Viviscal's hair growth vitamin and dietary supplement taken twice daily promises to "reverse hair loss" and grow thicker hair in both men and women experiencing balding and thinning hair.  Its primary activeingredient, AminoMar C™ Marine Complex, is said to be a proprietary blend of ingredients and proteins that "provides the essential nutrients needed to nourish thinning hair and promote existing hair growth".

The entire Viviscal product line includes an "all natural" dietary supplement, a shampoo and conditioner, and a scalp lotion.  Viviscal is promoted as being 100% natural, drug-free, gluten-free and safe from harmful side effects. But can Viviscal deliver on its promises to reverse hair loss and grow new hair?

In 2011, Viviscal advertisement was banned in the United Kingdom by the Advertising Standard Authority (ASA) who deemed that its claims to maintain optimum hair health were unproven. The ASA concluded:

"Because the evidence sent did not show that the ingredients in Viviscal had been shown to have a positive effect on hair health, we concluded the claims that the product could 'nourish hair follicles' had not been substantiated' and ruled the advert cannot be broadcast until it is changed."

However, as with many similar products promising to grow hair, substantiating their hair growth claims may not be a simple task.

Viviscal’s manufacturer does reference a number of studies that seem to support their claims of growing thicker hair. For example, the results of "Scientific Pilot Study #1" on 40 hair loss suffering females with an average age of 35 concluded, "Viviscal was well received by test subjects and the analysis of hair counts showed a mean reduction in hair loss of 46% in only 10 weeks." Additional studies are cited on Viviscal’s website.

Recently, we learned that Dr. Glenn Charleshas publicly endorsed Viviscal.  Dr. Charles has an outstanding reputation for performing state of the art hair transplant surgery and is a highly esteemed member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians.When asked to comment on his public endorsement of Viviscal, Dr. Charles stated:

"I have never had any hair loss patients display any negative effects. I describe it to my patients as a natural supplement that can promote a healthier scalp and hair. It may also, in turn, slow down the hair loss process. I tell all my patients that there are no guarantees with this product.  Although most patients believe that they did have improvement after using this product, I admit that some patients do not see any noticeable changes that either they or I can identify."

Other hair loss experts are not as optimistic regarding Viviscal’s hair growth potential. Coalition member Dr. Bill Rassmanof Los Angeles states:

"I am skeptical of the photographs (results) and the changes shown make me doubt what the Viviscal marketing department wants me to see. Viviscal reportedly contains ‘special marine extracts and a silica compound’ - and yet I’m to believe this will regrow hair? If these photos were real, the product would have taken over the market years ago."

It's also important to note that Viviscal does notmake any claims on their website that their products can reverse the effects of genetic hair loss.  Instead, it simply states, "Viviscal works to reverse hair loss due to stress, poor nutrition, and many health related ailments".

So is Viviscal an effective hair loss treatment? More research may be needed before this question can be effectively answered. 

While there may be no harm (potential side effects) in trying it, at an average cost of $600 per year there are certainly more affordable and proven treatments available. The only clinically proven and FDA approved medical hair loss treatments currently available are Rogaine (minoxidil) and Propecia (finasteride). While Rogaine may be used by both male and female patients, Propecia is safe and approved only for male hair loss sufferers. Always consult your physician before adding any treatment to your hair loss regimen.

Today hair loss sufferers have several legitimate and proven treatments for restoring their hair.

Over the past decade in particular, treatments for hair loss have made huge advances. Hair loss medication like Propecia (finasteride), Avodart (dutasteride), and to a lesser degree topical treatments like Rogaine often can stop or even reverse hair loss in most people.

However, neither Propecia nor Rogaine has been proven to restore hair in the frontal areas. Only hair restoration surgery has been successful in restoring hair in the frontal hairline area once it has been lost.

Done right, hair transplants are so natural that even a hair stylist cannot detect that a person has had a hair transplant. The days of the “corn row” or “Barbie doll” hair transplant are long gone.

Hair replacement systems or “hair systems” have also improved and become more refined. Those who are extensively bald and want to restore a full looking head of hair may find a hair replacement system to be appropriate.

There are also topicals, such as sprays and applications, which can do a surprisingly effective job of giving a person the appearance of having a much fuller head of hair.

Future hair loss treatments also hold the promise of making baldness a disease of the past.

Despite attempts by the FDA to regulate the promotion of hair loss products, balding men and women still need to be wary of the many questionable treatments that are often heavily advertised.

Each hair loss treatment has its advantages and disadvantages. We believe in empowering you with the tools and assistance to explore and evaluate all your treatment options. Ultimately the best hair loss treatment is the one that works best for you.

We encourage you to take your time and explore all your options before committing to any hair loss treatment.

Explore this and other web sites and compare notes with other hair loss sufferers about what does or does not work.

Our hair restoration discussion forum has over 180,000 searchable postings by other hair loss sufferers.

If you post your question or concern, typically several people will reply with helpful advice and suggestions.

To get expert medical advice and review all your hair loss treatment options, consider doing a free consultation with one of our quality member physicians.

To learn about our physicians, or to arrange a consultation, visit our physician finder.

Most hair loss sufferers can benefit from hair transplants. However, some are better candidates than others and will achieve more dramatic results.

Different Patients Achieve Different End Results

Two Hair Transplant Sessions one totaling 1860 grafts the other 2995 grafts

It is important to have realistic expectations and to find a hair transplant surgeon who can meet or exceed your expectations.

Surgical hair restoration is largely a matter of "Supply and Demand".

The look you can and will achieve with hair transplants is determined by several factors. But the most critical factor is really a question of "supply and demand".

The supply of hair is how much viable bald resistant donor hair you have. The demand is how much bald area you want to cover and to what degree of thickness.

Your “Donor Hair” determines what you can achieve.

For virtually all hair loss sufferers, even those with severe baldness, there is typically hair that grows for life on the sides and back of the head. This is because the hair in this "donor area" is genetically different from the hair on the top of the head in people who go bald.

The hair follicles in the "donor area" are genetically resistant to the effects of such baldness causing hormones as (DHT) dihydrotestosterone. That's why they continue to grow, while the hair on the top (in the male pattern baldness area) thins and goes bald over time.

How much viable donor hair you have will largely determine how much you can accomplish with hair transplants. Most people have enough viable donor hair to do at least one or two hair transplant procedures.

The Ultimate in fullness and naturalness in one surgery session.

We’ve all seen the “pluggy” hair transplants of the past. But we don’t see today’s state of the art hair transplants because they go unnoticed.

Plugs Mini Micros Follicular Units

Follicular Evolution - from plugs to micro grafts to ultra refined grafts

Surgical hair restoration has dramatically evolved from the big round “plug” grafts of the 1960 ’s and 70’s, to the “mini micrografts” of the 80’s and early 90’s, to modern hair transplant procedures using entirely follicular unit grafts .

Now hair restoration surgery is going through another important evolution that is improving both the naturalness and fullness that can be achieved from any one surgical hair transplant session.

Ultra Refined Grafting - Smaller Blades, Incisions and Grafts

Today ’s micro surgical blades, like the size of hair grafts, have become ever smaller and now enable hair transplant surgeons to safely make more tiny graft incisions in a given area then ever before. Surgeons are then able to “dense pack” select areas with as many as 40 to 60 follicular unit grafts per square centimeter. This graft density is as much as twice that of the standard follicular unit hair transplant procedure.

Such high densities of transplanted hair typically produce the appearance of fullness even after only one surgical session. Patients also experience rapid healing and no visible skin distortions due to the tiny size of these incisions.

Ultra Refined Follicular Unit Grafting - Hard on the clinic but easy on the patient.

Ultra refined follicular unit grafting raises the bar for physicians and their staff. This delicate and demanding hair transplant procedure requires more skill and careful attention to be performed properly. The smaller and more tightly packed incisions require more closely dissected follicular unit grafts that are carefully trimmed under microscopes. These small and densely packed incisions are also more difficult to place the grafts into.

This procedure also requires more careful patient selection, as “dense packing” of grafts is not appropriate for all patients.

Ultra Refined Follicular Unit Transplantation – the new “Gold Standard”

In the hands of a highly skilled physician and staff the Ultra refined follicular unit hair transplant procedure can achieve excellent new hair growth that is so natural that it is undetectable even under close scrutiny.

While the standard micro “follicular unit” hair transplant does produce natural looking results, its ability to achieve high density in only one surgical session is limited. Thus patients may have to do subsequent surgical sessions in a transplanted area to achieve a full look.

The many patient benefits of this new procedure are significant and include:

• The ability to get excellent hair density in only one surgical session.
• Minimal trauma in the graft recipient area with rapid post surgical healing.
• Little or no visible pitting or distortions in the transplanted areas.
• More natural direction and angulation of the transplanted hair.

All members of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physiciansare required to perform ultra refined grafting with excellent results. Learn more about the membership standards.

Diffuse Hair Loss and How to Treat It

Unlike male pattern baldness (MPB) and female pattern hair loss (FPHL), which tends to follow one of the hair loss patterns defined by the NorwoodScale and the LudwigScale, Diffuse Patterned Alopecia (DPA) is characterized by diffuse thinning throughout the front, crown and vertex(crown) with no distinct pattern evident. However, like male and female pattern balding,Diffuse Patterned Alopecia patients typically preserve the stable "permanent zone" on the sides and back of the scalp and may sometimes retain a well-defined hairline. DPA is also a type of hereditary balding condition like and rogenetic alopecia (genetic hair loss).

Diffuse Patterned Alopecia (DPA) can be difficult to diagnose and, particularly in its early stages, may be confused with a similar condition known as Diffused Unpatterned Alopecia (DUPA). While both conditions are characterized by diffuse thinning, DUPA sufferers lack the stable permanent zone necessary for surgical hair restoration.

Treatment for Diffuse Patterned Alopecia

DPA often responds well to medical hair loss treatments like Propecia (finasteride) and Rogaine(minoxidil) and, due to the preservation of the permanent donor region, many DPA sufferers are candidates for hairrestoration surgery.

Conclusion

It’s essential that hair loss suffering men and women seeking medical and/or surgical treatment for diffuse thinning consult with a skilled and experienced hair restoration physician. Differentiating between DPA and DUPA is critical because Diffuse Patterned Alopecia patients frequently make good hair transplant candidates, whereas DUPA patients rarely do.