One product you see quite often in advertising is Avacor. According to Response magazine, Avacor was the third best selling product on the Internet in April, 2002. It is manufactured by Global Vision Products.

Avacor has been the focus of lawsuits and investigative reporting by major media like ABC news. Like most products that advertise 'Stop Hair Loss and Regrow Hair!', Avacor contains small amounts of the FDA approved drug Minoxidil. Avacor, like other products with similar claims, mixes FDA approved drugs in their generic form with other ingredients in a multiple regimen products like shampoo, lotion and vitamins.

Advertised at a cost of $239 for a two to three month supply, Avacore can be nearly $1,000 a year to use. The ingredients in Avacor can be bought over the counter at your local store at a fraction of the cost for which they are sold in Avacor.

Questionable Marketing Practices

Avacor is advertised as a three part 'hair care system' that claims to re-grow hair: first a 'Scalp Detoxifying Shampoo', then a 'Physicians Topical Formulation' and finally a 'Nutricap'. With a promise to be 'detoxified, formulated and capped', one might be advised to be wary. Avacor's ingredients consist mainly of common herbs like Ginko, horsetail and saw palmetto mixed with a small amount of the chemical name for minoxidil.

Other than minoxidil, no other ingredient is proven to regrow hair. A number of studies have been done that suggest saw palmetto inhibits the production of DHT, like Propecia. But, unlike Propecia, it has never been proven to stop or reverse hair loss.

Global Vision's proof comes in the form of a "study." Ask for a copy of the study and they say it will be sent to you with your order.

The Avacor 'Study'

Sent only with your order, you get an impressive looking study titled, "The Biological Effects of Combined Herbal Oral and Topical Formulations on Androgenetic Alopecia" and lists the authors as R. Ortiz, M.D. and D.J. Carlisi, M.D.. Global Vision's president, Mr. Imbriolo, is listed as an herbal medicine consultant.

Evidence that this "study" has been published cannot be found.
There is no control group cited in this "study."
The study is not peer reviewed.
Avacor claims to be 'all natural' with 'no side effects'. However, minoxidil is a drug and does have side effects. The fine print on the Avacor bottles even warns users to discontinue use if they experience symptoms such as "chest pain, rapid heartbeat, faintness, dizziness, suddenly unexpected weight gain."

According to the "study," Avacor has a 90 percent success rate. There is no evidence to support that claim.

Doctors For Hire

Like most hair loss product scams, there are 'doctors' associated with their hair loss products. In the case of Avacor, it is a 'Dr. Gordon'.

It is reported that Dr. Gordon graduated in 1975 as a radiologist from the Autonomous University of Guadalajara, Mexico.

According to the New York State Department of Health, Dr. Gordon is no longer licensed to practice medicine because of his involvement in a scam run on Medicaid involving over a million dollars worth of fake sonograms. He did time in a Correctional Facility in New York for that scam.

Mr. Imbriolo, Global Vision's president, was sued in 1987 by Upjohn (manufacturer of Rogaine) for patent infringement. His defense was that he wasn't really making Rogaine, but buying it, mixing it with other ingredients and reselling the result.

Confidence in Products and Services

Before you consider spending hundreds or thousands of dollars for any product or service, do a review. Legitimate products will have legitimate studies and have been reviewed on many quality websites. Doctors with real talent and satisfied patients will be able to show you dozens of photos and allow you to talk with past patients. Proven physicians will make available their resumes along with their formal education and associations they belong to.

It is always best to review a product or doctor for information on their background before you make a decision for something as important as hair loss and hair restoration.