Hair loss is full of "breakthrough" headlines. Most never become a treatment you can buy. These questions help you judge any claim, including the ones on this site.
1. Was it tested in people?
| Where it was tested | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Cells in a dish / lab | An idea worth exploring. Nothing more |
| Mice | Mouse hair grows in a very different cycle; many mouse "cures" fail in humans |
| A few people, no comparison group | Hard to tell the treatment from natural regrowth or better photos |
| Randomised trial vs placebo | The real test: some get the treatment, some get a dummy, chosen by chance |
| Several trials combined (meta-analysis) | The strongest evidence, if the trials themselves were good |
2. Who said it, and where?
- Peer-reviewed journal paper: checked by independent experts before publishing. Better, not perfect.
- Company press release or investor update: written by the people selling it. Useful news, not proof.
- Conference abstract: early results, often never fully published.
- News story or influencer post: usually repeats one of the above, often without the caveats.
3. "539% better": better than what?
Big percentages are often relative numbers. If a placebo group grew 2 extra hairs per square centimetre and the treatment group grew 12, that's "500% better" but still only 10 hairs. Look for the actual change, and whether people could see a difference.
4. How many people, and for how long?
- Under 50 people: easy to get a lucky result.
- Under 6 months: too short. Hair grows slowly, and some products just reduce shedding briefly.
- Who was studied? Results in European men may not apply to Indian women.
5. Who paid?
Industry-funded studies aren't automatically wrong, since most medicines are developed by companies. But they're more likely to be published when the result is good. We label industry funding on every study we summarise.
6. "Clinically proven" and "dermatologically tested"
- "Dermatologically tested" usually means it was checked for irritation, not that it works.
- "Clinically proven" with no study details, sample size or link is a marketing phrase. Ask: proven to do what, in whom, against what?
7. Approved where?
"FDA approved" or "EU approved" doesn't mean it's approved or available in India. India's regulator is the CDSCO. Some medicines made by Indian companies aren't yet sold here.
The bottom line
If a hair loss treatment worked dramatically, it would be in every dermatologist's clinic, not only in ads. Until new treatments are proven, the best evidence is still for minoxidil, finasteride (men) and treating the underlying cause.
→ Treatments in development · Recent studies, explained
Medical review pending: not yet reviewed by a dermatologist. Medical disclaimer
Discussion
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