Stressing over losing your hair? Let’s discuss the common causes and most effective treatment options to stop hair loss and start regrowth.
If you’re looking at yourself in the mirror every day, you may not be able to notice the subtle changes that develop with your hair loss over time until they are hard to ignore. Hair thinning takes some time to become noticeable, but it can be hard to grow back once it’s lost.
Luckily, there are some things you can do to prevent hair loss, like leading a healthy lifestyle and taking proper care of your hair. Yet, not all types of hair loss can be slowed or prevented. If you have already experienced some receding hairline and bald patches, you may be feeling overwhelmed.
The bad news is when you start to notice early signs of hair loss, there’s probably more to come. The good news is there are ways to prevent or slow hair loss and even support regrowth.
Whether you’ve lost some hair already or you’re just worried about it, it’s comforting to know you can do something when it gets bad up there. One of the critical steps to stopping hair loss is learning about the most effective ways to treat it, no matter where you are in your hair loss journey.
Finasteride
What Is Finasteride?
Male pattern baldness, which appears at the crown and the middle of the scalp, is the most common form of hair loss, making up 95% of the cases. Finasteride is an effective hair growth treatment and the only FDA-approved oral medication for treating male pattern baldness.
How Does Finasteride work?
There are many studies on Finasteride that prove its efficiency. Men with pattern baldness have higher levels of the hormone dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, in their scalps than those with lots of hair.
Finasteride blocks the 5-alpha reductase enzymes, which stops the conversion of testosterone into DHT. This decreases levels of DHT by more than 70% and increases levels of testosterone in the body, preventing hair loss.
How to Use Finasteride?
Finasteride for hair loss comes in the form of a 1 mg tablet. It should be taken once a day at the same time if possible. This medicine should be used by men only, not women or children.
But as with most good things in life, it takes time for Finasteride to work. You should be patient and use it continually, as most users see results within six months. And most of the hair growth happens in the first two years.
Although not very common, Finasteride can cause some side effects. Some men have experienced erectile dysfunction, decreased libido, decreased ejaculate volume, and depression. However, side effects subsided after discontinuing treatment.
Minoxidil
What Is Minoxidil?
Minoxidil is a hair growth treatment used for male pattern baldness. It was originally developed to treat high blood pressure. However, scientists found that it had the side effect of excessive hair growth. They created a topical Minoxidil solution for treating hair loss in men and women available as a 2% and 6% solution.
A 2019 study showed that this hair regeneration product effectively treats hair loss, especially when used long-term.
How Does Minoxidil Work?
Minoxidil promotes hair growth in two basic ways.
1. Minoxidil improves the way hair follicles get their nutrients. Minoxidil is a vasodilator, which means it widens blood vessels. It dilates the blood vessels that transport blood, oxygen, and nutrients to the hair follicles when you apply it to your scalp, which, in turn, promotes healthy hair follicles.
2. Minoxidil promotes new hair growth. Minoxidil causes hair in the resting growth phase (called the telogen phase) to fall out. New hairs replace the ones that had fallen out, starting a new growth phase (the anagen phase). These new hairs are thicker than the ones they replace, resulting in a fuller head of hair.
Simply put, Minoxidil helps grow new and thicker hair. It works by improving the health of the hair follicles and lengthening the growth phase.
It’s shown that Minoxidil works best in combination with other compounds, such as Finasteride, Fluocinolone, and Retinoic Acid. Several clinical studies have shown that this compound medication is a better hair growth treatment than Minoxidil alone.
How to Apply Minoxidil?
Minoxidil comes in the form of spray, foam, or liquid. It’s applied directly to the scalp once a day. Most men will see results after 3-6 months of continuous use. The spray seems to be the easiest way of use as it helps you take on hair loss without the mess. Various studies have shown that most men tolerate topical Minoxidil very well when treating male pattern baldness.
Low-Level Light Therapy
What Is Low-Level Light Therapy?
Recently, laser devices for hair loss treatment have become very popular. They look like a helmet and use a technology called low-level light therapy, or LLLT.
How Does Low-Level Light Therapy Work?
LLLT stimulates hair follicles and promotes hair growth. These caps use near-infrared or red laser light. It works by giving off a light that penetrates the scalp. Many believe this light enhances blood flow to stimulate hair growth. The more laser diodes there are in the cap, the more effective the cap is.
There isn’t enough research to support these claims, but initial studies have shown how well this method works.
How to Use LLLT?
The recommended use of LLLT devices is three times per week in 30-45 minute sessions.
Hair Transplants
A hair transplant is a procedure involving moving hairs from one place on the scalp to another. Usually, they take hair from areas of your scalp that aren’t affected by male pattern baldness and move it to thin or balding areas. It’s a cosmetic procedure and can have pretty natural-looking results when performed by an experienced surgeon.
However, you must have enough donor hair to undergo this procedure. It would be best to examine your scalp’s ability to grow hair in bald areas.
Plus, hair transplants tend to be very expensive. Since they’re generally considered cosmetic, it’s unlikely to be covered by insurance. It takes time to recover after operation and post-op care. As with any surgery, complications can occur, such as infection, bleeding, pain, and swelling.