The exact cause of your hair loss, coupled with your gender, often influences the type of hair loss remedy used to slow the progression of your hair loss and encourage the regrowth of lost hair. Not all medications proved to treat hair loss are effective or even approved for all people, so your treatment options will vary from the next person. To determine which treatment is best for you, consult with a doctor or dermatologist.
Finasteride
One of the most effective hair loss remedies is finasteride, a prescription medication belonging to a class of drugs known as 5-alpha reductase inhibitors. Finasteride inhibits the production of type II 5-alpha reductase, which converts testosterone into DHT, or dihydrotestosterone. DHT binds to hair follicles, causing them to miniaturize and stop producing hair. It's only approved by the FDA to treat male-pattern baldness, or androgenetic alopecia.
Minoxidil
Minoxidil is a topical medication that's also been proved to treat hair loss, according to the American Hair Loss Association. It's not as effective as finasteride, but can still slow the progression of hair loss and potentially encourage the regrowth of lost hair. It's applied directly to the scalp twice a day for best results. But unlike finasteride, this drug can be used by both men and women suffering from androgenetic alopecia.
Spironolactone
Women experiencing female-pattern baldness can slow the progression of hair loss and promote the regrowth of lost hair with spironolactone, advises the National Institutes of Health. This prescription medication is taken by mouth once a day to reduce the level of androgens, or male sex hormones, in a woman's body, which could be contributing to her hair loss. It's typically prescribed when minoxidil fails to provide results.
Spironolactone
Women experiencing female-pattern baldness can slow the progression of hair loss and promote the regrowth of lost hair with spironolactone, advises the National Institutes of Health. This prescription medication is taken by mouth once a day to reduce the level of androgens, or male sex hormones, in a woman's body, which could be contributing to her hair loss. It's typically prescribed when minoxidil fails to provide results.
Cimetidine
The American Hair Loss Association explains that cimetidine has shown promise in treating women suffering from androgenetic alopecia. This medication is typically used to treat gastrointestinal problems, but when taken in higher dose, it begins to act as an antiandrogenic within the body. This means that it reduces the production of male sex hormones, like testosterone, which could be increasing DHT levels. It's also known to prevent DHT from binding to hair follicles.
Oral Contraceptives
Oral contraceptives have been proved to treat hair loss in women since they reduce the amount of androgens produced in the body, claims the American Hair Loss Association. As male sex hormones decrease, less and less testosterone is converted into DHT. But not all birth control pills are effective; only those having a low androgen index are beneficial.
Ketoconazole
Women can also lower the production of androgens within the body through the use of ketoconazole, which could help to counteract hair loss in women. Ketoconazole is administered topically and can be found in both prescription and nonprescription shampoos. The American Hair Loss Association recommends using the prescription strength version for best results.
Corticosteroids
Hair loss not associated with androgen levels or dihydrotestosterone can be treated with corticosteroids, asserts the Mayo Clinic. Corticosteroids can be administered orally, topically or intravenously, but injections are considered the most effective.
Anthralin
People experiencing hair loss as a result of alopecia areata can encourage the regrowth of lost hair with anthralin, a topical medication applied directly to the scalp. It's not effective in treating androgenetic alopecia or other hormonal hair loss.
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