Half of all men over age 50 experience some hair loss, reports the University of Maryland Medical Center. Women can also experience thinning hair due to aging or disease. Whether due to genetic factors, injury or illness, hair loss can affect your self-esteem. Fortunately, esearchers have developed several treatments for hair loss. These treatments vary in effectiveness and cost.
Medications
As of 2010, the Food and Drug Administration has approved two drugs for treatment of hair loss. Both minoxidil, sold as Rogaine, and finisteride, brand name Propecia, stimulate the hair follicles to slow hair loss and foster growth of new hair. According to Harvard Health Publications, Propecia works better but is more expensive. A third drug, Trentinoin, is sometimes prescribed with minoxidil to increase the effectiveness of the latter, but this adds to the expense of the treatment. You must use these medications daily to keep from losing more hair.
Cortisone
If the cause of hair loss is alopecia areata, an auto-immune disease, doctors will sometimes inject cortisone into the scalp to stimulate the hair follicles. This can result in growth of new hair about four weeks after the injection, reports MayoClinic.com. The injection may need to be repeated periodically.
Hair Transplants
If you have hair remaining on the back and sides of the head, you can have hair follicles from these areas transplanted to the balding areas of your head. Depending on the skill of the surgeon, the effect can be very natural looking. The Harvard Health Letter reports hair transplants cost between $8,000 and $12,000 in 2008.
Scalp Reduction
Scalp reduction removes the balding section of scalp and stretches the remaining, hair-bearing portion of scalp over it. MayoClinic.com reports that scalp reduction is sometimes combined with hair transplants to produce a natural looking head of hair.
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