NIAGRA OF CURLS
February 1, 2013 9:48 AM   Subscribe

Has a new and effective treatment for hair loss been found in Japan? Agent for the treatment of alopecia: US PATENT 20120238498 A1

ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new agent for the treatment of alopecia, the agent being not only effective and safe for, in particular, alopecia areata, androgenetic alopecia in a male, androgenetic alopecia in a female, female pattern alopecia, postpartum alopecia, seborrheic alopecia, alopecia pityroides, senile alopecia, cancer chemotherapy drug-induced alopecia, and alopecia due to radiation exposure, but also effective for a target having resistance to treatment with minoxidil or finasteride, there being no side effects such as an itching sensation, irritation, or feminization, and no contraindications, the agent suppressing dandruff or having a therapeutic effect for white hair, and the therapeutic effect for alopecia being maintained for a long period even when use of the agent is stopped.

The solution means of the present invention is an agent for the treatment of alopecia containing as an active ingredient a C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP), a B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), a derivative of these NPs, a chimeric peptide of these NPs, or a derivative of a chimeric peptide of these NPs.
Conclusions from Case Test Results

[0666] As is clear from the above-mentioned test cases, the agent for the treatment of alopecia of the present invention had a very high recovery rate for hair loss, and the period taken to express its hair growth promoting effect was short. In most cases, hair growth was confirmed by applying the agent for the treatment of alopecia of the present invention for 1 week to 2 weeks, and clear hair growth was observed during the 3rd week. Furthermore, the treatment agent of the present invention restored white hair to black hair, decreased dandruff in an alopecia pityroides patient, and improved seborrheic scalp in a seborrheic alopecia patient.

[0667] When the agent for the treatment of alopecia of the present invention contained CNP or BNP as an active ingredient, the therapeutic effects were marked, hair grew almost certainly with application twice a day for 1 week, terminal hair was observed with application for 2 weeks, and it became difficult to see the skin with application for 4 weeks. Worthy of special note is that it was unnecessary to continue application after vellus hair grew; the vellus hair became dark and thick, became terminal hair, and continued to grow.
other recent research:

WSJ: The Search for a Baldness Cure

Bloomberg: Baldness Protein Found in Study That May Lead to Treatments

9 Bizarre Baldness Cures

title source: The Amazing Seven Sutherland Sisters And Their 'Niagara Of Curls'
posted by ninjew (36 comments total) 10 users marked this as a favorite
 
Needs more peanut butter.
posted by sparklemotion at 9:54 AM on February 1, 2013 [3 favorites]


9 Bizarre Baldness Cures

Ah, but are they weird old tips?
posted by strangely stunted trees at 9:58 AM on February 1, 2013 [9 favorites]


ninjew: the therapeutic effect for alopecia being maintained for a long period even when use of the agent is stopped.

No doubt the pharmaceutical companies are desperately searching for ways to reverse this behavior before they bring it to market.
posted by Rock Steady at 10:00 AM on February 1, 2013 [4 favorites]


Get me some stat.

I'll admit it. I'm vain enough to have tinkered with Minoxidil. Gave me a terrible rash on my scalp and back, so the fact my bald spot was being covered was offset by the fact I had a red festering rash. So not as effective with the ladies as you'd hope.

I'll try this stuff out though.

I just pray it's made from deer antler velvet, that'd be great.
posted by Keith Talent at 10:02 AM on February 1, 2013 [1 favorite]


That "Amazing Seven Sutherland Sisters" piece really earns the "Amazing" part of the title. Truth isn't just stranger than fiction, it's stranger than a Monty Python skit.
posted by yoink at 10:02 AM on February 1, 2013 [2 favorites]


They say you grow hair - look like Stalin!
posted by griphus at 10:13 AM on February 1, 2013


Are Donald, and thereby Keefer, related to these ladies? There was a lot of trade/travel/migration between the Maritimes and neighboring New England and a lot of old families have relatives on both sides of the border.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 10:18 AM on February 1, 2013


Waiting for the inevitable postscript.

"...however, all users experienced complete genital atrophy and constant bleeding from both eyes."
posted by jquinby at 10:21 AM on February 1, 2013 [4 favorites]


Interesting. My skeptical brain tells me "I'll believe it when I see it; I'm sure Propecia made the same claims while not mentioning it would kill your testosterone for life." My sucker brain says "Maybe they can find something to permanently fix it."

Question: say we have discovered a product that would reverse balding and allow everyone to have a full head of hair, Fabio-style. And would turn white hair to natural color. In other words, a discovery which completely reverses a natural, undesirable biological process. A perfect pharmacological solution.

Is there any analog or precedent for our ability to find a perfect solution like that?
posted by dios at 10:21 AM on February 1, 2013


fluoridated water?

iodized salt?
posted by sparklemotion at 10:27 AM on February 1, 2013


Polio and smallpox vaccines are pretty damn close.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:28 AM on February 1, 2013




I'll admit it. I'm vain enough to have tinkered with Minoxidil.

One of my mother's friends tried Minxoidil.


It did nothing for his very bald head.

However, it made his eyebrows grow VERY long and bushy.


My mother suggested he continue to grow them out until he could comb them over his forehead.


He did not find that suggestion hilarious.
posted by louche mustachio at 10:31 AM on February 1, 2013 [4 favorites]


I'm vain enough to have tinkered with Minoxidil. Gave me a terrible rash on my scalp and back...

If I had any back hair I might be attached to it, too.
posted by StickyCarpet at 10:33 AM on February 1, 2013


the claim is fairly outstanding, I think, even though it is just a patent application. treat any type of hair loss, regardless of gender or cause, with no hormonal or systemic side effects. not just that, but treating dandruff as well. the treatment works in weeks, not months or years, and once results are given treatment can be discontinued. i can see how the drug companies might wish for it to be something necessary on an ongoing basis so that prescriptions continually need to be filled, I think they'll have that anyways. once a specific patient receives the treatment, they may require follow up if new hair loss occurs. and the thing is, it doesn't prevent hair loss in the future. so there will always be a constant stream of new hair loss patients. drugs get made if there's enough reason for the drug companies to invest in their development because they see potential for their substantial investment to be returned. this one seems fairly obvious to me.

if it results in a workable product that makes it through clinical trials, it is a license to print money.
posted by ninjew at 10:43 AM on February 1, 2013


It stinks.
- Cosmo Kramer
posted by davebush at 10:47 AM on February 1, 2013 [1 favorite]


iodized salt?

A nutrient deficiency's sort of a special case, but within that, thiamine's probably an even better example. Some cases of beriberi (that haven't progressed to peripheral neuropathy) can be cured within a few hours of administering thiamine hydrochloride, and unlike iodine salts, there's no known possibility of overdose or adverse effects.
posted by strangely stunted trees at 10:51 AM on February 1, 2013 [2 favorites]


I take umbrage with an entry in that "9 Bizarre Baldness Cures" link.

Toupees are not a bizarre baldness cure, so much as a lackluster baldness disguise, or regrettable baldness camouflage. Or in my case, an eventual baldness inevitability.
posted by evidenceofabsence at 11:05 AM on February 1, 2013 [1 favorite]


Maybe the unattractive (on most men) shaved head will go out of style.
posted by Cranberry at 11:15 AM on February 1, 2013 [1 favorite]


Doesn't it say that the treatment lasts for a while but it doesn't last indefinitely? So you might have a "freshen up" treatment every few months, instead of having to put stuff on your head everyday like Minoxidil. If true, that's certainly more convenient.
posted by delicious-luncheon at 11:18 AM on February 1, 2013 [1 favorite]


Maybe the unattractive (on most men) shaved head will go out of style.

Speaking as someone who does this, I do it because I feel that when I grow my hair out, it looks really unhealthy, to me. Like, there's something about sparse hair that intuitively translates to sickliness. So I don't feel I have a lot of choice on the shaved head front. So I get sad when people tell me how much they dislike shaved heads because I feel I don't have much choice. It's that or the lame "wear hats all the time".

I know the sickliness thing is my own hang-up, but I can't shake it. Every time I grow my hair out again ... yuck!
posted by neuromodulator at 11:32 AM on February 1, 2013 [2 favorites]


It would be so absolutely amazing if this were real, but I'm not holding out hope.
posted by cthuljew at 11:45 AM on February 1, 2013


Maybe the unattractive (on most men) shaved head will go out of style

Plenty of dudes look super hot with shaved heads.

Shaggy eyebrows are another story though. It takes two seconds to clean that up, yo.
posted by roger ackroyd at 11:46 AM on February 1, 2013


Finally, Homer Simpson can become the dashing executive he was always meant to be and need not fear that the hilarious shenanigans of his offspring might ruin everything.
posted by ursus_comiter at 11:50 AM on February 1, 2013 [1 favorite]


Gave me a terrible rash on my scalp and back, so the fact my bald spot was being covered was offset by the fact I had a red festering rash.

That may have been because most of the minoxidil products have a propylene glycol (antifreeze) base.
posted by titus-g at 12:04 PM on February 1, 2013


When he first tried out to for the "Star Trek" part, Patrick Stewart wore a wig, but Trek creator Gene Roddenberry nixed it, preferring the bald look.
A reporter later goaded Roddenberry, "Surely they would have cured baldness by the 24th century."
Roddenberry: "In the 24th century, they wouldn't care."

posted by exogenous at 12:34 PM on February 1, 2013 [3 favorites]


I really want this to be real, because if this can treat alopecia universalis, I will sign the fuck up for human trials.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 12:50 PM on February 1, 2013 [2 favorites]


posted by TheWhiteSkull

LOL
posted by Jimbob at 12:55 PM on February 1, 2013


Actually, that's why I call myself the white skull.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 12:57 PM on February 1, 2013


Soon, with hope, you'll be the whitefuzz, then the whitewave!
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 1:07 PM on February 1, 2013 [3 favorites]


A reporter later goaded Roddenberry, "Surely they would have cured baldness by the 24th century."
Roddenberry: "In the 24th century, they wouldn't care."

"and don't call me Shirley."
posted by BeeDo at 1:47 PM on February 1, 2013 [4 favorites]


I used to have alopecia areata. One day I noticed a small spot about the size of a quarter on the left front side of my chin, where no beard was growing. I kept an eye on it, and it was definitely a spot of alopecia. I could have 5 days of stubble and that spot would be completely bare. That was the only time you would see it, when I hadn't shaved for a while. But it bugged the crap out of me, so I shaved close all the time so nobody could see it. After a few years, I noticed my beard was growing in the spot, the alopeica was gone. I talked to my doctor, he said they don't know why alopecia happens, or why it goes away. Weird. I'm just glad it didn't happen somewhere more prominent, like the middle of an eyebrow or something.
posted by charlie don't surf at 3:55 PM on February 1, 2013



Toupees are not a bizarre baldness cure, so much as a lackluster baldness disguise, or regrettable baldness camouflage.
posted by evidenceofabsence


Lots of eponysteria in this thread.
posted by ShutterBun at 5:14 PM on February 1, 2013


9 Bizarre Baldness Cures

Ah, but are they weird old tips?


they certainly are
posted by ninjew at 7:56 PM on February 1, 2013


Let's see... permanently cures baldness and turns grey back to its original color after 4 weeks of application?

$50,000 per 1/2 oz. tube.
posted by Enron Hubbard at 9:15 AM on February 2, 2013


This will probably quietly disappear like that tooth-decay vaccine idea reported a while back.
posted by gubo at 3:07 PM on February 2, 2013 [1 favorite]


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