A Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study Evaluating the Efficacy of an Oral Supplement in Women with Self-perceived Thinning Hair

J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2012 November; 5(11): 28–34.
A Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study Evaluating the Efficacy of an Oral Supplement in Women with Self-perceived Thinning Hair
Ablon Glynis, MD, FAAD

Objective: To assess the ability of an oral supplement to increase hair growth in women with thinning hair. Design: A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study. Setting: One United States clinical site. Participants: Healthy women aged 21 to 75 years with Fitzpatrick I to IV photo skin types with self-perceived thinning hair. Measurements: Subjects were randomized to treatment with the study medication (N=10) or placebo (N=5) twice daily for 180 days. A 4cm2 area of scalp was selected for hair counts performed after 90±7 and 180±7 days of treatment. The primary efficacy measure was the change in terminal and vellus hairs in each target area. The secondary measure was changes in a self-assessment questionnaire. Results: The mean (SD) number of terminal vellus hairs among placebo-treated subjects at baseline was 256.0 (24.1), remaining at 245.0 (22.4) and 242.2 (26.9) after 90 and 180 days, respectively. The mean baseline number of terminal hairs in control-treated subjects was 271.0 (24.2) increasing to 571 (65.7) and 609.6 (66.6) after 90 and 180 days, respectively (for each, p<0.001 vs. placebo). The mean number of vellus hairs among placebo-and control-treated subjects did not significantly change. Significantly more control-treated subjects perceived improvements in overall hair volume, scalp coverage, and thickness of hair body after 90 days. Additional improvement after 180 days included hair shine, skin moisture retention, and skin smoothness. No adverse events were reported. Conclusion: The oral supplement assessed in this study safely and effectively promotes significant hair growth in women with temporary hair thinning.

Full study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3509882/

So what is this stuff? It's been around for a while:

http://www.iherb.com/Viviscal-Hair-Nutrition-Program-Extra-Strength-60-Tablets/14379

A cheaper alternative here:

http://www.iherb.com/Proper-Nutrition-Inc-Seacure-Hydrolyzed-White-Fish-Protein-180-Capsules/4950

Would it be too naive to expect something similar from regular Krill Oil with Astaxanthin?

Some comments relating to hair that I found - "I was first introduced to Seacure by a holistic veternarian who recommended it for my cat. My cat was skin and bones. I didn't expect him to live much longer. I gave him one gel cap of Seacure mixed with gravy daily. He gained two pounds in one month and his hair grew back in places where he had been shaved. Seacure saved his life. Now I'm a believer and I'm taking it!";
"Great product, service and price. Helps stop hair loss.";

The psychological implications of this study are also interesting. Could it be that some psycholgical disposition of those women who were perceiving their hair to be thinning was actually contributing to their lack of results? Was the fact that the control group likely didn't have any psychological complexes about their hair contributing to the perceived positive results? I think one's belief in the cure has a great deal to do with the efficacy of the cure.

Huh. I used Viviscal for months a few years back and it did nada that I could tell. Looks like it's worth trying again. I was significantly more stressed out then than I am now, so maybe results will be different.

Or maybe the key is the words "temporary hair thinning". Mine's not temporary, that's for sure.

Or maybe anthony's right.

Guess we'll see. If I think it gives any results after a few months I'll report it. Thanks for the link to the cheaper product, CS!