Hair loss on the hair line is typically the first sign of androgenic alopecia or male pattern baldness that men experience. Frontal-Hair-Loss.com states that nearly all adult men will have some extent of permanent hair shed on their hair line. Thinning hair on a male's hair line is attributable to the male hormone "dihydrotestosterone" or DHT attacking hair is the genetically susceptible to thinning. Although there is no complete solution to male pattern baldness, there are several treatments that can help grow or regrow your hair line.
Step 1
Make an appointment with your dermatologist immediately. You need to establish with your dermatologist that your receding hair line is from hereditary male pattern hair thinning and not another disorder.
Step 2
Discuss Propecia or finasteride with your dermatologist. Finasteride is an FDA-approved oral tablet that is taken once each day for the treatment of male pattern baldness. If prescribed, take one 1 mg tablet every day.
The American Hair Loss Association reports that finasteride may lower DHT levels by close to 60 percent. If you decrease your DHT, hair follicles will begin to thrive once more and you can regrow lost hair on your hair line.
Dr. Robert Bernstein, recipient of the "Platinum Follicle Award" for his outstanding achievement in scientific and clinical research in hair restoration, believes that finasteride probably will be of use on the temples as well as the vertex of the scalp. The doctor suggests on BernsteinMedical.com, that though finasteride was approved by the FDA to restore areas of thinning hair on the the crown, finasteride probably will begin to regrow hair on temples if there is hair remaining.
Step 3
Buy minoxidil from your local grocery store if your dermatologist recommends. Minoxidil is an FDA approved hair loss treatment that has been used for over 20 years. Minoxidil should be applied two times a day to areas of thinning scalp hair.
Dr. Robert Bernstein also claims that minoxidil, similar to finasteride, is likely to be useful on the hair line and not just the vertex of the head.
Step 4
Buy ketoconazole shampoo from your local grocery store. Apply ketoconazole shampoo every day for two weeks in place of your regular shampoo. After two weeks, use ketoconazole every three days.
Ketoconazole is clinically verified to help treat baldness in adult men. In a Belgian university study known as "Ketoconazole: effect of long-term use in androgenic alopecia" available in the 1998 edition of the Journal of Dermatology, scientists confirmed that ketoconazole helped hair thickness just as much as 2 percent strength minoxidil. It also increased that quantity of hairs in the anagen or growth phase as much as 2 percent minoxidil. Belgian doctors established that ketoconazole shampoo could be valuable in the long-term treatment of male pattern hair thinning.
Tips and Warnings
- You have to use minoxidil and finasteride every day or your previous rate of hair loss will return. Inexpensive minoxidil formulas can be oily and take a while to dry. Try a 'foam based' minoxidil if you find the topical solution too oily.
- In a Merck study, finasteride was found to cause erectile dysfuction in 3 percent of males. Report this side effect to your doctor if you think you are experiencing it.
Things You'll Need
- Finasteride
- Minxodil
- Ketoconazole shampoo
References
- Frontal-Hair-Loss: Receding Hairline Causes and Treatment
- American Hair Loss Association: "Men's Hair Loss/Treatment"
- Bernsteinmedical: Can Propecia or Rogaine Improve Receding Hairline Or Front Of Scalp?
- HairSite: Rogaine
- PubMed; Dermatology; Ketoconazole Shampoo: Effect of Long-Term Use in Androgenic Alopecia; 1998
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