Hair Restoration and Replacement

When a man starts to lose his hair it is no laughing matter even though everyone, including your fat brother-in-law, makes jokes about it. Studies have indicated that men with balding on their heads are often times assumed to be 10 to 15 years older than their actual age. It is not wonder men have been searching for the best hair loss treatment for years. In fact, ancient Egyptians had their own hair loss treatments over 5000 years ago.

Luckily for us there are better solutions now than their remedy of cow dung and animal blood (although some of the stuff advertised on the internet makes you wonder sometimes). The vast majority of balding problems, about 95%, are caused by a genetic condition known as androgenic alopecia. Also called male pattern baldness and female pattern hair loss, this condition is tied to the amount of a hormonal substance called DHT, dihydrotestosterone, found in the body. The DHT is what is responsible for the dieing of hair follicles on certain areas of the head as men who suffer from this problem have microscopic receptors on their hair roots that the DHT bonds to. As more and more DHT builds up the follicle eventually can no longer produce hair shaft material, keratin, and the hair withers away and falls out. When looking for the best treatment for hair loss you can either limit the amount of DHT produced or you can protect the hair follicles from attack. There are drugs for both conditions but the key is to start treatment early. Once the hair falls out neither of these methods will re-grow the hair and you will be forced to look at hair restoration surgery.

The drug that does the best job of limiting the DHT level is called Finasteride and it has been approved as a hair loss treatment by the US FDA. Originally, this drug was developed as a treatment for enlarged male prostate as there is also a connection between DHT and this condition. During treatment it was found that men with male pattern baldness saw relief from their hair loss. Further studies indicated the drug could in fact help with hair loss in men. Unfortunately for women, this drug can not be used to treat female pattern hair loss in women of child bearing age because of the possibility of birth defects.

Another drug, Minoxidil, that has been approved by the FDA actually helps to limit the reception of the DHT by the hair follicles or roots. This is usually applied in a 5% topical solution to the scalp twice a day. Unlike Finasteride, Minoxidil is save for females and in fact is the best hair loss treatment for women. Minoxidil is not as effective as the first drug with only about 50% of men seeing relief but it does not have the potential side effects of Finasteride either.

If you don’t start either of treatments early enough you will be forced to look at more drastic measures. Once the hair follicles dies the only option is hair transplantation. This method involves removing hairs from one area of the scalp and placing them in the bald area. This is the best hair loss treatment once the hair has completely fallen and you hear people calling you chrome dome.