Article on Tricomin and Folligen

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Jacob
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Article on Tricomin and Folligen

Post by Jacob » Mon Feb 16, 2004 4:52 pm

http://www.newsday.com/ny-hssupp0217,0, ... th-utility

WHAT'S IN THE BOTTLE

Tricomin and Folligen




By Joanne Kabak

February 17, 2004

THE PRODUCT AND WHAT IT'S MARKETED FOR: Two product lines marketed for stimulating hair follicles and maintaining a healthy scalp in women as well as men are made by companies based in Washington state. Each uses a different version of a copper complex created by research biochemist Loren Pickart. The original product is Tricomin from ProCyte Corp. in Redmond. It's sold online and through dermatologists as a shampoo ($16 for 8 ounces) and a spray ($48 for 6 ounces). When Pickart left ProCyte he formed the biotechnology company Skin Biology Inc. in Bellevue and began to market Folligen, described as a more advanced copper-complex formula to stop hair from shedding and to encourage it to regrow. It's sold online and by mail ($19.95 for 8 ounces of shampoo, $21.95 for 2 ounces of lotion -- a 45- to 60-day supply -- for "scalp health, follicle health and hair vitality."

WHAT'S KNOWN: Copper is a nutrient essential for the body in tiny amounts. Pickart's research over 30 years found its properties help heal wounds and rejuvenate aging skin. He said he found that as he studied the effect of copper on damaged skin "we were getting really large increases in the size of hair follicles." In the July 1993 issue of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, Dr. Hideo Uno, a scientist with the National Primate Research Center in Madison, Wis., reported that "a copper binding peptide ... had the effect of follicular enlargement on the back skin of fuzzy rats ... the effect was similar to that of topical minoxidil."

Uno said copper peptides need further testing, especially on human subjects. "Absorption is a big problem and remains a field of research," he said. Without an effective-enough delivery system, the copper peptides break down before they can penetrate the skin and reach down to the hair follicles. Pickart said when the rejuvenating properties of copper peptides are applied to women's scalps, there is "some regrowth after about four months." Factors such as hormones play a role in hair loss in women, he said, but copper, in its distinctive blue- green color, still makes a difference. "The ultimate cause of hair loss is damage to the skin around the hair follicle," he said.

BOTTOM LINE: Copper peptide use for hair loss presents a dilemma. On the one hand, "you know copper is important to hair growth, and the technology of copper tripeptides makes great sense for treatment," said Dr. Ken Washenik, medical director of Bosley, a nationwide medical group specializing in hair loss and transplantation, and a clinical investigator in dermatology at New York University School of Medicine. But "I have not seen any data or studies or treated any patients where I could say, 'Yes, this is effective.'" Similarly, Dr. Marty Sawaya of the University of Miami's department of biochemistry, who has studied hair loss extensively, said she worked with copper peptides "and was disappointed in their lack of hair growth. Most of what was seen was 'maybe' decreased shedding." She added that many dermatology surgeons like to use copper peptide shampoos designed for use after hair transplantation to help with the crusting around the sites from surgery.

There's no harm in trying copper peptide products, Washenik said, but don't do it in place of other treatments that have been shown to be more effective. Skin Biology has that covered, too. It sells a "hair regrowth system": a 2-ounce vial of 2 percent minoxidil and a 2-ounce tube of Folligen cream. Minodixil in a 2 percent solution is the only drug approved by the FDA for treatment of hair loss in women, and it's available over the counter.

ALTERNATIVES: "Hair loss in women is a much more complicated issue than hair loss in men," said Washenik, and you usually need a physical exam and blood tests to rule out an excess of male hormones or a thyroid condition, each of which has its own drug treatments. "If your propensity for thinning hair and hair loss is inherited, like the vast majority of people, you can then start addressing whether the way to go is minoxidil or one of the other agents that's less proven but has anecdotal evidence." Hair transplantation may be an option, especially since advances in techniques have eliminated the look of hair "plugs." And there's a new technology in development. Washenik hopes to start human trials on hair "cloning," a process for extracting hair follicles, culturing their active cells in a lab and implanting them into a head for, hopefully, "an unlimited supply of more hair."

Joanne Kabak is a freelance writer.
Copyright 2004, Newsday, Inc.
__________________________________

The talk about it not absorbing etc is strange. Thought they had that figured out.....?? I use a liposomal SOD(not cu peptides) product...guess I'm glad I am. :shock:

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Post by HairLossFight.com » Tue Feb 17, 2004 10:38 pm

Thanks Jacob!

What SOD are you using?

Regards,
Sam

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Post by Jacob » Thu Feb 19, 2004 7:28 pm

It's the Intensive SOD Liposome Serum on this page: http://www.hemofarm.com/proizvodi/en_kozmetika.htm It's only available in the Serbia area...or if you know of someone that can send you some. I just thought it looked the best of all the cosmetic products out there.

Alterna's Follicle Stimulating Treatment contains lipsomal SOD. I used that for a period of time. IMO it's as good if not better than Crinagen, Revivogen etc. I just didn't care for the "chemical" ingredients that I guess are required to make it the mousse product it is. A very unique product though.

Lipoxidil.com is supposed to be coming out with a liposomal SOD product again- also containing liposomal biotin..and maybe white tea extract. I used their previous liposomal SOD for a time as well.

I'm surprised Revivogen and some of the others don't add it to their products.

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Post by HairLossFight.com » Fri Feb 20, 2004 9:16 pm

I'm surprised Revivogen and some of the others don't add it to their products.
I bet it has something to do with the copper-peptides reacting with other active ingredients. Hmm... perhaps Dr. Khadavi can shed some light on this. I'll ask him. Here is the link to ask the doctor a question in case you want to lob a question his way:

http://www.morphollica.com/hairloss_exp ... expertid=1

Best Regards,
Sam

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Post by Jacob » Sat Feb 21, 2004 6:58 pm

But liposomal sod isn't "copper peptides"- like Tricomin and Folligen etc. Here are the ingredients for that Alterna product:
(Aqua)Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurat, Sodium
Lauromaphoacetate,cocomidopropyl betaine, acrylates
copolymer,treonine,phosphrous, azelaic acid, niacin, n-carboxyethyl
butyrlc acid, orinthine decarboxylase, calphostin c, Serenoa serrulata
fruit extract, paullinia cupana seed extract, swertia japonica
extract, ginko biloba, camelia sinensis leaf extract, royal jelly,
chinchona succirubra bark extract, coptis japonica extract, gastrodia
elata extract, nasturtium officinale extract, robinnia pseudacacia
flower extract, cymbopogon schoenanthus extract, polygonum multiflorum
root extract, foeniculum vulgare (funnel)fruit extract, retinyl
palmitate, tocopheryl acetate, scorbic acid, magnisium asorbyl
phosphate, calcium pantothenate, magnesium salicylate, zinc gluconate,
rice amino acids, hydrolyzed wheat protein, pantheynl Ethyl Ether,
panthenyl hydroxypropyl, steardimonium chloride, biotin,
polyquaternium-28, hydroxypropyl guar hydroxypropltrimium chloride,
hydrolyzed mucopolysacchrides, saccharomyces(lysate, copper, zinc)
Ferment, superoxide dismutase, lactoferrin, retinyl palmitate
polypeptide phosolipids, corn oligosaccharides, copper oxidase, acetyl
methionine, acetyl serine, amino acyl transferase,
cinnamidopropyltrimonium chloride, peg-150, distearatem, propylene
glycol, peg 45-m, aminomethyl propanol, titanium dioxide, mica,
silicia, disodium EDTA, citric acid, diazolidinyl urea, methylparaben,
propylparaben, fragrance.
Notice they have copper and zinc- two of the things some say shouldn't be together. Of course others post "studies" or whatever that say that isn't true.

I'd be interested to see what he does say about putting it in Revivogen though. The answer will most likely be what you said...or that some of the ingredients are SOD mimetics already....or we don't want to mess with the formula...or it'd be too expensive :wink:

Would it be possible to try to get an interview with the Alterna folks? I've always been interested in that. Nioxin would be another....there are so many others.

Thanks...

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Post by HairLossFight.com » Sun Feb 22, 2004 3:18 am

I will see what I can do about setting up an interview with them. Are you happy with the product? Any visible signs of improvement?

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Post by Jacob » Sun Feb 22, 2004 3:59 pm

I used it when I first started treating my hairloss- that was over 2 years ago. I loved the product...it along with the shampoos I started using got my sebum under controll....hair stopped falling out....and the thinning areas started to thicken up. Again, the "chemical" ingredients are what made me stop using it long term- but maybe I was worried about nothing. Would be interesting to know how it would have done after over 3 years of usage.

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Post by HairLossFight.com » Fri Feb 27, 2004 9:27 pm

There does appear to be a lot of chemicals in it. I believe that anything that reduces sebum can be beneficial for hair loss, or at least for creating an environment for better hair health. Perhaps even using the product more sparingly or less often would be of value to you still.

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