Treatment for Baldness
- Although science has yet to figure out how or why minoxodil works, the success of the drug in topical form from Rogaine has spawned treatments, based on the minoxidil chemical, for men and women. Minoxidil helps stimulate hair follicles and can result in new hair growth in a few months after the start of treatment. However, the one drawback is that new hair stops growing after treatment is discontinued, and hair loss will start anew.
- Another popular over-the-counter medication, finasteride (brand name: Propecia) can slow hair loss and, in some cases, grow new hair. The drug stops testosterone from turning into a hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which is responsible for causing hair follicles to shrivel up. The drug, taken as an oral medication, may take a few months before it has an effect on your hairline, whether that be new hair growth or a slowdown in the loss of your original hair.
- Corticosteroids are used for a variety of maladies and conditions. The anti-inflammatory drug can also be used to treat cases of alopecia, which is a disease where people lose hair, either on their head or all over their body. Corticosteroids are injected into the scalp and can start creating new hair in about a month.
- If other treatments do not seem to work, surgery is an option. Scalp reduction therapy, where a surgeon extends your hairline so that it is lower on your forehead, or a hair transplant, where surgeons insert strands of hair into your follicles, are two methods used for surgical hair replacement. However, surgical treatments are expensive and can result in complications such as infection and scarring.
