How To Treat Thinning Hair
Posted on 01. Dec, 2009 by Albert Benson in Women's Health
There are all kinds of hair loss treatments available on the web and other places but only a few will really help you with your hair loss. You can find all kinds of remedies and natural hair growth products with big claims. The problem is most of these have never been studied in clinical trials to prove whether they are really effective or not.
There are only two drugs available that have been studied by the US Food and Drug Administration and have shown positive effects on hair loss. Both of these drugs do a good job of helping you keep the hair you still have by keeping the hair follicles healthy. They will jump start some of the follicles that are dormant but only if they have not grown hair for a short time.
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.
This drug works well for men but is not prescribed to women of child bearing age because of the potential for birth defects. It is so powerful that women are not even allowed to handle the tablets. Although effective, there are concerns about other side effects that should be looked into.
The second FDA approved drug to treat hair loss is Minoxidil. This was also found during trials of the drug for treatment of another condition. This drug was being used to treat high blood pressure since it is a vasodilation medication. That means it enlarges the small blood vessels in the body and allows more blood flow.
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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