If you are experiencing hair loss, consider making an immediate effort to preserve your remaining hair, as regrowing hair is often more difficult than maintaining existing hair. If you have not made this effort or have been unsuccessful, don't stress because there are several treatments to make hair follicles regenerate for hair growth.
Step 1
Make a doctor's appointment as soon as possible. You need to discover the cause of your hair loss before you attempt to treat it. The American Hair Loss Association states that traditional male-pattern baldness is the root of 95 percent of male hair loss.
Traditional male-pattern baldness is caused by DHT or dihydrotestosterone attacking hair follicles. Hair follicles genetically susceptible to DHT will progressively shrink over time. It's likely that male pattern baldness is the cause of your hair loss, but you need your doctor to confirm this.
Step 2
Ask your doctor about the hair-loss treatment Propecia. According to the manufacturer Merck, Propecia is the "only FDA-approved once-a-day pill proven to help reduce DHT, a key cause of hair loss." The American Hair Loss Association considers Propecia "the first line of attack" for men treating male-pattern baldness.
Propecia systematically lowers the body's level of DHT. In theory, when DHT levels are lowered, scalp hairs that were previously attacked by DHT can once again resume a normal anagen or growth phase. Over time, this can result in thicker, denser hair. Omnimedicalsearch reports that two out of three men regrow hair when using Propecia.
Step 3
Purchase the over-the-counter hair loss treatment, minoxidil. Similar to Propecia, minoxidil is FDA approved for the treatment of male-pattern baldness. HairSite exclaims that minoxidil, also known as Rogaine, is the most widely sold hair-loss treatment in the world.
While it has been used to treat pattern baldness since the late 1980s, researchers are still somewhat conflicted over how it actually works. HairSite suggests that "cutaneous blood flow is decreased in pattern baldness and minoxidil increases cutaneous blood flow to the scalp" thereby regrowing hair.
Regardless of the mechanism, minoxidil is effective. The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery highlights a year-long study led by Dr. Jerry Shapiro at the University of British Columbia that was published in the 2004 Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery.
The study found that over the course of a year, males decreased the number of hairs lost from washing or showering by over 50 percent, from a mean of 69.7 to 33.8 hairs lost. Dermatologists observing the patients found minoxidil to be ineffective in stimulating hair regrowth in only 15.7 percent of men.
Step 4
Purchase the over-the-counter shampoo, Nizoral. According to Androgenicalopecia.com, Ketoconazole, the primary ingredient in Nizoral shampoo can inhibit the formation of DHT. Since it is topically applied, it can inhibit DHT directly on the scalp.
It is further reported that the anti-inflammatory effect that Nizoral has can provide an ideal environment for hair regrowth. Although it is not FDA-approved for male-pattern baldness like Propecia or minoxidil, Androgenicalopecia.com states it is effective in the treatment of male-pattern baldness.
Tips and Warnings
- Use all hair loss treatment as directed. Report any side effects to your doctor. Hair regrowth may take up to a year to become visible. If you are unsuccessful in regrowing hair, a hair transplant will provide a permanent way to restore hair.
- Merck reports that Propecia may cause sexual side effects in men. Propecia is generally well tolerated though. These side effects, such as erectile dysfunction, occurred in less than 3 percent of men.
Things You'll Need
- Propecia
- Minoxidil
- Nizoral shampoo
References
- American Hair Loss Association: Men's Hair Loss
- American Hair Loss Association: Men's Hair Loss/Treatments
- Omnimedicalsearch: Finasteride (Propecia) for Hair Loss
- International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery: 5% Minoxidil in Treating Male-Pattern Hair Loss
- Androgenic Alopecia: Ketoconazole Shampoo as a Treatment for Pattern Hair Loss
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