Hair loss is a fact of life for many men and some women. Most hair loss is caused by a hereditary condition called pattern baldness, in which the hair thins or falls out as you age. Certain medical conditions and medications can also cause baldness. Though many non-hereditary cases of hair loss will resolve on their own, there are a few scalp treatments to restore hair growth.
Minoxidil
Minoxidil, sold under the brand name Rogaine, is an over-the-counter topical treatment that mostly prevents further hair loss but may result in some hair growth, according to the Mayo Clinic. You rub the medication into your scalp twice daily. Any hair growth caused by minoxidil is likely to be shorter and thinner than it was before. Minoxidil is safe for use in both men and women and causes only mild side effects, most likely irritation of the scalp.
Hair Transplant
Hair transplants are a treatment for pattern baldness. They involve taking small plugs of skin containing a few hairs from the back or sides of your scalp and implanting them into the bald sections. Though the procedure is expensive, must be performed several times and carries a small risk of scarring and infection, the National Institutes of Health says it usually produces significant hair growth that is permanent.
Corticosteroids
Corticoteroids are sometimes used as a treatment for alopecia areata, an auto-immune disorder in which the immune system attacks the hair follicles, causing hair to fall out in patches. In about 5 percent of cases, alopecia areata may cause you to lose all of your scalp hair, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Corticosteroids help suppress the immune system, and corticosteroid injections into the areas of hair loss on the scalp are effective at getting hair to regrow. The AAD says the injections are needed every three to six weeks and hair should start regrowing within a month. You can also apply corticosteroids in cream form, although the AAD says that treatment is not as effective as injections.
Anthralin
Anthralin is another scalp treatment for alopecia areata. It is a tarry substance that you apply to your scalp daily for 20 minutes to an hour and then wash off. According to the AAD, anthralin works like corticosteroids in that it alters the immune function of the affected areas of hair loss. The Mayo Clinic says it can take up to 12 weeks for anthralin to cause new hair growth.
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