Latisse…A New Cure for Balding?
- Posted on: May 13 2011
There is excitement in the medical community that a new product may be developed to treat scalp balding. Latisse® is a solution that is used to grow eyelashes and has been on the market since 2008. Many physicians specializing in hair loss treatment and restoration have been using the generic form of the drug bimatoprost since 2007 to treat scalp hair loss. They have found that 70% of their patients had significant response. The pharmaceutical company Allergan that produces Latisse® sees the potential for a FDA approved treatment for hair loss and just recently began phase 1 trials.
Let’s wish them luck and success in the trials. Let’s also hope the price of the medication is affordable. Latisse® currently costs $150 for 3 ml. My own hair is thinning… genetic trait I inherited from my dear grandmother…so I decided to begin using it on my own scalp, sparingly. But how many treatments can you get out of a tiny bottle that costs $150? I wince at the price. So we can only wish that if a new drug for hair loss is in the pipeline and proves to be effective that it will also be affordable.
There are several other options for hair loss currently on the market that are FDA-approved and range in price. Topical Rogaine® costs about $25 and can be used by men and women. Propecia® is an oral medication approved for men only and costs about $75 per month. Hair transplants currently range from $7000-$10,000. HairMax LaserComb® is hand-held device that uses laser energy to stimulate hair growth and costs about $500. What does the future hold? Perhaps hair cloning will be the treatment for hair loss. It is currently being studied at several academic centers and may be commercially available in ten years.
So what’s a girl to do with thin hair? I just love the thickening shampoo by Rene Furterer Paris called Forticea ($25). My hair feels like it doubles in size after each use. I also use the Rene Furterer’s Vitalfan dietary supplements ($40 per month). My complete hair maintenance regimen also includes the use of the HairMax LaserComb® twice a week and Rogaine® topical solution daily. Wish me luck. I can’t wait ten years!
Video Good Morning America video on Latisse for hair loss, featuring Dr. Alan Bauman, a hair-restoration specialist based in Florida who helped pioneer the use of bimatoprost in his hair loss patients
Video Dateline video following several men who suffer from hair loss and the treatments that they used to combat baldness
View New York Times article on Latisse for hair loss