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 Dr. Lee is the founder and owner of Regrowth LLC, a company based in Los Angeles and dedicated to the treatment of hair loss. He has been developing innovative products and treating hair loss sufferers for the past 16 years. Dr. Lee is the creator of the Xandrox line of hair loss treatments.
Important Note: Due a busy schedule, Dr. Lee cannot answer any new questions at this time; however, he will be providing high quality answers to questions he receives from his own practice exclusively to Morphollica.com regularly
[name not provided]
2004-08-02
estrone sulfamate for hair loss
Is there any reason to be excited about reports of a potential hairloss treatment using estrone sulfamate?
I was introduced to the subject of steroid sulfatase at the European Hair Research Society in Marburg, Germany in the year 2000. It generated a lot of excitement at the time, but, unfortunately, subsequent work didn't confirm the promise of a new, safe, and effective way to treat MPB.
Notice that in the announcement from the Novartis Research Institute, "Selective inhibition of the enzyme steroid sulfatase (STS) with a topically applied nonsteroidal compound as a novel approach to the treatment of acne", there is no suggestion that the topical medication promoted hair growth. Considering the immense demand for an effective treatment for MPB, Novartis would certainly have developed the steroid sufatase inhibitor as a treatment for MPB, if it were effective as such, rather than an acne treatment. The new drug reminds me of (0.1% and 0.03% tacrolimus ointment - Fujisawa). There were high hopes for its use as a topical treatment for MPB, because it suppressed the immune reaction. But Fujisawa made no such claims and, in fact, it has not been proven to be beneficial in treating MPB.
I'm not willing to give up all hope for a steroid sulfatase inhibitor as a treatment for MPB, but Im not aware of any new research to prove its value for this purpose. Decreasing the DHT in the scalp is not always a cure for MPB. Consider the fact that women have only 1/10 the amounts of DHT as do men. Yet, more than >20% of women will be affected by pattern baldness.
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