidil 5% with retinol 0.5% and ketoconazole 0.8%
    That mix has worked wonders for me. It just continues to get btter and my hair gets thicker and thicker. I also use a derma roller around my hairline so i guess thats a form of wounding.

    Having keto mixed into my minox means i dont have to spend $30+ on shampoos. I use the broo organic peppermint and caffeine shampoo. About $8 a bottle. Contains beer instead of water so it foams and lathers so much better than a sls/sles shampoo. And guys that are worried about jacking off. Just take 25-50mg of zinc a day..

    1. The point is not avoiding sex and not permanently avoiding jacking off…the idea is brining your hormones and metabolism back into sync then from there finding out where the limits of certain things are.

      Where do you get your version of minox from`?

      1. Its made by a compound pharmacy in melbourne australia. Im pretty sure they can post to other countries though. The name is c-pharmacy. They are the leaders of hair regrowth in australia and make another product called activance. It stops shedding by up to 3 times.

        1. I agree that obsessive jacking off is bad. Especially if you are not on fin or dut. But i just let my libido tell my body how often.

  17. My fellow sufferers. I have been researching on a topic online after this research article indicated it promotes hair growth

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4737836/

    Well it turns out (and probably you all know) Arachidonic acid is broken down by COX to PGD2 according to wikipedia descriptions. PGD2 is well known to cause hairloss. Also Arachidonic acid is broken into leukotrienes by lipoxygenases. Leukotrienes are responsible for allergy and asthma AND hairfall. See below treatment for hairloss by administering leukotriene inhibitors.

    https://www.google.com/patents/US6762193

    However the following patent describes a method by using both COX and Lipoxygenase for treatment of hirsutism (body hair) and/or “reduction of body and scalp hair”.

    If you follow my lead here its confusing on why inhibitors of two major hair loss causing components or their intermediaries will effect in hair loss…

    I am not a hair scientist but would like some of the greater minds here and in other forums to view this and let us know.

    BTW – interesting fact – Epidermis-type lipoxygenase (ALOXE3) gene mutation causes Congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma in humans – which I found has “Alopecia” as a symptom.

  18. Repost for people to see it:

    Just emailed Aclaris for Timeline confirmation for Phase I for AGA using JAK.

    Thorn’s reply about release date or price. We just want them to test it to see if it works first maybe they will test it 1st quarter 2017. Sounds like Thorn was referring to the Final Product.

    …JAK inhibitors are the only thing already FDA Approved and PROVEN to work to regrow 100% of original hair from a bald head. Yes only for AA hair loss. But it worked nothing absolutely nothing else has worked.

    If other people want to wait, and wait for all the other potential treatments fine and I hope they work. But JAK is here and almost now. We just need them to do the test. Then you can either say I told you so or stop jumping up and down from joy.

    2017 – Hope all goes well. Enjoy Gentlemen I think we almost have the “treatment”.

    1. Hey nasa_rs,

      I really like your optimism and I love seeing news about JAK.. But could you tell me why you are so certain it’s gonna work for other types of hair loss?
      My biopsy says I don’t have AGA but I have chronic telogen effluvium.
      Do you think that JAK would work for that as well?

      Cheers

    2. nasa_rs, while I’m 100% looking forward with enthusiasm at the current JAK developments, I still cannot fathom what makes you so certain that JAK will be the cure for male pattern baldness reversal.

      Like anyone who’s suffering from mpb, I would like nothing less than having JAK not only fully reversing AA, but also MPB.

      Could you be kind enough to list your reasons, as to why you sound ultra confident and certain that JAK will be the real deal and final cure for all MPB sufferers like ourselves?

  19. I think they will work for all types of alopecia, as well as in scalp psoriais or seborreic dermatitis ot at least improve it.
    And anyway, if it does not work for all the people, more new treatments will come …
    But we need more secure options in the market and then, the companies will fight hard to release their own methods quickly, cmonnnn¡¡ its 2016… Ten years waiting for a cure is a very long time, dont you think so?
    We all deserve it as alopecia ruins more lifes than people think (especially for young women).
    Hopefully we have you admin¡

  20. Hey all, long time no talk.

    To me it really comes down to one major thing for topical vs oral JAK potentially working for AGA. Can the topical route regrow arector pilli muscles on completely miniaturized hairs which have moved way up into the fat without any source of blood supply?

    This makes sense as to why perhaps oral won’t work in AGA. To me that is one of the key morphological differences in AGA vs AA. The arector pilli is primarily connected to the terminal hair in a hair follicle unit, with connections into secondary hairs, which are known to miniaturize first. Here is an article on that, and the importance of insertion angle

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2100221/

    One of the first problems with AGA is that the sebaceous gland grows terribly large. My hypothesis is that maybe the sebaceous gland growing abnormally large in Androgenic Alopecia puts pressure on the secondary hairs first, disconnecting them from the smaller arector pilli insertions and thus these are the first to “rip.” This would just be physics at work. Because of this, the stem cell niche, which is situated right below the arector pilli muscle and in contact with the follicular unit loses contact with these hairs first. These cells could normally use the arector pilli insertions as “guides” to help them move and divide properly. Without them they lose their well defined axis of symmetry and growing would become abnormal in 3D space. As they move up into the fat, the growth signals from the dermal papilla have farther to travel and thus exhaust earlier and earlier until the hair is miniaturized, can no longer receive the signals, is blocked by an enflammed sebaceous gland, and has no way to receive the drugs orally because there remains poor, no, or vastly different vascularizarion in miniaturized follicles. This process continues and strikes the primary hair in the hair follicle last with the result being the same.

    The hope is that with maybe a proper topical delivery of a Jaknib, these signals can get concentrated enough around the miniaturized follicle that otherwise has no other way to receive the signals in which to repair the erector pilli. It could be that we are VASTLY underestimating the importance of an erector pilli muscle in the hair follicle. The exact opposite effect is observed in developing beards with androgens (DHT), with bellies hairs being converted into terminal hairs with the growth of an erector pilli unit also. Reducing JAK/stat signaling has been know to markedly help with muscle regeneration, see below

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4426494/

    I wouldn’t completely count out topical covalently bound JAKnibs from helping with AGA.

    Matt

    1. Matt I can answer your question if it is even possible to regrow hair on AGA given all of your concerns the answer is YES. Remember the two Beno guys from the 80’s in which one of them was reported to have been ~70 years old and had been balding for years (probably means he had horseshoe pattern). And the newspaper reported that he regrew his hair on thick on top as it was on the side of his head. Also the campfire guy who fell into a campfire who was an elderly gentleman who had AGA regrew most of his hair. Now if it was impossible then these results never could have happened.

      Personally, I think yes it will work. In fact I am pretty sure that Dr. Christiano probably tried AGA skin on a rat and applied JAK that probably resulted in regrowing of hair. That’s probably why Aclaris bought the rights from her and are about to try it.

      Last time I read anything about it Aclaris was planning on trying it 1st quarter of 2017 applying JAK on AGA although waiting for clarification on that point.

      Thus if you are patient a few months we might know the real answer and not have to speculate about it or worry about it ever again.

      2017 Hair loss Sufferers Moon Landing.

      1. Aga sufferers in their 70ies would have been bald for 40-45 years if they were caucasian or black, 30-40 years if they were asian. If they had been balding “for years” you already established they only suffered hairloss due to old age and not aga, ie irrelevant.

        If anything as strong and dangerous as cyclo A cant regrow aga hairloss the autoimmune component becomes very doubtful. Cyclo A can force the body to accept a new organ but cant supress the immunesystem enough to grow a few hairs from aga-affected follicles? Meh…

  21. Maybe this gradual inflammation during critical moments of a supposed-to-be well timed process are what is leading to the entire cascade. Of course, we do know that it 100% takes DHT to kick off this inflammation process.

  22. We know that DHT is the culprit and we know eunuchs that have been castrated prior to DHT playing havoc have a full head of hair. Inflammation plays a role in all probability. My question is with the present state of our knowledge, is it getting less and less likely that we will reach the cure by 2020? Will this site have to be renamed 2025 or 2030? No disrespect to the moderator who has unselfishly advanced our state of knowledge, especially helping to parse difficult scientific jargon.

  23. We may still have the cure by 2020. Obviously it might not be available immediately, and possibly very expensive and uncommon too after it’s first release.

    As it stands Tsuji’s team does seem to believe they will have the cure between 2020 and 2025. There are some other companies that I am certain will achieve something better than minoxidil/Fin by 2020. And if it’s good enough for perfect maintenance that + FUE will be a solution to some extent.

    Certainly there are signs that the cure isn’t very far away regardless. It does seem like Generation Z will be the last generation to bald.

  24. Quentin, I would love to try your hair concoction ? Sounds solid. However I cant even use nizoral anymore. When I use nizoral shampoo I feel sick for a week after , with diahreaa and chest discomfort. No joke! I used nizoral for years with no problems then I tried fin again and sides were too bad so stopped. But the thing is, since that moment I cant even use nizoral. I even took a year off of it and tried it last week and again the next day got chest pains no energy and diarrhea . Anybody know what the heck is going on??? Seriously anyone with a science or med brain please offer insight. Thank you!

    1. Are you sure its the ketoconazole in nizoral that is causing the problems? Have you tried using regenepure dr or lipogaine big 3? Nizoral is very harsh. I have always hated the smell of it and it seems to make my hair shed alot more after using it. Must be full of synthetic preservatives.. thats a shame about the fin sode effects. I have been taking fin for almost 3 years and never had side effects. I had to start taking fluvoxamine to help me to withdraw from benzodiazapines.. very sad being the fluvoxamine is also a medication for premature ejaculation so i started to get the side effects people experience from fin with the fluvoxamine.. so i take cialis before intercourse, its not too bad. And the sides arent all the time. Usually when i am dehrydrated or drunk. Maybe you could try taking 0.25mg of fin every 2 days. It should still be enough. They sell it at that stregnth in japan. Another article i read was that if you crush up 0.5mg of finasteride and add it to 100ml of minox you will be using topical fin.. im considering it as it sounds like the much cheaper option. Im guessing with less side effects. My other suggestion if you really cant use ketoconazole is to use a shampoo with peppermint oil. I use broo invigorating shampoo and i cant even explain how much i prefer it to nizoral. Peppermint oil has shown very promising results in hair growth and it seems to get rid of all my dandruff leaving my scalp feel so clean. Hope some of this info helps

  25. Wasnt there a picture floating around of a guy with AA that took JAK inhibitors and it grew his hair back but only to the point where his AGA (which he also had) would allow? He basically went from bald to a sharp widows peak diffuse. I thought that would have concluded the JAK deal on AGA…

    1. Whats interesting is that he didnt regrow any hair in the aga affected areas, the jak inhibitor must be reaching that part also, its not that selective of course. No doubt he was a good responder if he regrew the rest, and no doubt medication was successfully delivered to the scalp in adequate quantities.

  26. H. There are more than one form of Jak inhibitor. Christiano said they have to find which works if any and get the application and dosage right. Its too complicated and would be stupid to rule it out over one case.

  27. For the people here that are waiting for jak can work for aga i tell you that will not work.
    More.
    For AA that are some positives result still today in almost in 2017 no drogs for AA. Why? The drog have to much negative side effect.

  28. How is it so hard to just test it on AGA????
    Just get any balding man and inject a safe dose into 1cm2 of their scalp and see if anything grows there!!!! Why are they taking so long to do that?!
    Do they need another compound to make the delivery of the medicine more effective or what? What is the big deal?

    1. I agree with Li. It’s ridiculous how long it takes for them to see if it works. They are most likely just throwing around the AGA term to gain investors just like every other company out there. Too fund more serious conditions like AA and Totalis. We are in the bottom of the barrel for new treatments. It’s taking this long for any new treatment because A) They simply don’t have a working solution B) They are using AGA to gain funding while they don’t have a working solution C) Treatment works and the fda is busting their balls to make it through the trials.

      1. Let’s hope for C.
        In my opinion they have already tried it on AGA and know the answer..

        If it works and they’re keeping it secretive for now it’s understandable. I think anyone that had a full cure to baldness wouldn’t tell everyone immediately.
        But if it doesn’t work and they know that and are only giving us false hope then I hope they all go (irreversibly) bald lol
        This whole waiting for effective treatments makes me so anxious.

        1. The only solution for us all is the brotzu lotion. Othet are not working to much to get to the market. Histogem will get some progresso but will be like PPR

          1. Brotzu is obviously not working, if half the rumors were true we would have massive evidence already. Its only a mix of random chemicals with remote effects, “its like adding bubble gum in the bread dough and promise there will be bubbles. (Rimmer, T.)”

      2. Mjones. Oral jak dont work. Tropical now i know that will dont work to. For this jak type they are testing. Other dont are material to get to the clínic a test.

    1. No you will not see the doctor.
      A) it has no proven effect on aga.
      B) side effects require lab monitoring.
      Conclusion: Hair effect is doubtful, dangerous side effects are guaranteed.

      1. Yes, Side effects are guaranteed also with finasteride and dutasteride . Pubmed don’t lie. Propecia comercial and the HT doctors YES.

        1. Im on dutasteride and having only positive side effects, and soo many others are reporting “no sides” or no bad sides. I would continue dutasteride even if i had no regrowth (but i have). Finasteride, have used that too, no bad sides but sperm volume was permanently reduced.

          Plus, dangerous sides, kidney failure and whatever? No. You cant compare them to cyclosporine a, its a downright dangerous drug.

  29. Don’t you think cloneing non effected hair cells sounds like 100% will work and 100 % should be her by now in this day and age.

    Clone a sheep

    Have a baby with three parents

    Can’t clone a hair cell

    Gtfoh

  30. Just want to add: DO NOT consider experimenting with cyclosporine A on your own, its a dangerous drug with extremely bad potential side effects. Close follow up is required and the follow up is more than the doctor asking if you feel ok, its dose dependent but still…

  31. All, I msg’d Rivertown via their website a few weeks ago and received a response…Pretty disappointed to be honest, a) didn’t answer all my questions and b) Given where they were in terms of pics released and the FDA approval of 2 out of the 3 compounds they use and the 3rd having use in 600 human patients, they are still vaguely talking about Phase 2b…

    Also they mentioned anecdotal reversal of grey hair and that it was un-tested on beard hair, however, another poster mentioned a reply from them where they stated they had reformulated the product for beards…

    My email below, followed by Rivertown response:

    I hope you are well, I am an avid follower of your company and it’s work and follow the science with great excitement and anticipation – As I’m sure do millions of others!

    I just wanted to get a better understdanding of RT1640 and the timeline for release?

    When is a commercial topical expected to market for general use?

    Also what regulatory hurdles are left if all 3 of the compounds in RT1640 are FDA aaproved?

    What are the next steps and timescales involved?

    Finally, I had read that the product has been re-formulated for beards in order to restore original pigmentation, can you confirm this is the case?

    I look forward to hearing from you!

    All the best with the R&D!!

    RT:

    First we would like to thank you for your interest in RT1640, as far as timelines go we have not completed our Phase 2b trials. Once we have our results we will have a much better idea as far as timing goes. We have seen the reversal of achromotrichia anecdotally in the setting of androgenic alopecia, we have yet to study effects on beards.

  32. As a bald guy, I am saddened some by this unfulfilled excitement from a few years ago now. I began losing hair more than 20 years ago, but was confident that scientists were closing in on a cure that might be able to help me. I don’t think that’s happening. I’ve mostly come to grips with the loss of my hair, but it still hurts some to see old pictures. A family member recently noted how a picture of me from high school looked like a totally different person, which stung a bit. I’m sure some other cure will seem to be just around the corner and I’ll get a flicker of hope again, but until then I’ll just keep shaving it very short. Good luck!

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