Products For Hair Loss Reduction In Men

Dr. Glenn Charles, senior hair restoration physician and member of the American Hair Loss Association, reports that an estimated 35 million men in the United States are effected by hair loss. Surprisingly, such a common condition can be hard to notice. Dr. Charles claims that most men will not even notice that their hair is actually thinning in an area until 50 percent of it is gone. While this is very concerning, there are two clinically-proven safe and effective treatments that can reduce your hair loss if you think your hair may be thinning.

Causes

Dr. Glenn Charles reports that male pattern baldness is caused by the hormone dihydrotestostone (DHT). Some men have hairs that are genetically programmed to shed, thin and stop growing when excess levels of DHT are present in the body. DHT binds to these hair follicle and progressively shrinks them. Male pattern baldness is hereditary and can come from your mother's, father's or both sides of your family.

Finasteride

Finasteride or Propecia is an FDA approved prescription treatment that can help reduce hair loss in men. It is specifically for male-pattern baldness and should not be used by women under any circumstances. Charlesmedical.com reports that finasteride prevents testosterone from being converted into DHT. Lower DHT blood levels reduces hair loss. The American Hair Loss Association notes that finasteride can lower DHT by 60 percent and regards it as the "first line of attack" for men to reduce hair loss.

Minoxidil

Minoxidil or Rogaine is the number one selling hair loss treatment in the world, according to HairSite. It is FDA-approved and available over-the-counter in most grocery stores and pharmacies nationwide. Minoxidil is topically applied to areas of thinning hair. The topical treatment encourages hair growth by increasing blood flow to the scalp.

A study in the 2003 Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery entitled "Safety of Topical Minoxidil Solution: A One-Year, Prospective, Observational Study" found that minoxidil can also significantly reduce hair loss and not just stimulate hair growth. The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery highlights this finding. At the beginning of the study, men lost an average of 69.7 hairs when washing their hair. After 12 months, the same men lost an average of 33.8 hairs from washing.

Expert Insight

Dr. Robert Bernstein, Clinical Professor of Dermatology at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University, provides insight on the combination of finasteride and minoxidil. He notes that while finasteride and minoxidil are clinically proven and approved by the FDA to treat hair loss on the crown or top of the scalp, both treatments "definitely can" regrow hair on the hair line if there is still hair remaining in the area.

Bernstein indicates that the FDA limits the claims of these treatments in the package inserts because both treatments were only tested on the vertex of the head. He urges patients to use both treatments for a year before considering a surgical hair transplant procedure.

Warning

Finasteride and minoxidil are generally well-tolerated by men, but side effects can occur. Charlesmedical.com reports that 2 percent of finasteride users experienced erectile dysfuction. This side effect went away when the drug was discontinued. The most common side effect from topical minoxidil was "itchy scalp." Both finasteride and minoxidil must be used continuously and indefinitely to slow hair loss. If you stop using these treatments, your previous rate of hair loss will return.