Frontal hair loss--or a receding hair line--is the initial hair-loss symptom that most men notice. Frontal-Hair-Loss.com states that all men will undergo some degree of miniaturization on the hairline. According to The Foundation for Hair Restoration, 95 percent of hair-loss cases are from a condition known as "androgenic alopecia" or "male pattern baldness" in men. While hair loss is generally a continuous and progressive condition, there are treatments that can reduce or prevent future frontal hair loss.
Step 1
Make an appointment with your physician. It is imperative that you determine that your frontal hair loss is caused by androgenic alopecia and not another medical condition.
Step 2
Ask your physician about finasteride. The Foundation for Hair Restoration states finasteride is a Food and Drug Administration-approved tablet that you take each day for male-pattern baldness. The American Hair Loss Association states that finasteride can cut your dihydrotestosterone levels by 60 percent. If you decrease your DHT levels, scalp hair will regrow.
Dr. Robert Bernstein, clinical professor of dermatology at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University in New York, believes that finasteride can be helpful on the hair line and not just the vertex of the scalp. He suggests on BernsteinMedical.com, that though finasteride was clinically tested to regrow hair on the vertex of the head, finasteride probably will regrow areas of thinning hair on the frontal hair line as long as some hair still there.
Step 3
Buy minoxidil at your local food store or neighborhood pharmacy. Minoxidil is FDA-approved for the treatment of androgenic alopecia. The Foundation for Hair Restoration notes that the normal treatment of topical minoxidil is one or two applications of 1 ml applied two times each day.
Bernstein says that minoxidil, similar to finasteride, "definitely can" be of use on the frontal hair line and not just the top of the head. It should help prevent frontal hair loss and may even regrow lost hair.
Step 4
Buy ketoconazole shampoo at your local food store or neighborhood pharmacy. Ketoconzole is found in Nizoral shampoo. Apply it every day for two weeks in place of your regular shampoo. Thereafter, apply it once every three days. These directions will be on the bottle.
In a Belgian peer-reviewed study entitled, Ketoconazole Shampoo: Effect of Long-Term Use in Androgenic Alopecia, published in the 1998 "Journal of Dermatology," doctors established that ketoconazole enhanced hair density just as much as 2 percent strength minoxidil. The scientists concluded that ketoconazole can be helpful in the long-term treatment of androgenic alopecia.
Tips and Warnings
- See a medical doctor who can prescribe treatments and not a "hair-loss specialist," who is not actually a board-certified medical practitioner. Ketoconazole-based shampoo can dry scalp and hair. If this occurs, use conditioner after applying and washing the shampoo from your hair.
- Women should avoid touching or using finasteride tablets. Finasteride can result in very dangerous hormonal imbalances and should not be used or handled by females.
Things You'll Need
- Minoxidil
- Finasteride
- Ketoconazole shampoo
References
- Foundation for Hair Restoration: Permanent Hair Transplant Methods
- Frontal-Hair-Loss: Frontal Hair Loss, Receding Hairline, & Temple Hair Loss
- American Hair Loss Association: Men's Hair Loss / Treatment
- Bernsteinmedical: Can Propecia or Rogaine Improve Receding Hairline Or Front Of Scalp?
- PubMed: Ketoconazole Shampoo: Effect of Long-Term Use in Androgenic Alopecia; 1998
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