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Common Treatments for Hair Loss |
There are literally thousands of hair treatments which claim to be a cure for stopping hair loss, but by far the most reliable hair treatments are the medicinals, minoxidil and finasteride. The innovators of minoxidil were Upjohn, who sold minoxidil under the brand name, Rogaine in the United States and Regaine outside the USA. For many years Rogaine, which was originally approved by the FDA, was sold as Rogaine 2% hair loss lotion. Today we find several generic minoxidil products world wide but Regaine or Rogaine, being the original products still remain very popular in many countries. Regaine 5% or Regaine 5% Extra Strength may be found throughout Europe and although the product is now an OTC (over the counter product), it is still highly prescribed by doctors as a cure for stopping hair loss. Minoxidil enjoyed many years as the only pharmaceutical product for hair loss although, as mentioned earlier, thousands of products exist world wide which claim to be cures for stopping hair loss. Most of these products are sold from hairdressing salons although same may also be sold from pharmacies and are still not classed as pharmaceuticals.
In the late 90's a new cure for stopping hair loss was launched on the market. This was finasteride and marketed as Propecia. Originally finasteride was produced as a cure for benign prostate cancer under the brand name, Proscar. For many years, until Propecia was launched, persons suffering from male pattern baldness used Proscar for stopping hair loss. Proscar is produced in tablet form as finasteride 5mg and each packet contains 28 tablets of Proscar. Propecia is also in tablet form but each tablet only contains 1mg and each packet contains 28 tablets of Propecia. The dosage is 1mg tablet daily. Since Proscar is much cheaper that Propecia, some patients have been using Proscar tablets and splitting them into four pieces thus taking 1.25mg daily. In this way a packet of Proscar containing 28 tablets would last almost four months compared to the Propecia which would only last one month and costs more than Proscar. Due to a side effect affecting sexual function, many patients suffering from male pattern baldness avoided finasteride and preferred to use minoxidil. The side effects include impotence and reduced libido and the chances are one in fifty. Finasteride is now being produced in a generic form and no doubt the price of Propecia should shortly drop as was the case with minoxidil when the patent had expired.
Another product, in this case non-medical, which is being produced as a treatment for benign prostate cancer is saw palmetto also known as serenoa repens. Saw palmetto is an extract from a berry mainly found in the United States and has been used by the American Indians for over two hundred years as a general tonic. Unlike finasteride, saw palmetto or serenoa repens does not have the side effect of reduced sexual function. In fact it is quite the opposite as it was taken by the Indians as an aphrodisiac. Both finasteride and saw palmetto or serenoa repens inhibit the enzyme 5 alpha reductase. This enzyme is present in the prostate and in the hair follicles in the area of male pattern baldness but not present in the hair at the back and sides of the scalp. This enzyme is responsible for converting the male hormone testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the main cause of hair loss. Saw palmetto has been proved to stop the DHT thus controlling hair loss. Saw palmetto (serenoa repens) is considered safe for both men and women.
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