Spring and fall are peak allergy seasons in many areas, with spring trees still pumping out millions of grains of pollen each day and the summer grasses already starting to contribute their share. Sneezing, running nose, and itching – itchy eyes, itchy nose, itchy throat – wouldn't it be great to be able to prevent allergies before they even got started.

Preventing asthma (a difficulty in breathing especially when physical stress such as exercise, running or playing) and allergies is possible, according to a study in the June 2003 issue of Thorax. Children at high risk for asthma and allergies were recruited in 1990 to be part of this study. Half of them went about life as normal, and the other half had a low-allergy diet as infants – starting with breast milk (with moms on a low-allergy diet) or Nutramigen formula (no milk or soy-based formula). This group of families also undertook significant measures to avoid exposure to house dust during infancy.

Allergies happen when the body is tricked into thinking that harmless particles are dangerous invaders. The immune system tries to get rid of these allergens by sneezing them out, flushing them out with tears or mucus, or dislodging them with nose rubbing. It tries to prevent them from getting into the lungs by constricting the airways. These are all normal responses to toxins and viruses. They are allergies if the trigger is not really a problem.

Avoiding inhaled allergens, though, may be another story. Other studies have shown that babies who are exposed to dogs and cats before the first birthday, for example, are far less likely to develop allergies later. It seems to me that the nose is designed to detect changes (which is why you often no longer notice even very strong odors if you are around them long enough). It seems to me that a baby’s nose learns what is "normal" to have around them in the air during the first year or so, and then begins to consider some later arrivals as dangerous invaders – the body develops an allergic response to them.

There may have been other differences between the two groups in the study. One half certainly worked harder and paid more attention to allergy issues. We still have a lot to learn. What’s exciting about this breakthrough study is that it demonstrates that preventing allergies, asthma, and eczema is truly possible. Now we just have to learn how best to do it.

By far the most common form of hair loss is determined by our genes and hormones: Also known as androgen-dependent, androgenic, or genetic hair loss. It is the largest single type of recognizable alopecia to affect both men and women. It is estimated that around 30% of Caucasian females are affected before menopause. Other commonly used names for genetic hiar loss include common baldness, diffuse hair loss, male or female pattern baldness.

1. Male Pattern Baldness (MPB) Signs and Symptoms

· Receding hairline

· Moderate to extensive loss of hair, especially on the crown

2. Female pattern Baldness (FPB) Signs and Symptoms

· General thinning of hair all over the head

· Moderate loss of hair on the crown or at hairline

MPB is the hair loss most frequently encountered. It usually starts with the hair at the temples, which gradually recedes to form an "M" shape. You also may find your hair is finer and does not grow as long as it once did. The hair on the crown of your head begins to thin out and eventually at the top points of the "M" meet the thinned spot on your crown. Over time, you are left with a horse-shoe pattern of hair around the sides of your head. Any remaining hair in the balding areas usually manifests some miniaturization - it is thinner and grows at a below-normal rate, changing from long, thick, coarse, pigmented hair into fine, unpigmented sprouts.

Female pattern baldness usually begins about age 30, becomes noticeable around age 40, and may be even more noticeable after menopause. Female hair loss is usually an overall thinning -- two hairs where five used to be--rather than a bald area on top of the head, though women may have a receding hairline, too. It's thought that about 20 million American women have such hair loss. As in males, hair follicles simply shut down, with hormones playing some role in the process.

A receding hairline reflects age, but not necessarily great age, since some men start balding quite young. With the spurt in androgen secretion at puberty, the hairline moves back a little in 96 per cent of boys and 80 per cent of girls. Most boys continue to shed hair as they mature and, if baldness runs in the family, lose increasing amounts. By age 35 to 40, two thirds of Caucasian men are noticeably bald. The loss may begin at age 20, then stop, only to start up again a few years later. Since this type of baldness is largely hereditary, a man can usually, although not always, predict the extent of his future baldness by examining family portraits. About 50 per cent of children with a balding parent of either sex will inherit the dominant baldness gene.

The mechanism of balding

The rate of hair shedding in androgenic alopecia is speeded up by three forces: advancing age, an inherited tendency to bald early, and an over-abundance of the male hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) within the hair follicle. DHT is a highly active form of testosterone, which influences many aspects of manly behavior, from sex drive to aggression.

The conversion from testosterone to DHT is driven by an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase, which is produced in the prostate, various adrenal glands, and the scalp. Over time, the action of DHT causes the hairs follicle to degrade and shortens the anagen phase. Thought the follicle is technically still alive and connected to a good blood supply--it can successfully nurture a transplanted follicle which is immune to the effects of DHT--it will grow smaller and smaller (figure 3). Some follicles will gradually die, but most will simply shrink to the size they were when you were born which produce weaker hairs. With a steadily shorter anagen growing cycle, more hairs are shed, the hairs becoming thinner and thinner until they are too fine to survive daily wear and tear. Balding hair gradually changes from long, thick, coarse, pigmented hair into fine, unpigmented vellus sprouts.

However, the sebaceous gland attached to it remains the same size. As the hair shafts become smaller, the gland continues to pump out about the same amount of oil. So as your hair thins, you will notice that your hair becomes flatter and oilier.

But the hormonal link in balding is complex. Eunuchs, who produce no testosterone, never go bald -- even if carrying a baldness gene. However, if castrated men with a family history of baldness are given testosterone, they lose hair in the classic horseshoe-shaped pattern.

Studies show that while balding men don't have higher than average circulating testosterone levels, they do possess above-average amounts of a powerful testosterone derivative, dihydrotestosterone in the scalp follicles. In male balding, genetically primed follicles convert circulating testosterone to dihydrotestosterone, which successively diminishes or miniaturizes follicle size, producing ever weaker hairs. With a steadily shorter anagen growing cycle, more hairs are shed, the hairs becoming thinner and thinner until they are too fine to survive daily wear and tear. Balding hair gradually changes from long, thick, coarse, pigmented hair into fine, depigmented vellus sprouts.

Other physiological factors might cause hair loss. Recently, a group of Japanese researcher reported a correlation between excessive sebum in the scalp and hair loss. Excessive sebum often accompanying thinning hair is attributed to an enlargement of the sebaceous gland. They believed excessive sebum causes an high level of 5-alpha reductase and pore clogging, thus malnutrition of the hair root.

Although this condition could be hereditary, they believe diet is a more prominent cause. The researchers note that Japanese hair was thick and healthy, with a small gland and little scalp oil, until the occidental habit of consuming animal fat crept into their diet after World War II. This change has led to a significant height increase in the Japanese population, but it has also resulted in more Japanese men losing hair. To some extent, their observation makes sense since problems with greasy hair have often been noted as much as six months to a year prior to when thinning hair becomes noticeable, but this might be just one of the symptoms, not underlying cause, more research is needed. Most doctors agree that if you have a oily scalp with thinning hair, frequent shampooing is advised. shampooing can reduce surface sebum, which contains high levels of testosterone and DHT that may reenter the skin and affect the hair follicle.

Common Drugs That Cause Hair Loss While male- and female-pattern baldness result in permanent hair loss, other factors can cause temporary loss of hair. For instance, the drop in the level of estrogen at the end of pregnancy can cause a woman's hair to shed more readily. Two or three months after a woman stops taking birth control pills, she may experience the same effect, since birth control pills produce hormone changes that mimic pregnancy.

It is well known that many cancer chemotherapy medications cause baldness. Most people are willing to put up with hair loss when accepting treatments for life-threatening diseases. But a large number of popular medications can cause hair loss while neither pharmaceutical industry nor your doctor will tell you about this side effect.

Here we compile a list of drugs that are know to cause hair loss in some patients:

Cholesterol-lowering drug:

clofibrate (Atromis-S) and gemfibrozil (Lopid)

Parkinson Medications:

levodopa (Dopar, Larodopa)

Ulcer drugs:

cimetidine (Tagamet), ranitidine (Zantac) and famotidine (Pepcid)

Anticoagulents:

Coumarin and Heparin

Agents for gout:

Allopurinol (Loporin, Zyloprim)

Antiarthritics:

penicillamine, auranofin (Ridaura), indomethacin (i\Indocin), naproxen (Naprosyn), sulindac (Clinoril), and methotrexate (Folex)

Drugs derived from vitamin-A:

isotretinoin (Accutane) and etretinate (Tegison)

Anticonvulsants for epilepsy:

trimethadione (Tridione)

Antidepressants:

tricyclics, amphetamines

Beta blocker drugs for high blood pressure:

atenolol (Tenormin), metoprolol (Lopressor), nadolol (Corgard), propranolol (Inderal) and timolol (Blocadren)

Antithyroid agents:

carbimazole, Iodine, thiocyanate, thiouracil

Others:

Blood thinners, male hormones (anabolic steroids)

Next time your doctor prescribes any drug for you, ask if it will cause hair loss. You doctor may not realize this side effect. You can ask him or her to look it up in the Physicians' Desk Reference, which lists the side effects of all prescription medications. If the drug is linked to reversible alopecia, ask if another can be substituted. And just to make sure your physician has given you accurate information, when you get the prescription filled, ask your pharmacist as well.

Balding men and women seem to go to almost any lengths to regrow thinning hair. Until now, inherited balding in either sex has not responded well to any anti-balding stimulants, applications, injections, or other treatments. Specific foods or vitamins don't regrow hhair -- although good nutrition is essential for healthy hair.

Antiandrogen Therapy In the United Kingdom, the most commonly used anti-androgen for women is CPA (cyproterone acetate) in combination with ethinyl-estradiol. In the United States, where CPA is not available, the aldosterone antagonist spironolactone has been given in dosages from 75 to 100 mg per day with some benefit. However, higher doses (150 to 200 mg per day) appear necessary to produce a significant increase in cosmetically useful hair, as occurs with CPA therapy.

Anti-androgen treatment must be continued for at least 12 months. Often two years is required before a subjective improvement is observed. Complete reversal of the hair loss can never be achieved unless treatment is instigated within two years of its onset. This is probably due to the atrophy of the miniaturized hair follicles with time. The degree of benefit observed is dependent upon the subject's age and the duration of alopecia; however, most patients are satisfied with the thought that no further hair loss will occur. Some improvement in hair quality should be expected in all cases, although withdrawal of therapy results in further progression of the alopecia.

Nonhormonal aspects are critical to ensure an optimal therapeutic response is achieved. And, the need to maintain vitamin and serum ferritin levels above values previously thought adequate has recently been demonstrated.

The side effects of oral CPA therapy in combination with ethinyl-estradiol are well documented and are similar to those associated with other oral contraceptive regimens. Spironolactone disrupts the menstrual cycle and increases menstrual bleeding in some patients; but, in general, it is well tolerated.

To understand how these hormonal remedies work, you need to know a little science. DHT is one of several male hormones, called androgens, that compete for a berth on the hair follicle's receptor sites. In principle, if you could keep the receptor busy metabolizing other hormones, like progesterone, DHT would never have a chance to move in and start shrinking the follicle. The researched based on this concept have made little progress over the past decade. The biggest hurdle: to limit the effects of the androgen blocker to the scalp only.

If DHT is blocked at other sites around the body, a male will lose his sex drive and develop a vocal delivery that resembles a teenage girl's. Blocking the activities of DHT in female who have hair loss is, of course, less problematic. Spironolactone or Aldactone does just that, and very effectively. Finasteride

One anti-androgenic drug now being used as a baldness remedy is oral finasteride. It inhibits the 5-alpha reductase (enzyme) that transforms testosterone into the dihydrotestosterone (DHT) form responsible for hair loss. Blocking the action of DHT seems to stimulate growth of stronger, thicker and more pigmented hair. In one multicentre study, 200 males aged 18 to 35 with distinct baldness had a one-inch circle of scalp shaved and periodically examined for hair growth. The report states that "men taking 5 mg per day of oral finasteride had significantly increased hair growth. Side effects - such as impotence, loss of libido and reduced sperm counts - were not widespread, and often decreased with time, affecting about three per cent of the sample." Ideal candidates for finasteride treatment are men who have already fathered all the children they wish, as its use for baldness might be lifelong and it could harm any fetus conceived (while taking it). Further studies are needed to assess the drug's efficacy, dosage and long-term safety. Another dihydrotestosterone-inhibitor now being tested is a derivative of hyaluronic acid, the chemical at the tip of sperm that aids penetration of the egg's membrane. Massaged into the scalp, this substance apparently blocks the androgenic action that causes hair loss, but more research is needed.

Rogaine Another medical treatment available for male pattern baldness is minoxidil (Rogaine). The idea of using Rogaine topically to grow hair was serendipitous. This drug was originally developed to treat high blood pressure and had the unanticipated side effect of stimulating hair growth, sometimes in unwanted areas. This observation led to the testing of topical Rogaine on balding areas of the scalp. Since its introduction in 1988, Upjohn, the manufacturer, sells about $150 million worth of the drug each year, even though its ability to grow back hair is, at best, modest.

A large-scale clinical trial involved over 2,300 participants with male pattern baldness was carried out by having 1,547 patients apply 1 ml of 2% or 3% minoxidil and 779 patients apply 1 ml of placebo ( no active ingredients, only alcohol and propylene glycol) twice a day to the balding area. Actual counts of vellus hairs, indeterminate hairs, and terminal hairs in an one-inch patch were made before and after treatment. At 4 months, 5% to 8% of patients had moderate to marked hair growth on the balding vertex of the scalp. This figure is statistically no different from the number of men who regrow hair in response to a plcaebo. another 15% to 20% of patients had some growth of vellus hair on the balding area. At 12 months, 39% of patients had moderate to marked hair growth, while 11% of those using placebo reported an increase in hair growth. This result shows that you to used Rogaine for more than 4 months in order to decide whether this treatment works for you.

Who is the best candidate for this drug? research showed that you have to be:

1) young man (20 to 30 years old), who only recently (within 5 years) had begun to bald

2) not completely bald, and

3) not bald at the temples

This drug works best on small areas of vertex baldness (smaller than 1 square inch). There is no evidence that topical minoxidil could regenerate hair on the receding temple area. Topical minoxidil was as effective at a concentration of 2% as at 3%. A 1% formulation was less effective.

Successful treatment, however, does require a lifetime commitment. The topical solution must be applied to the balding area twice a day, every day. Decreasing the dosage to once a day results in some hair loss, and discontinuing application causes regression to pretreatment baldness within 3 to 6 weeks. The cost? Anywhere between $600 to $1,000 a year, depending on the size of the area to be treated.

Why Rogaine works remain a mystery. It is know to be a powerful vasodilator, but other drugs the dilate blood vessels do not promote hair growth. It is postulated that it delays or prevents some follicles' entry into the next anagen phase for long periods of time and stimulate these follicles back into active production. But this theory remains to be vindicated.

The disadvantages of Rogaine are: 1) lifetime commitment; 2) high cost : It is not covered by health insurance schemes as it's considered a cosmetic; 3)Its side effects; including itching and prickling, headaches (in 40 per cent), dizzy spells and, in some, heartbeat irregularities. Although apparently safe when rubbed into the scalp - since little is absorbed into the bloodstream - it is a vasodilator and not recommended for anyone with heart trouble. Its safety in men over age 49 and its long-term safety remain unknown. Some scientists believe that Rogaine is more effective in preventing hair loss than in promoting regrowth, but no controlled trials are available.

At the time of writing this book, the only away you can obtain Rogaine is through a doctor's prescription. That could be changed soon. Upjohn is confident it will obtain FDA approval to take the drug over the counter.

Meanwhile, researchers are working on ways to make Rogaine work better and are also exploring other avenues.

Increasing the concentration of Rogaine from its prescribed 2 percent concentration to 5 percent in some cases has produced a 10 percent increase in hair growth. Enhancing the drug with Retin-A also has improved hair growth in some experiments. You can't find these solutions in U.S. pharmacies (they are available in Europe), but some dermatologists can have pharmacists prepare these mixtures. Check around.

If you do not respond to medical treatments and If you have time, money, and a stoic attitude toward pain, Surgical hair restoration is the only truly permanent solution to baldness. It involves a series of operations that extract plugs of scalp from the sides an back of your head, where hair grows densely, and implant them on top and in front, where you're going bald.

The procedure, which usually isn't covered by medical insurance, can cost as much as $15,000 and takes a year or two to complete. Despite the time and expense, an estimated 250,000 American men each year elect to have the surgery.

Restoration is possible because the hair follicles on the sides and back of the scalp are insensitive to the hormones that cause androgenic alopecia, so the hairs are immune to fallout. During surgical hair transplantation, hair follicles are redistributed in balding areas, where they grow hairs that continue to grow for the rest of the individual's life.

Hair transplants are better than they used to be, for doctor can use a variety of techniques to make it look like natural hair. Here is a rundown of the major surgical treatment for baldness.

Hair Transplantation

The common method of implanting grafts is illustrated in figure 3. There are two type of donor grafts taken from the hair-bearing posterior scalp: cylindrical, elliptical (also macrografts) and micrografts or minigrafts.

The most common type of Macrografts is cylindrical plug. Using a device like a hole puncher, the surgeon removes 1/8-inch-round graft containing about 12 to 20 hairs and placed into a smaller cylindrical hole in the anterior balding region of the scalp.

Depending on the degree of baldness, 1 to 4 sessions of transplantation are required, with placement of 50 to 60 plugs at each session. Successive transplantation sessions are scheduled with at least a 3-month interval between procedures. Average cost: $12,000 per 50 grafts ( one session). The number of grafts depends on the hair coverage desired.

Elliptical grafts are used for large posterior areas of baldness. Nowadays macrografts are no longer used by most surgeons, since these techniques tend produce artificial appearance.

Micrografts (1 to 2 hairs) or Minigrafts (3 to 4 hairs) are implanted along the anterior hairline to mask the "doll's hair" look of the cylindrical plugs and give a natural appearance to the hairline.

A narrow two-inch section of scalp is removed from the back of the head. It is then divided into 1 to 2 millimeter grafts and implanted in tiny incisions made in the bald area. Average cost: $1,200 per 50 grafts (one session). When used with other procedures, at least two sessions may be required.

After transplantation, the recipient area is covered with a scab for several days, the donor hairs fall in 2 to 4 weeks, and new definitive hairs grow within 3 months. one study (19) showed that if topical minoxidil is applied twice daily beginning within 48 hours after hair transplantation, the hair in the grafts will stay and regrowth of hair begins immediately.

Typically, men with hair loss limited to the frontal area of the scalp are the best candidates for hair transplantation. However, the patient's age and the potential for more extensive baldness must be considered carefully. These factors may dictate that other procedures should be performed in addition to hair transplantation.

Certain hair characteristics make it easier for surgeons to re-create truly outstanding hairlines. Individuals with blond, gray or light brown hair usually require the transplantation of fewer grafts because there is less contrast between hair color and skin tone. Generally, if a patient has darker hair, more single-haired grafts are blended into the frontal hairline area.

Men who have at least some natural wave in their hair have an advantage over individuals with straight hair because the natural curl provides extra volume. Sometimes patients with straight hair opt for a permanent wave once their newly transplanted hairs grow to a sufficient length.

Scalp Reduction

Scalp reduction, also referred to as galeoplasty, male pattern reduction or bald area reduction is performed on patients with well-defined bald spots in the crown area of the scalp. It is sometimes done in conjunction with hair transplantation to reduce the size of the bald scalp, especially in patients who do not have enough donor hair to cover the bald areas. A section of bald scalp (up to 2 by 7 inches) is removed, and the sides of scalp are lifted and sutured together. Small hair grafts fill in the remaining bald areas. For patients with large area of baldness, successive scalp reductions are performed to reduced progressively the bald area. Average cost: 1,600 per procedure.

Scalp reduction is recommended for men with bald spots smaller than 3 inches in diameter. This technique is not suitable for patients with little or sparse donor fringe.

Flaps

A large horseshoe-shape piece of scalp is partially detached from the donor fringe area. The free end is positioned over the bald spot where a corresponding patch of hairless scalp has been removed. Additional small grafts are needed to create a natural look. Average cost: $2,7000 to 8,000 per flap, depending on the size.

There are some disadvantages associated with this procedure. First, the resulting straight frontal hairline does not appear natural, and a scar along the hairline can sometimes be detected. Second, the hairs of the flap grow in a direction different from the natural hairs, giving an artificial look. Discuss with your surgeon about your concern.

Tissue Expansion

As illustrated in the figure 6, silicone bags are inserted beneath an area of hairy scalp and gradually inflated with a saline water over a six-week period. This causes the hair-bearing skin to stretch, thus increasing the amount of hair-bearing scalp. After removing the bags, expanded hair-bearing skin is lifted and moved to an adjacent bald area where a similar-sized patch of scalp has been excised.

The major disadvantage is that patients have to tolerate the strange appearance of balloons in their heads for several weeks. Though men can camouflage this, most find it embarrassing. The procedure is even less suitable for smokers, whose blood supply to the scalp may not be sufficient to allow normal healing, and for diabetics, who are more susceptible to infection. Average cost: $4,000.

Before Making Any Decision

In US any licensed physician can perform hair the surgery, it is easy to end up with Unsatisfactory results--scarring, patches of thin transplanted hair over scalp sections that continue to grow bald, a "doll's hair" look, or loss of hair that leaves the scars from transplantation visible--are no longer as likely as they once were, but they are still a risk.

If you decide to go this route, choose your surgeon with care, and beware of seductive advertising brochures showing "after" photos of men with thick, way hair. Ask to see some real people whom the doctor has treated. The best way, actually, to find a surgeon is through a referral from a satisfied customer, but even then you should be sure the doctor's credentials check out. Check with the department of plastic surgery or dermatology at your nearest university medical school.

Other Baldness Solutions

Wigs made from artificial or, increasingly, real hair, kept in place by adhesives, are becoming more natural-looking.

Sutured hair pieces may be permanently stitched into the scalp, i.e., synthetic hair fibers or the real hair of others is permanently attached, sewn in or "shot" (like tiny barbs) into the bald scalp by non-medical technicians. Although claimed to be safe, it is not, because whenever a foreign object is permanently placed in the body there's almost always a consequent infection or skin allergy.

Hair weaving, also called "hair intensification" or "hair integration," involves adding to thin hair by weaving or braiding human hair or synthetic fibers into existing hair. Apart from the expense (anywhere up to $2,500), this poses two problems: first, it may be difficult to keep your hair and scalp clean. And second, it stresses existing hair and may cause it to fall out.

The American Hair Loss Council advises that only people with plenty of healthy hair should consider hair weaving. And even they should plan to keep the "intensified" hair for only a few weeks.

Hair weaving. The procedure is not surgical but merely cosmetic in that it attaches extensions, either natural or synthetic, to existing hairs. On the downside, the extensions must be repositioned every four to six weeks as the hair grows out. Hairpieces. Toupees seem to be out of favor with Baby Boomers. Hairpieces have gotten a bad name because so many men wear cheap ones that make them look as if a weasel died on top of their head. It's very hard to spot a good toupee, but the dreadful ones get noticed.

If you're thinking about a hairpiece, your best bet is to go to someone who offers a free consultation. Go with a custom piece rather than an off-the-rack toupee. Synthetic pieces are better for active, sports-minded men because they hold up to weather and water better and are easier to keep clean. Natural pieces tend to look slightly better at first, but the harsh processing done to Oriental hair--the largest hair source--makes the hair break down sooner. As for comparative costs, figure about $150 more for a natural vs. synthetic piece in the $1,000 category. Cosmetic Remedies for hair loss

To reduce the visual effect of you thinning hair, you can always resort to camouflage. The universal rule in dealing with thinning hair is, less is more. Cut it short, cut it blunt. It will make your hair look fuller and less patchy, and will be easier to maintain. With longer hair, it would bunch together and the bunches would separate, showing wide expanses of scalp.

A skilled barber can also help you when hair is thinning only in certain areas. If you are thinning in the front, the hairline is creeping back at the temple. To minimize this condition ask you barber to trim the forward part short, while letting the hair at your temples grow longer.

If your hair is thinning at the crown of the head, keep the back short; long hair in the back of the head will be heavier, pulling down and away from the crown and exposing the balding area. If you still have reasonably thick hair on the top of your head, grow it long and cover the bald spot.

If your hair is fine, you're going to have a harder time covering the bald spot. You might want to try what's known in the hair-cutter's trade as a "swell" perm, a mild perm that increases hair volume. Such a light perm will be hardly recognizable to others.

If you have dark hair, lighten the color a bit. This trick will reduce the contrast between the remaining hair and the scalp, thereby making the skin less noticeable. One cosmetic trick that may work for women: buy a powdered eye shadow the color of your hair and apply it lightly to your scalp in the thin spots. It's harmless and may make thinning hair less noticeable.

When it comes to grooming products, stay away from gels, which can cause sections of hair to stick together and create gorges of empty space that reveal the scalp. Light sprays serve a better purpose.

Organin is the original, natural hair loss concealer, it is not a paint or a cream that attempts to cover your scalp. It is a finely textured natural fiber substance that binds to your existing hair and forms a complete layer of hair above your scalp where real hair is. It make your hair looks thicker and fuller. unlike others, Organin is composed of natural, non-toxic fiber that does not make your scalp itchy . Toppik is a similar to Organin.