Hair Loss

Causes & Treatments

About 35 million men and 22 million women in the United Status suffer from hair loss.

The most common cause of hair loss is familial pattern (or genetic) balding, which encompasses pattern baldness, caused by genetic predisposition as well as hormonal changes as the man ages and female pattern baldness, also caused by hormonal changes and usually coinciding with menopause.

Minoxidil (Rogaine) and Propecia are the most common treatments for male pattern baldness. Research has begun to appear that proves what works or men, also works for women.

Minodixil, sold as Rogaine and also under generic brand names, is sold in a 2% solution for women and a 5% solution for men.

This is applied topically as a lotion. The more concentrated version has been shown to be superior at regenerating hair growth in men, while there are conflicting studies over whether the higher concentration makes any difference in women.

In a study released in April 2004, the 5% solution was found to be superior for women although there were some side effects reported, such as itching and irritation.

Propecia is the other main anti-hair loss medication. It is taken in pill form and works by blocking enzymes that interfere with the process of converting male hormones at the hair follicle. These drugs are "for men only" because they can cause severe birth defects. However, when used by women who can't or won't become pregnant, it has been very effective in hair regeneration when used long enough.

Since Rogaine and Propecia work in different ways, some people use both at the same time, although there is no evidence this creates more or faster growth.

There are other drugs that are being approved for hair regeneration. These include Proscar, which works like Propecia and Adovart, which blocks two enzymes to Propecia's one, and which might turn out to be very effective for women as well as men.

Another treatment women have been getting for hair loss is estrogen rich birth control pills, which seem to work by overriding excess testosterone levels in females.

Please remember that this article is for informational purposes only and does not purport to offer medical advice.

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