Avacor - The classic Hair Loss Scam

Note: The information provided here was compiled from several reputable sources. We are only reprinting the information provided. If you have any questions or issues with this information please review the details surrounding the Class Action Lawsuit filed against AVACOR by the FDA: http://www.hlcconline.com/avacor.htm

Why has Avacor been so successful? They lie. Sort of. Their ads state "Clinically proven and FDA approved." Thats true. The FDA approved ingredient? Minoxidil. But what do they call it? Loniten. Minoxidil's "other" name is Loniten. Then they prey on people's misunderstanding of Saw Palmetto. They know just as well as you and I that there are no clinical studies showing saw palmetto can do anything for hair. They know there are hundreds of studies showing its effectiveness on the Prostate. But they also know that most people can't tell the difference between Propecia and Saw Palmetto. They can't sell Propecia so they prey on the misunderstanding.

As is usually the case, the ethics of the company are about as sterling as the lies they tell in their ads. Lets take a closer look at why Avacor is one of the most well known hair loss scams on the market today:

Avacor - Claims

"Restores hair in nearly all balding men and women."

It’s hard to avoid the ads on radio and TV for Avacor, the "revolutionary" hair restorer. The "all-natural system" (pills, lotion, and shampoo) costs $500 to $1,000 a year, a price many balding men and women are willing to pay, judging by the ever-increasing number of ads. And with a claimed success rate of more than 90% and a "money-back guarantee," it’s worth a try, right? Wrong. This is just the latest in a long line of baldness "remedies." The difference is, this one mixes a little science with a lot of useless ingredients to pull the wool over your eyes.

A Hairy Tale

Avacor is sold to treat androgenic alopecia, the very common inherited form of balding that affects both men and women. The ads talk about dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone formed from testosterone, as the substance believed to be largely responsible for balding by causing hair follicles to shrink. (One approved drug for hair loss, finasteride—brand name Propecia—is known to act on DHT.)

The Avacor pills are supposed to block the effects of DHT on hair follicles. It’s hard to figure out exactly what’s in Avacor, since the label uses obscure names to hide common herbs, but the pills contain a hodgepodge that includes ginkgo, horsetail, bilberry, and saw palmetto. Of these, only saw palmetto might help against baldness, since it appears to have some of the same effects in the body as finasteride and may affect the production of DHT. However, even if saw palmetto did help, you have no idea how much is in Avacor.

The lotion for the scalp also contains a long list of questionable or indecipherable ingredients. The only one that counts is minoxidil, though it’s hidden behind its chemical name. Yes, that’s the FDA-approved hair-loss drug (brand name Rogaine, see below), now sold over the counter at about $10 to $20 for a month’s supply. Minoxidil may help some people grow a little hair, but its success rate is far less than the 90% claimed for Avacor. And minoxidil is hardly "natural."

You call that a study?

The makers of Avacor cite just one study—one they funded and performed—which supposedly showed Avacor’s wildly successful results. But this study is meaningless, since it was so poorly designed, lacks details, and is unpublished. And there are no other studies on Avacor. Other than that, the ads and website rely on testimonials. (All positive, of course, though there are negative testimonials about Avacor on the Internet, including some stating—no surprise here—that the users could not get their money back.) There are good studies on minoxidil, but who knows if there’s enough of it in Avacor to do any good?

• We haven't been able to find a single place where this "study" has been published.
  
• There is nothing about the control group (if any) in this "study."
  
• The graph that is shown in the "study" lacks hair growth measurements. It looks like it represents more people reporting hair growth over time, but it really shows more people buying Avacor.
  
• The study is not peer reviewed.
  
• The study is not double-blind.
  
• We did not find the ingredients of Avacor listed in the study, either for the "Herbal Based Topical Formulation" or the "Herbal Oral Medication."
  
• They say it is all natural and that it has no side effects. What about the minoxidil? Certainly not natural and it does have side effects.

According to the "study," Avacor has a 90 percent success rate. Really? We didn't find any evidence to support that claim! Certainly not in their study

Bottom line

If you want to try minoxidil and/or saw palmetto, you can buy them for a small fraction of what Avacor costs. Avacor’s other ingredients are all questionable, and some of the herbs may have adverse effects or drug interactions. The Better Business Bureau has alerted the Federal Trade Commission about the unsubstantiated claims made in Avacor’s ads. By the time the FTC, and possibly the FDA, cracks down on Avacor, consumers will have lost millions of dollars. The product will then disappear, probably showing up a year later with a different name. There are already copycat products on the market, also containing unknown quantities of minoxidil and herbs.