The American Hair Loss Association reports that hair loss affects well over 35 million people in the United States. At first, even noticing visible hair loss can be tricky. Dr. Glenn Charles, member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Surgeons--a select group considered among the best hair restoration surgeons in the world--says that you probably will only start to really notice thinning hair on your head after 50 percent of the hair has already come out. For men and women in this situation, reliable and effective treatments to restore your hair follicles are available.
Step 1
Schedule an office visit with your physician. It is is crucial to identify the source of your baldness before pursuing any remedies. Male pattern hair thinning will generally be treated in a different way than women's pattern baldness. A vitamin deficiency that causes hair loss will be treated differently than hormonal hair loss.
Step 2
Discuss finasteride with your physician. Finasteride is an FDA-approved pill that is taken in a dose of 1mg one time a day for the remedy of male pattern baldness. It is accessible by doctor's prescription exclusively. Females absolutely must avoid finasteride. The American Hair Loss Association says that pattern hair thinning, or hereditary male pattern baldness, is the main reason for hair thinning in greater than 95 percent of men. Male balding is caused by excess levels of dihydrotestosterone. Over time, the condition progresses and this leads to less dense hair. Finasteride can reduce dihydrotestosterone ranges by nearly 60 percent. Lower dihydrotestosterone levels decrease the level of hair loss. The American Hair Loss Association recommends finasteride as "the first line of attack" for males wishing to regrow their hair.
Step 3
Obtain minoxidil from your food store or neighborhood pharmacy. The FDA approves 5 percent strength minoxidil for males and 2 percent strength minoxidil for female. The normal treatment of minoxidil is one or two applications of 1ml of topical solution applied two times per day. It should be applied to thinning areas of dry hair. Do not shower for four hours after applying minoxidil. The American Hair Loss Association says that minoxidil was the earliest FDA-approved treatment for pattern baldness. How minoxidil works is still not fully understood. It is believed to increase cutanenous blood flow to the head. Greater blood flow allows hair follicles to grow at their normal rate and even restores their density.
Step 4
Obtain ketoconazole shampoo from your grocery store or drug store. It can be used by men and women to help restore hair. Use ketoconazole as directed. Allow the shampoo to remain on your head for three to five minutes before rinsing it off. This will allow the ketoconazole to help clear dihydrotestosterone from the scalp. In a Belgian study titled "Ketoconazole: effect of long-term use in androgenic alopecia" in the 1998 version of the Journal of Dermatology, doctors found that ketoconazole shampoo improved hair thickness similarly to 2 percent minoxidil. The researchers concluded that ketoconazole can be valuable in the long-term treatment of of pattern baldness.
Tips and Warnings
- Some minoxidil formulas can be oily. Use a foam version if it becomes a problem. Try not to miss a dose of finasteride if you are a male. If you do, don't double your dose next time you take it.
- Minoxidil can cause minor skin irritations but is generally well-tolerated. Finasteride was shown to cause erectile dysfunction in less than 3 percent of men, according to a Merck study.
Things You'll Need
- Minoxidil
- Finasteride
- Ketoconazole shampoo
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