• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.203-209
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• 2016

Recently, increased attention has been directed toward medicinal extracts and their active ingredients as potential new drug candidates for androgenic alopecia. Resina Pini (RP), a resinous exudation obtained from Pinus sp. (Pinaceae), has been used as a traditional medicine for the treatment of infection, pain related to dental caries, and periodontal disease. Previously, we suggested that RP and its main constituent, abietic acid (abieta-7,13-dien-18-oic acid; AA), may play important roles against androgenic alopecia as $5{\alpha}$-reductase inhibitors. However, to date, there is no evidence that AA has hair growth-promoting effects in vivo. In this study, we found that 10 ~ 300 mg/kg RP and 3 ~ 30 mg/kg AA significantly promoted hair growth in a C3H/HeN mouse model of alopecia. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the hair growth-promoting effects of RP and AA in vivo. From these results, RP and its main constituent AA can promote hair growth in mouse by inhibiting $5{\alpha}$-reductase activity and may be effective alternative therapies for androgenic alopecia.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.153-166
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• 2009

Objectives : This study was planed to evaluate clinical status of the alopecia patients who had visited Korean medicine clinic. And the result from this study would provide a standard in Korean medical diagnostic and classification method of alopecia. Methods : Clinical records of 183 patients with alopecia seen from January 2004 to April 2005 at Korean medical clinic was examined. They were classified into 4 different types according to chief complains besides alopecia by 2 Korean medical doctors. Results and conclusions : We made clinical analysis of patients of alopecia from January 2004 to April 2005. Among the alopecia patients who visit Korean medical clinic, people age between 20 and 30 had high ratio. The duration from the recognition of initial hair loss to the time of the first visit to the Korean medical clinic was less than 12 months in 20.8%(38/138), and less than 60 months in 72.2% (132/183). The condition of alopecia was more worse than other alopecia patients who visit the west medical clinic. Also the ratio with increased temperature of face or scalp is chief complaint except alopecia in alopecia patients was high in men and the ratio with dysfunction of digestive system or chronic weakness was high in women. Among the incidence of alopecia, the androgenic alopecia was most in number; 43.7%(80/183) and the sex distribution showed 83 men and 100 women.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.223-228
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• 2009

Alopecia is a common form of hair loss in both male and female, affecting approximately ten million Koreans. Although medical treatments have been developed to treat alopecia, these treatments still have limitations due to complications that come with these treatments. In contrast, Korean red ginseng has been shown to have a stimulating effect on hair follicle and it has already been added to hair treatment products as a safe ingredient. This study was conducted to objectively evaluate the efficacy of Korean red ginseng in the treatment of alopecia. 40 patients suffering from androgenic alopecia were recruited and randomly divided into the experimental (20 patients) and control (20 patients) groups. The experimental group took Korean red ginseng extract (3,000 mg/day) for 24 weeks while the control group took a placebo. The changes of hair counts, thickness, and density were evaluated with Folliscope$^{(R)}$. Patient satisfaction was evaluated through a questionnaire, and clinical photographs were rated by dermatologists. The result of the study showed that Korean red ginseng effectively increased hair density and thickness. Patient satisfaction and evaluation of photographs by dermatologists also confirmed the effectiveness of Korean red ginseng in the treatment of alopecia.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.31-37
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• 2023

In this study, we investigated the efficacy of Celtis choseniana Nakai (C. choseniana) as complementary herbal medicine to ameliorate androgenic alopecia (AGA). The effects of C. choseniana on AGA were evaluated using testosterone propionate-induced AGA mouse model and dihydrotestosterone-treated human hair follicle dermal papilla cells. In vivo, C. choseniana treatment deactivated androgen signaling by reducing the concentration of serum dihydrotestosterone level and expressions of 5α-reductase 2 and androgen receptor. Next, C. choseniana treatment increased the hair regrowth rate. Histological studies demonstrated that C. choseniana induced the anagen phase in testosterone propionate-induced AGA mouse model. Cellular proliferation was promoted by C. choseniana treatment via increasing the expression of proliferation factors, such as proliferating cell nuclear antigen and cyclin D1. Furthermore, C. choseniana treatment increased the expression of proteins related to the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. In addition, dickkopf-1, a Wnt inhibitor, was downregulated with C. choseniana treatment. Likewise, C. choseniana treatment promoted cellular proliferation in vitro. This study demonstrated the inhibitory effect of C. choseniana on androgen-induced AGA. Moreover, C. choseniana induced activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling, resulting in prolonged anagen and cellular proliferation. Therefore, we suggest that C. choseniana can be used as a therapeutic agent to alleviate AGA.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.2 s.66
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• pp.244-252
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• 2006

Objectives : To examine any potential relationships between the types of alopecia and the facial heat distribution in patients with alopecia. Methods : 183 patients with alopecia participated in this study to provide facial heat distribution measured by the Infrared Thermography Scanner (ITS, Nec San-ei Instruments Ltd, Japan). The thermography scan was used in a light- and heat-protected room after 20 minutes' of rest. 1.5m of distance was maintained between the patients and the scanner. Results : Specificity in the type of facial heat distribution was found as follow. 1. Types of facial heat distribution can be classified as T-type and diffused patterns. 2. There was a significant difference in the pattern of facial heat distribution among different types of alopecia (p=0.002): facial heat distribution appeared T-type in androgenic alopecia, alopecia areata, and telogen effluvium (71.3%, 85.7%, 70.4%), whereas diffused pattern was dominant in seborrheic alopecia (55.6%). 3. There was a significant difference in the pattern of facial heat distribution between men and women (p<0.001) : While the T-type and diffused type appeared equally in men (50.6% : 49.4%), T-type was dominant in women (88.0% vs. 12.0%). Conclusions : We conclude that the pattern of facial heat distribution differs depending on the types of alopecia and gender. These differences may provide useful information for diagnosis and clinical therapy for this population.

• Journal of Oriental Medical Thermology
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.78-86
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• 2006

Objectives: To examine any potential relationships between the types of alopecia and the facial heat distribution in patients with alopecia Methods: 183 patients with alopecia participated in this study to provide facial heat distribution measured by the Infrared Thermography Scanner (ITS, Nec San-ei Instruments Ltd, Japan). The thermography scan was used in a light-and heat-protected room after 20 minutes’of resting period. 1.5m of distance maintained between the patients and ITS. Results: Specificity in the type of facial heat distribution was found as follow. 1. Types of facial heat distribution can be classified as T-type and diffused patterns. 2. There was a significant difference in the pattern of facial heat distribution among different types of alopecia (p=0.002): facial heat distribution appeared T-type in Androgenic Alopecia, Alopecia Areata, and Telogen Effluvium (71.3%, 85.7%, 70.4%), whereas diffused pattern was dominant in Seborrheic Alopecia(55.6%). 3. There was a significant difference in the pattern of facialheat distribution between men and women (p<0.001): While the T-type and diffused type were equally appeared in men (50.6%: 49.4%), T-type was dominant in women (88.0% vs. 12.0%). Conclusions: We conclude that the pattern of facial heat distribution differs depends on the types of alopecia and gender. These differences may provide useful information for the diagnosis and clinical therapy for this population.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.295-299
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• 2011

Purpose: It is generally believed that alopecia is caused by various factors such as scars, stress, genetical factors, androgens, etc. Androgenic alopecia is one of the most common cause of alopecia and found mainly in males. Propecia (Merck & Co., USA) and Minoxidil (McNEIL-PPC, Inc, USA) were the drugs approved from FDA for treatment of androgenic alopecia. Surgical treatments such as flap, tissue expansion, scalp reduction and hair transplantation can be considered if necessary. Hair micrograft techniques were developed for natural hair shapes and minimal adverse effect. There were attempts to measure the length of the forehead of the Korean young adults. However attempts to classify the shape and location of forehead hairline were rare. This study attempted to find out standard hairlines of young adults in their 20s & 30s and the result would be the guideline of the hairline in hair replacement surgery of male patients in their 40s & 50s. Methods: 200 male adults in 20s and 30s were photographed and measured the length of 11 vertical index lines to determine hairline. The indexes are the distances from hairline to intercanthal midpoint (A), to medial canthus (B), to upper eyelid fissure (C), to lower eyelid fissure (D), to lateral canthus (E) and distance from lateral highest point to medial lowest point, if the hairline is M-shape (F). Additionally, we classified the hairlines into 4 groups, M, horizontal, inverted U and irregular shapes. Results: The most common hairline of male adults in their 20s is inverted U-shape (53.3%), followed by horizontal-shape, M-shape, irregular-shape. In their 30s, inverted U-shape (59%) is followed by irregular-shape, M-shape, horizontal-shape. The M-shape is more frequently found in males in 30s than those in 20s. The mean values of the indexes in their 20s are as follows: A (76.14 mm), B (Rt: 75.78 mm, Lt:76.41 mm), C (Rt: 69.43 mm, Lt: 69.92 mm), D (Rt: 76.92 mm, Lt:77.46 mm), E (Rt: 64.16 mm, Lt: 64.73 mm), F (4.09 mm). Those in their 30s are as follows: A (76.13 mm), B (Rt: 76.114 mm, Lt: 76.02 mm), C (Rt: 69.87 mm, Lt: 70.37 mm), D (Rt: 77.37 mm, Lt: 77.58 mm), E (Rt: 69.63 mm, Lt: 69.85 mm), F (6.14 mm). Conclusion: The knowledge about human body measurement is indispensable to plastic surgeons. In this study, inverted U shape is the most common type of hairline in 30s, and similar distribution is found in 20s. The percentage of M shape in their 30s is elevated more than 10% compared to that in their 20s. The study of hairline shapes and 11 indexes of hairlines can be useful for planning of the hair transplantation and postoperative evaluation. This study being based on photogrammetry, there may be differences between actual distance of curved face and projected distance on flat photographs.

• International Journal of Molecular Medicine
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.2409-2419
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• 2019

The use of finasteride for alleviating hair loss has been investigated, and it has been applied as an oral dose medication. However, due to the inconvenience of daily drug administration over long period of time, novel controllable finasteride delivery has been actively investigated. As a novel method of finasteride delivery, the development of finasteride-loaded microspheres for subcutaneous administration is becoming increasingly pharmaceutically important. Therefore, the present study aimed to use finasteride-loaded microspheres in a controlled manner in an attempt to overcome the limitations of the oral administration of finasteride and to cause fewer adverse effects. Finasteride-loaded microspheres containing poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) and finasteride at a ratio of 4:1 were prepared, and a testosterone-induced androgenic alopecia mouse model was used. Following observation for 10 weeks, the percentage hair growth was 86.7% (total hair growth 60%, partial hair growth 26.7%) in the orally-applied finasteride-treated group as a positive control, and 93.3% (total hair growth 60%, partial hair growth 33.3%) in the finasteride-loaded microspheres-treated group. Serum dihydrotestosterone levels began to decrease at week 6 in the orally-applied finasteride- and finasteride-loaded microsphere-treated groups. In addition, the finasteride-loaded microspheres-treated group exhibited similar follicular number, follicular length, anagen/telogen ratio and hair bulb diameter values to those of the orally-applied finasteride-treated group. Furthermore, the finasteride-loaded microspheres increased the activities of phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B and Wnt/β-catenin in relation to hair follicle cell growth signaling in mouse skin, and suppressed the apoptosis of hair follicle cells by reducing the expression of transforming growth factor-β2 and caspase-3, which are indicators of apoptosis. In conclusion, the administration of a single injection of finasteride-loaded microspheres was effective in treating testosterone-induced alopecia. Furthermore, it led to equivalent hair growth effects when compared with orally-applied finasteride, thus revealing the possibility of effective treatment via different routes of administration.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.170-172
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• 2017

There exist some restrictions and difficulties in performing follicular unit extraction (FUE) in white-haired patients, for several reasons. In this paper, we introduce a novel technique for visualizing white hair during the punching procedure and graft preparation in FUE for white-haired patients. In white-haired older male patients, we dyed the surrounding scalp skin purple with a gentian violet solution-stained toothpick. Our method has several advantages: surgeons can easily focus on the center of the follicular unit and rapidly perform punching, they can recognize the condition of the harvested follicular units during FUE, and the hair transplant team can secure a clear view for trimming and loading into the implanter. We suggest that scalp dyeing in difficult FUE procedures, especially in patients with white hair, may be a simple method that provides a good visualization for donor site harvesting and for microdissection.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.178-183
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• 2014

The objective of this study is to find out the effect of yeast on hair loss treatment and the role of hair follicle stem cell activator, which is important in hair growth. The authors have recently produced a substance, which has no disgusting odor, does not precipitates and does not easily corrupt, to use instead of yeast acquired from raw rice wine(Makgeolli). The substance is named Yeast Constituent Extract(YCE). In this research, the Produced YCE was applied on the hair loss area of 10 Androgenic alopecia patients, twice every day for 6 months, in order to test the effect of hair loss treatment and the role of stem cell activator. As a result, all of the patients showed a significant growth of hair after 3 months of test, and showed much more growing, thickening and strengthening of hair after 6 months. As a result of measuring the number of hair strings in the same scalp region of the patients after 6 months, it is found that the density of hair has increased, indicating that the hair loss treatment was effective. Also the hair follicle stem cell was isolated from the patients and the contents of growth factors (IGF, VEGF, FGF, HGF) derived from hair follicle stem cell were measured with ELISA. As result, the amount is found to be about 10 times greater than before the test. The hair follicle stem cell contains many growth factors that affect growth of hair, so it takes a highly important role in hair loss treatment. The YCE that the authors have produced was found to be effective in increasing the contents of growth factors that are derived from hair follicle stem cell. Thus it can be inferred that the YCE plays a role as a stem cell activator that activates the hair follicle stem cells. In conclusion, the YCE is considered to be highly effective for hair loss treatment and to have a role as a stem cell activator.