RPN (Recomp Performance Nutrition) have made a topical named Virile Mane which incorporates the same effective concentration of RK as in this study (.01%). It's 6 ounces and supposed to last around 6 weeks. It is retailing on the net for $23.99 but will be $38.99-40 or so soon if it isn't already.
BTW, one of the inventors even insisted RK as being the holy grail more or less of the product, so you could easily concoct a RK topical as described in here before (it's sold as 180 125mg pills).. which is far cheaper than the price listed. Although, he does mention it may last up to 3 months.. I'll see if I can get a more concrete figure, I'm assuming 6 weeks is for those of us that would apply it over a majority of the head versus a few spots.
Their writeup
http://docs.google.com/View?docID=ddx7hj45_405pb9xqqht
Here's the active ingredients: Raspberry Ketones,
Apple Polyphenol Complex (standardized for 80% BioActive Procyanidins), L-Carnitine-L-Tartarate, Rooibos Tea, Emu Oil, Menthol
Complete ingredients: Cetaryl Isomomandate, Cetaryl Isomomandate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerol Stearate, Emu Oil, Aqua, Glycerin, Ceteareth-12, Cetyl Palmitate, Shea Butter, Isopropyl Alcohol, Propylene Glycol, Cyclomethicone, Dimethicone, Sodium Polyacrylate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, L-Carnitine L-Tartrate, Rooibos Tea, Apple Polyphenol Extract (90% Polyphenols), Raspberry Ketones, Peppermint Oil, Calcium Chloride, 99% L-Dopa
Here are two photos from one of the inventors (dsade) The first image circles where new growth occured a month later shown in the following image.
11.10
12.11
Another, results comparison after 4 weeks
The rest below is their marketing ad...
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RPN Presents: Virile Mane Hair Growth Stimulator
Before you even get a chance to introduce yourself, you have already been sized up. Though clothes can obscure or accentuate physique, nothing short of a hat or wig can hide a pathetic head of hair. Like it or not, a thick head of hair presents a strong, potent image of manhood.
Age, inflammation, hormonal milieu (both endogenous and exogenous), and other factors of modern life take a toll on a head of hair, leading to thin or even completely bald patches. Short of surgery, treatments previously available have been disappointing and even dangerous. Systemic DHT blockers take a massive toll on muscle growth and hardness, as well as sex drive. Previous topicals have been extremely limited in their effectiveness.
RPN, a company that has come to represent innovation of the highest degree, offers a solution - Virile Mane.
Formulated with scientifically supported ingredients, Virile Mane combines angles to flip a trigger switch that turns on the Anagen Follicle Growth phase, reduces inflammation, increases blood and nutrient flow to the scalp and follicles, and forces the follicle into overdrive. The results? Growth, baby...growth.
Presented in an extremely economical 6 ounce size (designed to last around 6 weeks) for an unbelievable price, Virile Mane finally delivers where other promises were....barren.
Brief scientific Intro:
The hair growth cycle consists of three distinct phases: Telogen, catagen, and Anagen. Active growth cycle is called Anagen, where the follicle ? firmly rooted in the dermal layer ? engages in active cell division that results in the formation and growth of the hair shaft. As long as this phase is active and unhindered, hair quality is thick and hearty. However, nature works in cycles and what goes up must come down. Anagen phase is followed by catagen phase (think catabolic as opposed to anabolic), and it is exactly what you think it is. The bulbous root drifts upwards and shrinks, losing the sheath that holds it tight. The final insult comes in the form of the telogen phase, where the once strong and proud hair is shed (exogen) , and the follicle goes dormant. Normally, this dormancy signals the scalp to recruit stem cells into development into a NEW follicle which eventually enters anagen phase and the whole happy process continues unabated.
This process is normally overlapping and continuously cycling, giving the perception of a constant unchanging hairline and thick crown?however sometimes things go horribly wrong.
The body, complicated as it is, sometimes gets things ?wrong?. Sometimes this is caused by imbalance, dietary/nutrient limitation, haywire immune response, inflammation, excessive hormone activity/sensitivity?or it could be a conspiracy by RPN to sell you product. Yes, we are THAT powerful?fear us.
Humans, lacking sufficient instinct to perfectly guide our behaviours, fortunately possess intellect, reason, and an aesthetic ideal that, when combined, can allow us to short circuit undesired natural (and unnatural) consequences. While some don?t mind losing their hair, I have yet to meet someone that DESIRES a head that resembles a worn out sheepskin seat cover. And so we set to searching for the panacea.
While some of the treatments have been mildly effective, the ?magic bullet? theory of treatment fails over and over again. In the end what we, in the supplement industry, have figured out is that subtle manipulations of systems and feedbacks can result in far more dramatic results than single approach treatments?which leads us to what you are all interested in seeing ? the ingredient profile.
Virile Mane:
The goal when developing this product was to include ingredients that work effectively and synergistically, that have been tested on humans, and to include complementary supplement, nutrition, and lifestyle recommendations to maximize the prevention of hair loss and improve hair growth. Thus, the full writeup will include more thorough background information on the hair cycle, current options for stopping hair loss, and detailed mechanisms of how our product integrates with current research and exploits new and novel hair treatments. A topical delivery system was chosen in able to include effective ingredients that may negatively effect systemic milieu, but are effacious and safe in a local setting.
You may be wondering why our formula has so few ingredients compared to some other products. The reason is three fold: first, there is limited research on topical ingredients for hair growth in humans. Second, there are many regulators in the hair cycle and many remain relatively unexplored. And, because of this, there may be unknown interactions with ingredients that work in similar ways (more is not always better), or work in different ways attacking hair loss on multiple fronts, yet produce unexpected results. There are some examples of these in this writeup. Because of these unknowns, the ingredients we selected have solid research backing and are unlikely to negatively interact.
Despite a multi-billion dollar hair market, only two FDA approved products exist for hair loss: finasteride, and minoxidil. Surprisingly, even these are often not effective and not all of their molecular workings have been elucidated. Both will be explored further in this full writeup. In contrast, there sits human research on other substances that are rarely utilized in the hair market, that offer a similar or greater stimulation of hair growth for less expense.
To understand the causes of hair loss, one must first understand the mechanics of the complete hair cycle. Like most processes in the body, hair follicles follow a cycle of growth and regression. It should be noted, that many of the regulatory factors in the hair cycle are still unknown, and even finasteride and minoxidil were accidental
discoveries. However, recent insights into important molecular players allow us to
intervene in novel ways. Fortunately, many of these discoveries are natural
interventions, thus a over the counter formula like ours can rival or outperform current prescription options.
Ingredients:
Raspberry Ketone
The central and novel ingredient in the formula, Raspberry Ketone, works through the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1). TRPV1 functions as an integrator of endogenous and exogenous nociceptive stimuli. The painful response from the
consumption of hot peppers, for example, is the result of TRPV1 activation. However,
TRPV1 exists nearly ubiquitously in the body, including skin tissue. The most researched ligand of this receptor is capsaicin, however many endogenous activators and sensitizers exist, such as heat, acidosis, derivatives of arachidonic acid, lipid peroxidation metabolites, and endocannabinoids. It is quite clear from these alone how nutrition and lifestyle can factor into this equation, and this will be further discussed later in the article. With the existance of TRPV1 in the epidermis, hair follicle, sebaceous gland, and some dermal cell populations, the next logical step was to find what it does in these areas.
The full writeup will detail mechanism and cite studies, but the gist of it is that Raspberry Ketones, applied topically in a VERY specific concentration (more is absolutely NOT better?but neither is too little) are able to activate TRPV1, induce CGRP without depleting it, and causing a rapid and pronounced increase in localized Insulinlike Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1) synthesis. In addition, RKs show a pronounced down-regulation of androgen receptors, as well as possibly increasing localized NO (resulting in enhanced blood flow and nutrient delivery). The effect is a pronounced and sustainable stimulation of hair growth.
Apple Polyphenols
The next ingredient(s) that have demonstrated exceptional results in research so far are certain polyphenols, specifically procyanidin oligomers are what are of most interest, which are commonly found in plants such as apples, grape seeds, and barley. They were chosen for this and for their unique mechanism and because there are an number of studies on them.
In 1998 and 1999, Takahashi et al. performed studies on over 1000 plant extracts for hair growth. They found that proanthocyanidins, constituents in grape seeds, induced anagen. The procyanidin oligomers (e.g. B-2) demonstrated better growth promotion than polymers and monomers. Also in 1999, they purified procyanidin B-2 from apples and performed a number of toxicological tests on animals. The tests suggested that irritation and toxicity in a topical test were not an issue even with a high dose.
Procyanidin B-2 was about 220% more effective than procyanidin C-1 at promoting
growth in epithelial cells in vitro, and about equally effective as Procyanidin B-1 and Procyanidin B-3 ? which themselves were more effective than Minoxidil. In addition, stimulation of cAMP (and inhibition of PKC ? a potent INDUCER of inflammation) are effective at stimulating Anagen phase. Forskolin is a possible future addition to the formula, but at present design dosage is unknown, and using too much would be more harmful than not using it at all.
RPN uses a potent 80% Apple polyphenol extract, standardized to contain a majority of Procyanidin b-2.
L-carnitine-L-tartrate
Last year, a study using carnitine (L-carnitine-L-tartrate) by Foitzik et al. in cultured hair follicles resulted in the downregulation of TGF-beta II, caspase 3 (creatine also does this) and 7 (which initiate apoptosis), and upregulated proliferation of keratinocytes. The theory is that it, like creatine, increases the energy supply to follicles in anagen. Carnitine is also important for mitochondrial health. A dose of approximately 3-4 grams of mixed carnitine salts is recommended for oral administration, however with in vivo evidence in humans supporting the addition in a topical formula, we included it in ours to hit hair growth from every angle.
Rooibos Tea Extract (35% polyphenols)
The next ingredient is commonly drunk as a tea, but its constituents have led to its use for promoting hair growth. One esoteric, unpublished study on humans exists but the mechanisms are also convincing. First, recall the previous antioxidative effects of the procyanidin oligomers and the effects of TGF-beta. Some rooibos tea constituents have similar activity to super oxide dismutase (SOD), one of the body's natural antioxidant enzymes. An independent lab (Dermascan, in France) performed a study for Cosmetochem International using a rooibos preparation. The trial was on 10 women for 90 days and used 5ml of a 10% rooibos lotion versus a placebo. There was a increase in hair growth speed in 89% of subjects. Questionnaire results showed that most subjects saw an improvement: 67% stated hair loss as zero or low, and 78% indicated that they had an improvement of hair growth. While SOD and its mineral components/peptides are patented for hair growth, Rooibos tea is not.
Emu Oil
The last ingredient doubles as an emulsifying agent to thicken the preparation and has evidence for hair growth promotion. Emu oil, also trademarked Kalaya oil, was studied in 1996 by Michael Holick and colleagues at Boston University Medical Center. The mouse model C57 BL/6 was applied with .1 ml of Emu oil for 14 days. The results of this pilot study suggested that there was follicle proliferation to anagen state from telogen.
unk: