Why is Nizerol such a big deal?

[JoshB]

I have been on forms of Propecia (Proscar, finasteride) since 2008 and I only used Nizerol for the first month or so, if that... then I stopped using it and it's almost 3 years later now.

I have been reading this website and seen statements such as: Without an anti-inflammatory (Nizerol) your treatments will not work. and No matter what treatment regimen you use, Nizoral shampoo absolutely must be included.

How accurate is that? It's now 2011 and my finasteride is still working a treat, filled in my crown, thickened it up and stopped further loss all without Nizerol.

Is Nizerol really that vital to all routines? Is a statement like Without an anti-inflammatory (Nizerol) your treatments will not work. actually accurate? It can't be.

I am wondering what general opinion is. Obviously I want the best results so I'd start using it in my routine if people could give some advice/opinions on it.

I'm not downplaying it's role at all, I just want to understand. I didn't think anything of me leaving it out until I came across this website today.

 

[slurms mackenzie]

I have been on forms of Propecia (Proscar, finasteride) since 2008 and I only used Nizerol for the first month or so, if that... then I stopped using it and it's almost 3 years later now.

I have been reading this website and seen statements such as: Without an anti-inflammatory (Nizerol) your treatments will not work. and No matter what treatment regimen you use, Nizoral shampoo absolutely must be included.

How accurate is that?

Not accurate at all.

Is Nizerol really that vital to all routines? Is a statement like Without an anti-inflammatory (Nizerol) your treatments will not work. actually accurate? It can't be.

I think the consensus is if you're scalp is inflamed or itching then it needs tackling, but that's a long way from saying you have to use Nizoral in all regimens, could you link to the posts you've read which state these things.

 

[JoshB]

I have been on forms of Propecia (Proscar, finasteride) since 2008 and I only used Nizerol for the first month or so, if that... then I stopped using it and it's almost 3 years later now.

I have been reading this website and seen statements such as: Without an anti-inflammatory (Nizerol) your treatments will not work. and No matter what treatment regimen you use, Nizoral shampoo absolutely must be included.

How accurate is that?

Not accurate at all.

Is Nizerol really that vital to all routines? Is a statement like Without an anti-inflammatory (Nizerol) your treatments will not work. actually accurate? It can't be.

I think the consensus is if you're scalp is inflamed or itching then it needs tackling, but that's a long way from saying you have to use Nizoral in all regimens, could you link to the posts you've read which state these things.

Thanks for the reply. The only tab I have open still with that information is this page: http://www.hairlosstalk.com/hair-loss-m ... tments.php

It wasn't on the forum but in the *Start here* guide provided by hairlosstalk.com. it says a couple times on that page alone and within the guide that Nizerol is pretty much a vital necessity.

 

[slurms mackenzie]

Ah right i thought you'd picked that up in the forums, so i thought it would have been some light misunderstanding, but erm to me that seems quite wrong.

The web site itself really does just seem to be the shop and the forums these days I could be wrong be the newsletters don't seem to be updated and neither do the articles.

When you have studies proving the efficacy of both propecia and minoxidil without the use of Nizoral that makes the statement

"No legitimate treatment (below) will work without it."

Utterly false and i'm surprised that's not been challenged before.

It's a good thing you've pointed this out.

 

[Ende]

It's not. Personally, I wouldn't use Nizoral if I didn't have seborrheic dermatitis, although it's a mild growth stimulant. It changes follicles from resting phase to growth phase.

 

[rwhairlosstalk]

Because most want to avoid meds it at all.

And to find a topical that works, something that doesn't take from your normal routine or cause you medical sides is such a miracle!

Plus it works instantly. I can be shedding 200 hairs before a wash. The next day maybe 30 hairs. Nothing else works that fast.

 

[JoshB]

Because most want to avoid meds it at all.

And to find a topical that works, something that doesn't take from your normal routine or cause you medical sides is such a miracle!

Plus it works instantly. I can be shedding 200 hairs before a wash. The next day maybe 30 hairs. Nothing else works that fast.

Not really saying you're wrong at all I can't possible because I haven't got the experience or knowledge to do so but are there any medical tests or results showing this? Surely if Nizerol was this wonder shampoo that could do that sort of thing, the manufactures would have officially tested it and rebranded a version of it especially for combating hair loss. Surely that's where the money is especially if it does do that.

 

[jd_uk]

It's not. Personally, I wouldn't use Nizoral if I didn't have seborrheic dermatitis, although it's a mild growth stimulant. It changes follicles from resting phase to growth phase.

Enden can you tell me why you wouldn't use it?

Just i was thinking of combining it with the minoxidil that I currently use soon but if it's not going to stop hair loss or even if it can do my hair any harm then i don't want to bother.

Anyone else feel free to chip in.

Thanks

 

[jd_uk]

Because most want to avoid meds it at all.

And to find a topical that works, something that doesn't take from your normal routine or cause you medical sides is such a miracle!

Plus it works instantly. I can be shedding 200 hairs before a wash. The next day maybe 30 hairs. Nothing else works that fast.

Not really saying you're wrong at all I can't possible because I haven't got the experience or knowledge to do so but are there any medical tests or results showing this? Surely if Nizerol was this wonder shampoo that could do that sort of thing, the manufactures would have officially tested it and rebranded a version of it especially for combating hair loss. Surely that's where the money is especially if it does do that.

good point.

 

[TheGrayMan2001]

I have found Nizoral to be completely unnecessary. I don't think it is important enough to be part of "the big three". If you have scalp issues, it's great, but it really has no bearing on regrowing or stopping lost hair. There is only one study that was done in France that showed nizoral having a benefit in hair growth. It was so minor it was possibly barely even statistically significant.

 

[Ende]

Enden can you tell me why you wouldn't use it?

It's medication, it has a tendency to dry out both scalp and hair, and it doesn't really take care of the problem. RU58841 does that, alone.

 

[jd_uk]

Enden can you tell me why you wouldn't use it?

It's medication, it has a tendency to dry out both scalp and hair, and it doesn't really take care of the problem. RU58841 does that, alone.

ok, thanks.

my initial thought, as ever, is yeah but what about the side effects of RU58841...from reading some of yours and others posts about it, it can deliver some pretty 'dodgy' effects (haven't you personally had some quite nasty at times and others had the sexual effects like semen reduction?) and is a fairly 'unknown' drug. Scares the **** out of me.

 

[Ende]

my initial thought, as ever, is yeah but what about the side effects of RU58841...from reading some of yours and others posts about it, it can deliver some pretty 'dodgy' effects (haven't you personally had some quite nasty at times and others had the sexual effects like semen reduction?)

No, I had typical anti-androgen side effects. Another user claimed that it had similar effect on the prostate fluid like finasteride, and he agreed to stop treatment for 3 days to confirm that it actually was the case, but he has not given us a conclusion yet.

 

[Icemaiden]

Hi guys! I'm new here.

I'm here finding out about hair loss treatments for a male friend. I looked into the subject years ago for a beauty site I was making, which is how I found out about Nizerol and coming across this discussion reminded me of something.

A couple of years ago one of my friends was complaining that his hair was thinning. He was about 75, his hairline was receeding a tiny bit and he was a thinning on top and very much so on the crown. The hairs themselves looked thick enough, quite coarse actually, but there weren't as many of them as there should be.

He isn't the sort to go spending a lot of money or time on his appearance so I said to switch to using Nizoral and not worry that it said it was for dandruff.

Then I forgot about it.

Perhaps a year later I was staring at his head, wondering why he looked different. His hair was a lot better. There seemed to be more of it. I'd say 15% more. I mentioned this and asked if he was on some medication or something. He said "I've been using that shampoo you said to use".

I didn't even know you were supposed to leave it on your head for a while, so he hadn't even been doing that, far as I know. Anyway, it worked. On a 75 year old. This seems like a pretty good result to me and seeing as everyone has to use shampoo, it seems like a good idea to use this one.

 

[slurms mackenzie]

I have found Nizoral to be completely unnecessary. I don't think it is important enough to be part of "the big three". If you have scalp issues, it's great, but it really has no bearing on regrowing or stopping lost hair. There is only one study that was done in France that showed nizoral having a benefit in hair growth. It was so minor it was possibly barely even statistically significant.

I think this is the study you're referring to, they're only half french you know!

Ketoconazole shampoo: effect of long-term use in androgenic alopecia.

Pierard-Franchimont C, De Doncker P, Cauwenbergh G, Pierard GE.

Department of Dermatopathology, University of Liege, Belgium.

BACKGROUND: The pathogenesis of androgenic alopecia is not fully understood. A microbial-driven inflammatory reaction abutting on the hair follicles might participate in the hair status anomaly. OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to determine if ketoconazole (KCZ) which is active against the scalp microflora and shows some intrinsic anti-inflammatory activity might improve alopecia. METHOD: The effect of 2% KCZ shampoo was compared to that of an unmedicated shampoo used in combination with or without 2% minoxidil therapy. RESULTS: Hair density and size and proportion of anagen follicles were improved almost similarly by both KCZ and minoxidil regimens. The sebum casual level appeared to be decreased by KCZ. CONCLUSION: Comparative data suggest that there may be a significant action of KCZ upon the course of androgenic alopecia and that Malassezia spp. may play a role in the inflammatory reaction. The clinical significance of the results awaits further controlled study in a larger group of subjects.

a second study

C. Piérard-Franchimont, V. Goffin, F. Henry, I. Uhoda, C. Braham, G. E. Piérard.

Nudging hair shedding by antidandruff shampoos. A comparison of 1% ketoconazole, 1% piroctone olamine and 1% zinc pyrithione formulations.

International Journal of Cosmetic Science Volume 24, Issue 5, Page 249-256, Oct 2002

Synopsis

Hair shedding and hair thinning have been reported to be affected by dandruff and seborrhoeic dermatitis. The present study was conducted in 150 men presenting with telogen effluvium related to androgenic alopecia associated with dandruff. They were randomly allocated to three groups receiving each one of the three shampoos in the market containing either 1% ketoconazole (KTZ), 1% piroctone olamine (PTO) or 1% zinc pyrithione (ZPT). Shampoos had to be used 23 times a week for 6 months. Hair shedding during shampoo was evaluated semiquantitatively. Hair density on the vertex was evaluated on photographs using a Dermaphot. Trichograms were used for determining the anagen hair percentage and the mean proximal hair shaft diameter using computerized image analysis. The sebum excretion rate (SER, g cm2 h1) was also measured using a Sebumeter®.
The three treatments cleared pruritus and dandruff rapidly. At end point, hair density was unchanged, although hair shedding was decreased (KTZ: -17.3%, PTO: -16.5%, ZPT: -10.1%) and the anagen hair percentage was increased (KTZ: 4.9%, PTO: 7.9%, ZPT: 6.8%). The effect on the mean hair shaft diameter was contrasted between the three groups of volunteers (KTZ: 5.4%, PTO: 7.7%, ZPT: -2.2%). In conclusion, telogen effluvium was controlled by KTZ, PTO and ZPT shampoos at 1% concentration. In addition, KTZ and PTO increased the mean hair shaft thickness while discretely decreasing the sebum output at the skin surface.

From the full study:

Conclusion

The present study comparing 1% KTZ, 1% PTO and 1% ZPT shampoos has demonstrated that these products have some other benefits in addition to their reported antidandruff effect. The data show that these shampoos have a beneficial effect on the anagen/ telogen ratio, by increasing the anagen hair percentage in subjects with dandruff. This results in a reduced hair shedding. In addition, the data show that 1% KTZ and 1% PTO, but not 1% ZPT, produce a beneficial effect on scalp seborrhoea and hair shaft diameter. The reason for such opposite effect is unknown. Finally, the data show that scalp seborrhoea is inversely correlated with hair thickness. The virtue of such a finding is its simplicity. However, the results cannot be taken at face value. There may remain debate whether reducing sebum excess on the scalp may lead to thicker hair, and whether increasing scalp seborrhoea may be accompanied by a reduction in the hair shaft diameter.

Another study for nizoral (okay it's the cream)

http://www.hairsite.com/hair-loss/forum ... nswer.html

A study on meese

Topical application of ketoconazole stimulates hair growth in C3H/HeN mice.Jiang J, Tsuboi R, Kojima Y, Ogawa H.
Department of Dermatology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan.

Ketoconazole (KCZ) is an imidazole anti-fungal agent that is also effective in topical applications for treating seborrheic dermatitis and dandruff. Recently, topical use of 2% KCZ shampoo has been reported to have had a clinically therapeutic effect on androgenetic alopecia. The present study was conducted with the purpose of quantitatively examining the stimulatory effect of KCZ on hair growth in a mouse model. Coat hairs on the dorsal skin of seven week-old male C3H/HeN mice were gently clipped, and either 2% KCZ solution in 95% ethanol or a vehicle solution was topically applied once daily for three weeks. The clipped area was photographed, and the ratio of re-grown coat area was then calculated. The results demonstrated that 2% KCZ had a macroscopically significant stimulatory effect compared with the vehicle group (p<0.01, n=10). Repeated experiments showed similar effects, confirming the efficacy of KCZ as a hair growth stimulant. Although the therapeutic mechanism of topical KCZ for hair growth is unclear, our results suggest that topical applications of the substance are useful for treating seborrheic dermatitis accompanied by hair regression or male pattern hair loss.

This is why people add nizoral to the big 3, it's nowhere near as proven as the other two and is by no means a neccessity, but if you're going to use a shampoo you can see why people recommend it, personally i find it harsh on the scalp.

 

[shineman921]

Enden can you tell me why you wouldn't use it?

It's medication, it has a tendency to dry out both scalp and hair, and it doesn't really take care of the problem. RU58841 does that, alone.

What is RU58841? Can you buy it anywhere?

I like Nizoral (or the Galpharm version I'm using now). Use the 2% twice a week. I have to say the best shampoo for feel and condition after washing is Nisim for me. I use it in between the nizoral though it's too pricey to sustain. I'm going to give Alpecin a try in between the nizoral just for cost reasons.

 

[Nickel]

Ive been using nizoral for few years, cant tell if it helped me to save my hair, but good thing about it is that it makes my hair visually thicker and i would say "sharper" also it made my hair darker dont know why.

 

[rwhairlosstalk]

A huge deal since all I did was stop using it and my shed went from formerly 5-10 shed hairs to 80-100 shed hairs a day. Darn! That crap is difficult to deal with.

 

[rwhairlosstalk]

Because most want to avoid meds it at all.

And to find a topical that works, something that doesn't take from your normal routine or cause you medical sides is such a miracle!

Plus it works instantly. I can be shedding 200 hairs before a wash. The next day maybe 30 hairs. Nothing else works that fast.

Not really saying you're wrong at all I can't possible because I haven't got the experience or knowledge to do so but are there any medical tests or results showing this? Surely if Nizerol was this wonder shampoo that could do that sort of thing, the manufactures would have officially tested it and rebranded a version of it especially for combating hair loss. Surely that's where the money is especially if it does do that.

Nah I don't. Wish there were some as I would have found it years ago which means thousands of hairs ago.

BUT

All I know is that it WORKS.
For ME.
And VERY well.

I could take four x's the amount of anti androgen that I take and wouldn't likely need nizoral until my hair loss gets worse which may happen with age.

But I don't want that much of the med in my system. The sides for long term use are not good. Most anti A's can cause breast cancer and heart problems.

I'll stick with the low dose and nizoral every 3 days.

 

[rashlan]

you missed this study.
Ketocazole as an adjunct to finasteride in the treatment of androgenetic alopecia in men.
Hugo Perez BS.
Source
California College of Podiatric Medicine, 371 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA. Hugo2002@yahoo.com
Abstract
Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) binding to androgen receptors (AR) in hair follicles is commonly accepted as the first step leading to the miniaturizing of follicles associated with androgenetic alopecia (Androgenetic Alopecia). Testosterone is converted to DHT by the enzyme 5alpha-reductase. Finasateride a 5alpha-reducase inhibitor blocks the production of DHT and is currently used to treat Androgenetic Alopecia. The inhibition is not complete but a reduction of DHT systemically and in the scalp is accomplished. Ketoconazole has been clinically shown to be effective in the treatment of Androgenetic Alopecia. In this paper, evidence is presented to support the hypothesis that ketoconazole 2% shampoo has a local disruption of the DHT pathway. It is proposed that using ketoconazole 2% shampoo as an adjunct to finasteride treatment could lead to a more complete inhibition of DHT and thus better treat Androgenetic Alopecia.