By Fishy @ ByeByeHairloss.com
Hair loss can be a humiliating experience for any man, but in recent years medicine has made tremendous advances in the treatment of men's hair loss. What used to be thought of as an inevitable fact of life has become even more treatable, before the noticeable baldness occurs. Now, it is possible to reverse or slow the progression of hair loss without awkward devices, obvious hair plugs, or even worse, a bad toupee. The medicine that has been approved by the FDA has taken the place of many products that have claimed to work, but have not done anything but take your money.
Propecia, also called by the generic name of Finasteride, was originally developed to treat enlarged prostate glands. During the treatments to their enlarged prostrate, the men experienced side effects that included the sudden growth of new hair. Since the drug was already FDA approved to treat prostates, Merck and Company, the producers of the drug, lobbied to have it approved as a treatment for male pattern baldness. In December of 1997, the drug was approved in a smaller dose of 1 mg, to treat Androgenic Alopecia, the official name of male pattern baldness.
After two years, 83 % of the men taking the drug for baldness saw significant results. 65% of men actually saw a considerable re-growth of their hair after taking the pill for only 3 to 6 months. This is due to the effective lowering of an Enzyme called DHT by almost 60%. DHT essentially shrinks the hair follicle eventually leading to male pattern baldness. Through many trials and studies it has been proven the only way to really reverse hair loss is to lower the DHT levels. Many drugs on the market claim to do this but Propecia is the only drug really proven to reverse the hair loss that most men experience in their lifetime.
Minoxidil was actually the first drug approved by the FDA for pattern baldness in men. It was originally used for the treatment of high blood pressure, but as Propecia did, Minoxidil had side effects of excessive growth of hair in unexpected places like their forehead, backs of their hands, their shoulders, and in their ears. Researches then decided to make a topical cream to rub directly on the head to see if it did indeed grow hair their also. It did, but it depended on the severity of the hair loss. Minoxidil was proven to work on mild to medium hair loss as opposed to complete baldness.
At the time though, it was groundbreaking. After two years of trials on men it was then shown to only marginally change hair loss. It did stop the hair loss in some but didn't have the re-growth of hair that Propecia does. Although in a few they were able to see sufficient changes, enough to keep it on the market for male pattern baldness. Minoxidil doesn't have any effect on the hormonal process that Propecia does, so you may not see the long-term effects you expect. This is basically a short-term solution, and unlikely to stop the process of hair over a long period of time. That being said, it is an excellent solution to men who don't find results with Propecia or are looking to add to their Propecia dosage. The AHLA recommends that you try Propecia when starting a regimen of hair loss treatments, and then continue on with Minoxidil if you are in the small percentage in which Propecia doesn't work.
As far as commercial hair treatments are concerned, the best advice would be to research each product thoroughly. There are hundreds of products that you see on commercials, and in men's magazines, but no other drug but Propecia and Minoxidil has been approved by the FDA or even proven to work. Most likely they will include natural ingredients that you could find separately without paying costly amounts that are usually charged by companies that are essentially ripping you off. They take the best of the holistic medicines that are shown to benefit hair loss and put a fancy name on it, leading you to believe that it is actual medicine.
Natural remedies that have become increasingly popular are supplements that contain saw palmetto, folic acid, ginkgo biloba, green tea, Vitamin B5, and nettle just to name a few. Another way to possibly stop the hair loss is by changing your diet. A diet that contains whole foods can give strength to your hair. Whole foods such as the outer skin of potatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and sprouts are rich in mineral silica. Iron is also something you can add to your diet to help strengthen hair by eating lean meats or watermelon. You don't have to suffer with hair loss before you decide to do something about it.
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