More than hair: How I beat baldness - cause & cure

The Best Men’s Hair-Loss Treatments and Products, According to Hair-Loss Doctors and Dermatologists

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It never hurts to do a little bit of research when exploring treatment options for hair loss. But at some point, you'll probably want to talk with a physician so that you can get a professional opinion about how to combat hair loss. We don't recommend cutting corners by exploring cheaper homeopathic and all-natural remedies as an alternative. That means using the products exactly as directed and sticking to a treatment regimen for the long-term. You might be surprised to know that some of those shampoos, conditioners, and styling agents have harsh chemicals that do a number on your hair.

You may want to consider switching to softer hair care products that are designed to slow down hair thinning in men. In fact, research posted in the Journal of Dermatology found that ketoconazole was effective in treating mice for dermatitis and hair loss. In clinical trials, researchers found that 15 men who used finasteride, minoxidil, and ketoconazole for a day period benefitted from hair growth, getting a noticeably thicker head of hair than what they had at the beginning of the studies.

In one study , men between the ages of 18 to 49 who experienced baldness between type III and type IV on the Norwood scale were given this treatment for a six-month period. Going through male pattern baldness is frustrating and stressful. Fortunately, advancements in medicine make treatment easier and more effective than they were a couple of decades ago.

Take advantage of products backed by science and research to stop hair loss. Read this Patient Information before you start taking Finasteride and each time you get a refill. There may be new information. This information does not take the place of talking with your healthcare provider about your medical condition or treatment. Finasteride is a prescription medicine used for the treatment of male pattern hair loss androgenetic alopecia. It is not known if Finasteride works for a receding hairline on either side of and above your forehead temporal area.

Finasteride is not for use by women and children. See the end of this leaflet for a complete list of ingredients in Finasteride.

What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking Finasteride? Before taking Finasteride, tell your healthcare provider if you:. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of them to show your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine.

If you forget to take Finasteride, do not take an extra tablet. Just take the next tablet as usual. Finasteride will not work faster or better if you take it more than once a day.

What are the possible side effects of Finasteride? Changes in PSA levels will need to be evaluated by your healthcare provider. Any increase in follow-up PSA levels from their lowest point may signal the presence of prostate cancer and should be evaluated, even if the test results are still within the normal range for men not taking Finasteride.

You should also tell your healthcare provider if you have not been taking Finasteride as prescribed because this may affect the PSA test results.

How close is a cure for baldness?

For more information, talk to your healthcare provider. There may be an increased risk of a more serious form of prostate cancer in men taking finasteride at 5 times the dose of Finasteride. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. These are not all the possible side effects of Finasteride. For more information, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. Keep Finasteride in a closed container and keep Finasteride tablets dry protect from moisture. Keep Finasteride and all medicines out of the reach of children.

General information about the safe and effective use of Finasteride. Medicines are sometimes prescribed for purposes other than those listed in this Patient Information. Do not use Finasteride for a condition for which it was not prescribed. Do not give Finasteride to other people, even if they have the same symptoms you have.

It may harm them. Shop Learn Cart Login.

The Best Hair Loss Treatment

Your cart is empty! And, since finasteride is prescription-only, it left us with two. If a product is cleared, that means the FDA has deemed it safe, effective, and substantially equivalent to another previously approved or cleared device on the market. In other words, FDA clearance is kind of like an insurance policies for consumers. Both ensure that a product will be safe and effective.

For example, shampoos with ketoconazole, a chemical with anti-DHT properties, is widely used to treat fungal infections but has become popular among consumers as a hair loss treatment. It makes sense — research shows that ketoconazole actually has beneficial effects on hair growth especially for those with seborrheic dermatitis. However, ketoconazole is still not FDA approved for hair loss treatment, which means it cannot be endorsed or marketed as such. Put simply, ketoconazole likely curbs hair loss, but additional research is needed for the FDA to give it approval.

While it is safe to use as a supplement to our top picks, we wanted to recommend products with as much scientific backing as possible.

Beware online stores selling Propecia without a prescription. Finasteride is FDA approved, but buying it online without a prescription can be illegal and dangerous. Prescription-free online stores have a reputation for selling placebos or dangerous replacements. We recommend speaking with a doctor about prescriptions or sticking to save over-the-counter treatments. It would make sense that biotin, a B vitamin readily found in hair, skin, and nails, could help hair grow more quickly.

And caffeine is a stimulant that works in coffee, so rubbing some on your scalp might wake some of those sleepy follicles… right? In fact, every doctor we asked recommended combining treatments. If they use it two or three times a week, I tell them it can help to thicken their hair. Wolfeld stresses that patience is a virtue. Not surprisingly, treatments with 5 percent minoxidil work better than treatments with 2 percent minoxidil. A separate study, published in Skin Therapy Letter — a professional reference site for dermatologists — found that women also benefit from using the more potent 5 percent minoxidil treatment.

Plus, because the 5 percent treatment is stronger, women only have to apply it once a day to get the same results as they would with the 2 percent treatment applied twice daily. While there are no overtly harmful ingredients in over-the-counter minoxidil, liquid solutions contain propylene glycol, which may cause itching, redness, and irritation.

How We Found the Best Hair Loss Treatment

The topic is a contentious one — researchers point out documented cases of irritation while others point to studies that show small amounts are harmless and even safe to eat. That meant new products like Hims and Keeps were out. Hims and Keeps are relatively new companies that allow you to set up a subscription for hair loss treatments. Both offer finasteride after an online consultation with a doctor or 5 percent minoxidil. However, their minoxidil solutions contain propylene glycol, so we cut them from consideration.

The truth is, the amount of propylene glycol in hair loss treatments is not likely to cause any real harm and the FDA has given the chemical approval for many uses. But even though it is safe, we wanted to ensure that our top picks would be as comfortable to use as possible. In our research and our conversations with experts, one name kept popping up repeatedly: As the first topical brand FDA-approved to help regrow hair all the way back in , Rogaine benefits from more than 20 years of clinical trials and consumer feedback.

The Rogaine rep we spoke to explained that the different packaging and therefore different prices has to do with the FDA-approval process: So for FDA approval, we had to come up with two different, gender-specific products, so the directions were more explanatory. Men are instructed to use Rogaine twice daily; women only once.

Common Signs of Balding

Unwanted hair growth sideburns, for example is a reported side effect of minoxidil. The belief is that a higher concentration of minoxidil would result in more unwanted hair, which is why women are instructed to use it less often. The simple answer is that hair loss and growth is tied to genetics, so how responses will differ from person to person. This is all to say you should really work with your doctor to figure out what treatment plan will work best for you.

How to Reverse Hair Loss

These alternatives offer the same percentage of active minoxidil and near-identical inactive ingredients for as little as half the price — a great option for both genders. We gave preference to Rogaine, because it has a longer history on the market and a greater number of customer testimonials online, but both the Equate and Kirkland versions are solid options. With that said, Dr. Wolfeld finds that it can be even more effective in practical daily use. Khadavi also recommends using a laser treatment of some kind in conjunction with other treatments.

The general medical consensus around laser treatments — caps and combs alike — is that low-level laser light therapy stimulates the cells within the hair follicle. These devices may also increase cell metabolism to promote thicker and more durable hair shafts, something that neither minoxidil or finasteride can do. To use the HairMax Ultima, all you have to do is glide the device over your scalp slowly.

Treatments should take about eight minutes, and you should do it three days per week for the best results. That said, there are three FDA-approved treatments — minoxidil, finasteride, and lasers — that can stave off hair loss for the foreseeable future. Use them together for best results. Wolfeld, who routinely prescribes the pill to his patients. But its downsides are serious.

Men may also experience some sexual and emotional side effects while taking it: Michael Irwig of George Washington University found as many as 92 percent of test subjects reporting problems in the bedroom. How worried should men be about the sexual side effects of finasteride? Aside from medication and lasers, some opt for hair transplants — a procedure where hairs are removed from another part of your body and then transplanted to the thinning or balding areas.

In a word, yes. Research suggests that most hair transplant recipients report are "very satisfied" with their results. Research for hair loss treatments is ongoing, and new companies are sprouting up to take on the issue. Many of these companies are developing products and services that are still undergoing clinical trials, but for many the results have been promising.

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