Androgenetic alopecia, often known as male pattern baldness, is a hereditary trait – it affects more than half of men over the age of 50.
As individuals become older, they won’t always be able to keep their hair from falling out. However, there are treatments and therapies that can help to slow the process down.
Learn which treatments and medications have shown promise in preventing or treating hair loss.
- Minoxidil (Rogaine)
Rogaine is offered as a liquid or foam over-the-counter. It should be applied twice a day to the scalp to promote hair development and prevent hair loss. The effects of minoxidil can take anywhere from 4 to 6 months to appear. The application and dosage of the product also have an impact on the outcome.
- Finasteride (Propecia, Proscar)
Finasteride is a medication that must be taken on a daily basis. It’s only available with a doctor’s prescription. The medicine will take at least three months of regular administration to observe results.
- Hair Transplant
Follicular unit transplantation and follicular unit extraction are the two most common hair transplant methods.
Keep in mind that both hair transplant procedures are considered surgeries, which means they can be costly and uncomfortable.
Infections and scars are other possible side effects. To achieve the desired result, patients may need numerous hair transplant treatments.
- Laser Treatment
For some types of hair loss, such as alopecia areata, laser treatment is thought to lessen the inflammation in follicles that prevents them from regrowing. Treatment with low-level laser therapy (LLLT) may improve hair growth through additional pathways for other types of hair loss.
There are only a few researches that back up the effectiveness of laser hair loss treatments. However, LLLT is safe and effective when used to treat male pattern hair loss.
- PRP
PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) therapy Injections are a proven hair loss treatment that can regenerate and encourage hair growth in both men and women by targeting regions of hair loss with your own plasma and growth factors. PRP is used by doctors to encourage the growth of thinning hair and transplanted hair. The blood supply provides nutrition to hair follicles, which allows them to live. PRP injections operate by introducing platelets, therefore injecting PRP into damaged hair follicles will encourage healthy hair growth.
- Microneedling
During the 1990s, micro needling gained popularity as a scar therapy. It’s been researched as an alternate or supplementary treatment for androgenic alopecia and alopecia areata since then.
Microneedling is expected to help activate stem cells in the hair follicles, which may contribute to hair growth, in addition to collagen formation in the skin, which is thought to underpin one of the reasons it may be good for acne scars.
- Topical Immunotherapy
Topical immunotherapy is a method of causing an allergic reaction by applying chemicals directly to the scalp. As a result, the immune system is stimulated, and hair development is aided.
Diphencyprone, dinitrochlorobenzene, and squaric acid dibutyl ester are some of the chemicals that could be employed in this method.