Revenir: For Post Cancer Therapy Hair
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Chemotherapy or Radiotherapy Induced Alopecia?
Chemotherapy Induced Alopecia (CIA) and Radiotherapy Induced Alopecia (RIA)
Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy are used to deliberately target rapidly dividing tumour cells in the body. While most cells in the body divide slowly, some healthy tissues are needed to also divide rapidly and are therefore also very vulnerable.
In the hair follicle, the micro-organ that grows each hair, rapid cell division is required in order to produce the hair shaft, and the cells involved in hair growth area are therefore particularly vulnerable to chemotherapy (and radiotherapy in areas adjacent to a tumour).
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‘Dystrophic Anagen’
In less aggressive chemotherapy treatments, hair follicle function can be temporarily paused in a state known as ‘dystrophic anagen’, meaning the growth phase of the follicle is disrupted, leading to a pause in hair growth and hair loss over a period of time. This type of CIA is characterised by poor quality hair, slow growth and potentially hair colour affected, and is generally slow to recover.
‘Dystrophic Catagen’
With more aggressive chemotherapy treatments the hair follicle can enter ‘dystrophic catagen’, meaning inappropriate hair shedding. In this type of CIA hair loss is sudden and rapid but your hair can recover more quickly than is the case with dystrophic anagen.
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Destruction of Rapidly Dividing Cells in the Follicle
The principal cells that are essential for hair growth are called ‘dermal papilla cells ‘- these rapidly dividing cells are particularly vulnerable to both chemotherapy and radiotherapy; if these are damaged or destroyed then there can be no hair growth. Similarly, pigment producing cells are also sensitive to damage. The other key population of cells that are very vulnerable to chemotherapy and radiotherapy - are the so-called ‘stem cells’. These cells allow the self-renewal of the hair follicle, are rapidly dividing, and naturally transform into the specialised cells needed for a healthy follicle and for hair growth and pigmentation. You could think of these crucial cells as sort of store or repository waiting to be called on to replace damaged cells and repair follicles – maintenance and the promotion of these cells is therefore a key target for restoring hair after cancer treatment.
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How Cancer Treatment Damages the Cells of the Hair Follicle
Hair follicle cells are damaged in several ways by chemotherapy (radiotherapy can have a similar effect). Principally, cancer treatment causes damage to the DNA of the rapidly dividing hair follicle cells – if the damage is not too severe the cells will pause their normal activity for a time while the DNA is repaired (cell cycle arrest) and then the hair follicle will return to its normal function. More severe damage will result in individual cells, in a controlled manner, undergoing a normal process of cell death (called apoptosis) allowing renewal to follow; ultimately replaced by healthy cells in the follicle generated by stem cells. The third potential outcome for cells damaged by cancer treatments is called ‘cell senescence’ - this is a situation where damage from the cancer treatment causes the cell to age prematurely and to stop functioning properly, failing to enter apoptosis (programmed cell death). This third outcome is recognised as a major cause of hair thinning and loss, as it disrupts the follicles normal cycle and can promotes inflammation which further contributes to hair loss. Furthermore, this ‘senescent’ state spread from one cell to another in the follicle.
How Can Revenir Help with your Alopecia?
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Revenir contains our patented active - TCQA and this has been shown by our own scientific research and by independent scientific research to target many of the fundamental hair problems cause by cancer treatment and is relevant to the two types of CIA induced hair loss mentioned above, both dystrophic anagen and dystrophic catagen.
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Revenir Promotes the Hair-Growing Phase of Hair Follicles
Independent Scientific research has shown that the patented active in Revenir, TCQA, promotes the anagen (growth) phase of hair and represses the telogen (resting) phase in follicles that leads to the catagen (hair shedding) phase. This leads to an increase in the length of time the follicle is in this growing phase, a fact backed up by our own large clinical trial, which found that hair grew faster and for longer. Furthermore, TCQA induces the transition of the hair cycle from the telogen (resting phase) to anagen phase (growing phase). This is therefore of great importance in combating both dystrophic anagen and dystrophic catagen.
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Revenir Helps Replenish Damaged Cells in the Hair Follicle.
Revenir’s patented active, TCQA, has been clearly demonstrated, independently, to promote the replenishment of the rapidly dividing dermal papilla cells that are crucial for hair growth. TCQA has also been shown to boost the energy of these cells (ATP) to further increase hair growth. Another key cell type also benefits from TCQA are the co-called stem cells. These are rapidly dividing cells that replenish all the other cell types, including the dermal papilla cells and the cells that produce hair colour (melanocytes) in the follicle, and are unfortunately damaged by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. These are required to allow the hair follicle to regenerate and are therefore of huge significance in helping your hair recover. TCQA, as well as increasing the energy levels of stem cells, it has been shown, boosts key genes in stem cells that tell these cells to change into other cell types that are needed for producing healthy hair.
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Revenir and the Negative Effects of Senescence and the Resulting Inflammation
Revenir targets another key aspect of CIA – senescence. Cells that enter a premature ageing state, ‘cell senescence’, because of chemotherapy or radiotherapy, signal cells around them to also enter this non-functioning state. These chemical signals also trigger inflammation which is known to be detrimental to normal follicle functioning. Revenir’s active compounds work to dampen these signals, to therefore reduce the spread of senescence and the triggering of inappropriate inflammation. Furthermore, our active in Revenir, TCQA targets a main ‘control point’ of this senescence induced inflammation – the NLRP3 inflammasome and dampens its effect.
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