Androgenic alopecia or typical male pattern baldness accounts for more than 95 percent of hair loss in men, according to the American Hair Loss Association (AHLA). The main culprit is said to be dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the male sex hormone, internally attaching to hair follicles prone to thinning and "choking" them. While hair loss prevention remains an imperfect science, seemingly still in its infant stages, there are effective hair loss products that you can consider.
Topically Applied Minoxidil
Minoxidil is an FDA-approved topical solution that has been proven to regrow hair and prevent further hair loss in clinical trials. It can be used by both men and women. The International Association of Hair Restoration Surgery states that minoxidil has been used for over 15 years in clinical trials.
The IAHRS website also highlights a one year study of 5 percent minoxidil led by Dr. Jerry Shapiro conducted at the University of British Columbia. In the study, 3 month samples of hairs lost from washing or showering were taken. The men lost an average of 69.7 hairs while washing at the beginning of the study. By the culmination of the study this figure had dropped to 33.8 hairs lost while washing, over a 50 percent reduction in hair shedding. The thinning scalp area at the crown that was surveyed either became more dense with hair or remained the same and showed no further loss in 97.1 percent of men using minoxidil for the year. Only 2.9 percent of men were judged to continue to lose hair in area balding area.
Propecia/Oral Finasteride
Propecia, like topical minoxidl, is an FDA-approved hair loss product that is both safe and effective. Propecia is strictly for the treatment of male pattern baldness and should not be used by women. The remedy works by blocking the 5-alpha-reductase, thereby blocking the conversation of testosterone to DHT--the main culprit of male pattern baldness--which is reduced in the body.
Omnimedicalsearch reports on the longest study of Propecia to date. In the five year study conducted by Dr. Keith Kaufman of Merck pharmaceuticals, men with male pattern baldness were given Propecia (1 mg of finasteride) daily and compared to a test group that received a placebo. The results suggested the Propecia could significantly help in the treatment of androgenic alopecia. Two of out every three men who used Propecia regrew hair. Three out of every four men who used Propecia either regrew hair or maintained their original hair count.
Ketoconazole Shampoo
Ketoconazole-based shampoos are an effective product for treating hair loss. Special shampoos have been less than promising in preventing hair loss and regrowing hair. While this is disappointing, ketoconazole, the active ingredient in Nizoral and Revita shampoo has been clinically proven to help treat hair loss.
The Department of Dermapathology at the University of Liège in Belgium conducted a study of ketoconazole shampoo effects on male pattern baldness. Belgian researchers found that test groups that used ketoconazole shampoo and two percent minoxidil reacted "almost similarly" in terms of increases in hair density and the amount of hair in the anagen or growth phase. Scientists concluded that ketoconazole shampoo could be effective in the long-term treatment of male pattern baldness.
References
- American Hair Loss Association: Men's Hair Loss
- International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery: More About Minoxidil for Hair Loss
- International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery: 5% Minoxidil Effective in Treating Male Pattern Hair Loss
- Omnimedicalsearch: Finasteride (Propecia) for Hair Loss
- Pub Med; Dermatology; Ketoconazole Shampoo: Effect of Long-Term Use in Androgenic Alopecia; 1998
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