Hair and Nails

Although I try to comment on controversial issues or important breakthroughs, there are many of us out there who suffer from two conditions which are not really dangerous but irritating.

These are toenail fungus, which, even with treatment recurs over 70% of the time; and of coarse hair loss with aging.

Toenail fungus was only effectively treated with oral medication, which had liver side effects and had a very high recurrence rate. Now some new reports show that certain new (and very expensive) topical creams have high cure rates. These prices will surely come down in 10 or so years. As well, there are some centers that offer laser therapy for this disorder. And it seems to work, with 50% cure and 90% having some response. But does it come back - maybe.

Hair loss is a big business, from Rogaine and Propecia; which work marginally, to hair transplants. Now researchers may be one step closer to a real treatment. I did not call it a cure, since hair loss is a normal aging process! 

Researchers have discovered, that dormant hair follicles can actually start growing hair again. They did this by exposing the "old" follicles to young skin. They found that there are agents which diffuse form this young tissue to rejuvenate the old hair cells. Unfortunately this experiment was in mice and is very preliminary. But if they find away to get these rejuvenating chemicals into bald men; well maybe you won't recognize me!!