Hair Loss Help – Drugs, Surgery and Other Options

Are there any real treatments for hair loss?
Well, yes …and no…and maybe. Depends what you’re talking about.
There are a number routes you can go – drugs, surgery, non-approved drugs and shampoos, and a category best called “other” that includes wigs and hairpieces, diet, and other hair loss treatments.
Of course, there is a fourth – relax, accept what may well be inevitable, and shave your head (this solution for men only, of course). If you’re the kind of guys whose looks and personality go with a shaved head, it can be an easy, relaxed way to cope with male hair loss.
If you’re not, here’s a brief resume of what the other hair loss help routes entail.

Two Approved Hair Loss Drugs
The United States Food & Drug Administration has approved two medications for hair loss. One is
Minoxidil (trade name Rogaine), which is applied directly to the scalp. Nearly three-quarters of users report that hair loss slowed “significantly” when they used this product, but only 7% reported actual hair re-growth.
Minoxidil can be bought without a prescription over-the-counter. It normally starts to work after about two months, when hair loss decreases, and hair will start to grow back within about six months.
The drug must be continued indefinitely otherwise any hair that has been saved or regrown will be lost.
The other product, Finisteride (Propecia), is taken orally, but is only for men. It is unsuitable for women of childbearing age, because it may lead to abnormal genital development in boy babies while still in the womb. In fact, pregnant women should not even touch the product.
It can take anything up to two years to see positive results from Finisteride; in cases where this drug is successful, it must be used continuously (just like Minoxidil), because the hair loss process continues once the treatment stops. Be aware that a possible side effect is a loss of libido.
For women, there is also a product called spironolactone, which is used in cases that do not respond to minoxidil.
Some doctors prescribe monthly cortisone injections into the scalp to treat alopecia areata, while a product called Anthralin (usually used to treat psoriasis) can stimulate the growth of new hair for those with alopecia areata.
Sometimes steroids are injected directly into the scalp, but this treatment can only be applied to small areas.
A product called Anthralin is sometimes used to treat alopecia areata. It doesn’t always work, but when it does, new hair has been reported in two to three months.
One of the sulfa drugs, sulfasalazine, has been used on some patients with severe alopecia areata.
Then there are medications that cause an allergic reaction that leads to an itching, scalp (not very attractive) but can result in new hair growth in anything from three months to a year.

“Natural” treatment
If you don’t fancy drugs, there’s an interesting botanically-derived hair loss treatment from Hair Genesis.

Unlike some other products, this one was tested in a Double Blind, placebo-based research project (which means that neither the testers or the subjects knew whether they were getting a treatment or a placebo, which is a completely inert substance given to the “control” subjects).

The study was strictly monitored and controlled; participants reported that hairloss stopped and in the majority of cases, hair started growing again. You can find out more about Hair Genesis here.

Surgery One Form of Hair Loss Help
If you’re willing to consider surgery, it’s good to know that techniques have come a long way in the past 30 years, but it’s also important to understand that hair replacement uses your existing hair, and the objective of the surgeon is to find the most efficient use of that hair.
So that in turn means that you need to have a good growth of hair at the back and sides of your head – these areas will act as “donor” sites.
The list of techniques is formidable – punch grafts, mini-grafts, micro-grafts, slit grafts, and strip grafts are used for patients who don’t want too dramatic a change. Those who need something a little more drastic will have to consider flaps (which involves moving a piece of scalp with hair over an area without hair), tissue-expansion and scalp-reduction (part of the hairless scalp is cut away).
Sometimes these techniques are used together to give a better result, but the more radical ones can be painful and there is a risk of infection and/or scarring.

Other Hair Loss Treatment Options
If drugs don’t work and you don’t fancy surgery, you could consider a wig or hairpiece. These products have improved markedly in recent years, and there are some high-quality, natural looking options available. Unfortunately, they can carry a social stigma.
Non-FDA certified products for baldness include Avacor and Proxiphen; you can find a wide variety of products with varying quantities of vitamins, herbal options and amino acids, and various types of shampoos and hair sprays.
There are some obvious causes that can be corrected. Women can suffer hair loss shortly after having a baby; here the solution is to get the hormones back in balance.
Chemotherapy is an obvious culprit, but other causes include blood thinners, too much Vitamin A, gout medication and birth control pills.
Nutrition can be an issue, and a switch to a proper, balanced diet can help.
Some shampoos don’t cure the problem, but they can help appearance by coating the hair and making it appear thicker, which will increase the apparent fullness of the hair.
A little more extreme are offerings of acupuncture, herbs, aromatherapy and various supplements.
In all these areas, prices range from reasonable to Ouch!, results are often not proven clinically, and you need to do your homework before parting with your cash.