Why Dermatologists Are Using Green Tea in the Cure of Hair Loss

Have you had a cup of green tea? If you’re like many people , your answer is absolutely. Next question, have you ever turned to green tea to enhance your well being? If your answer is no, then consider this: researchers continue to discover multiple reasons why green tea should be used for elevating health and not just satisfying your mouth. If you’ve been around a television or radio over the past ten years, you’ve likely heard about the anti-oxidant properties contained in green tea. Well, a group of Korean scientists have found a novel medicinal application for green tea - hair loss treatment. Yes, according Dr. Kwon of the Department of Dermatology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, green tea stops thinning hair. For men and women who do not desire to use drugs like minoxidil, finasteride or dutasteride to treat balding, green tea may be the answer they are seeking to find.

In 2006, Dr. Kwon and his colleagues set out to test a hypothesis - can the anti-oxidants in green tea stop balding by fighting androgens in the head. Androgens are the hormones that cause most forms of thinning hair . The research team in the Labaratory of Cutaneous Aging and Hair Research recruited study subjects to contribute their hair . The research team chose hair follicles that were in the anagen phase or growth period and they grew the hairs in well dishes. What the research team discovered was encouraging. Hair in contact with green tea, specifically epigallocatechin-3-gallate, a natural ingredient in green tea, exhibited a greater ability to sustain growth and resist hair follicle death.

To understand why these findings are so momentous consider this: (1) Few investigations have been executed by researchers, objectively testing natural elements, like green tea, may curb thinning hair. (2) Studies that have taken place, frequently have questionable methods, which makes the validity of the results difficult to substantiate. (3) More natural treatments in the fight to prevent balding, and grow a woman or man’s own hair are in need.

Can I use Green Tea to Prevent My Hair Loss?

Yes and No. Yes, the researchers discovered that green tea displays the ability to encourage hair growth through a process of hair growth and reduction of hair follicle apoptosis (death). The researchers did not brew a cup of tea and splash it on the scalp of the participants. Rather, the doctors extracted the epigallocatechin-3-gallate in the green tea and combined this formula with ethanol. This mixture was then administered to the heads of the research participants.

It is believed that ethanol acts as a transporter, which facilitates absorption. This means the medicinal value of green tea is more readily observed by applying the green tea to the head within a mixture of ethanol. This doesn’t mean that you cannot pour green tea on your head. It just suggests your results may not be the same as the impressive findings of the study - unless you know how to develop the same mixture. Unless you are a chemist or good at combining ingredients, a better answer is to find all natural thinning hair products that include green tea.

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- Robert Wade