Best Hair Loss Treatments
Posted on 10. Nov, 2009 by Al Benson in Women's Health
Helping people deal with their hair loss is big business but the reality is there are very few products that actually will treat the hair loss effectively. You can find all kinds of remedies and natural hair growth products on the web by just doing a simple search. But, when you really look into their claims you see that most of the methods have never been studied in a clinical trial setting.
The good news is there are two US FDA approved drugs that have been shown to have positive effects on hair loss. These products are predominately used to stop hair loss and keep what hair you have growing and staying healthy. They both will get some of the hair follicles that have stopped producing hair shaft material active again but in reality not a lot.
Finasteride, trade name Propecia, is the first of these approved drugs. It was originally developed to treat male urinary tract problems and in particular the enlarged prostate gland. It is very effective at this but also during clinical trials an interesting side benefit was noted. Many of the men in the trials reported an improvement in their hair loss problems
New clinical trials were initiated that showed the drug was effective at helping to slow down and in some cases reverse hair loss. Finasteride is a medication that is taken by the mouth in tablet form every day. Once the treatment is started it must continue or any gains will be quickly lost.
Finasteride works well for men but women are not allowed to use it. At least women of child bearing age because there is a large potential for birth defects. The active ingredients are so powerful that women are not even allowed to touch the tablets for fear that they may absorb the medication through the skin. Although effective for men there are other potential side effects that should be considered.
The second drug approved by the US FDA as a treatment for hair thinning and balding is Minoxidil. This drug was also shown to have a positive effect on hair loss while trials were being conducted on another condition. Minoxidil is a vasodilator medication which means it helps to make the tiny blood vessels in the body larger which in turn lowers high blood pressure.
This enlargement of the blood vessels apparently allows for more blood to reach the hair follicles even though the pattern baldness has been inhibiting the supply. Minoxidil is applied to the scalp by rubbing it in every day. This drug is safe for both men and women and in fact is the only one targeted to female pattern baldness.
These two treatments have been shown to help in the battle against pattern baldness. If you are looking for a hair loss treatment that is effective then you should consider one of these methods and start getting your full head of hair growing again. Unlike many of the advertised remedies, these two do offer results.
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