Hair loss affects over 80 million Americans, both men and women. While elderly individuals are most commonly associated with hairloss, it can affect young people as well. Since surgical procedures can be uncomfortable and expensive, may individuals use medication to treat it.
Your choice of treatment will depend on how serious or difficult to treat your condition may be. If you have hereditary male pattern baldness, it will be treated differently than alopecia or scalp psoriasis, for example.
Sometimes baldness is associated with personal concerns. These include:
- Childbirth
- Illness
- Stress
- Certain Hair products
- Hairstyles that pull on the scalp
- Infections
- Certain medications
- Literally pulling out own hair out
- Poor nutrition
- Poison
Once these concerns are addressed, hair regrowth should occur as normal. If these issues are not addressed soon enough, hair loss may be permanent.
Lifestyle changes can help as well quitting smoking, improving your diet, reducing stress and massaging the scalp can accelerate treatment. They may not be effective by themselves, however.
One of the most popular medications for treatment is Minoxidil, or Rogaine. It is a foam that can treat male pattern baldness. It may not treat all types of baldness. For men it cannot treat receding hairline or baldness in front of the scalp.
For women, it mainly used to help grow thinning hair. You should see your doctor before using any OTC (over the counter) or prescription products. It is not currently known how it actually treats baldness.
Propecia (finasteride tablets) is another product used to treat male pattern baldness. Unfortunately it is not recommended to treat hair loss for women. It works by reducing the amount of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) which prevents hair growth.
This only affects hair follicles on your scalp and not other parts of the body. It is taken orally so it is simple to take compared to other medications. This requires a prescription from your doctor and they will discuss any potential risks and ensure the benefit of treatment.
They will also provide a patient information guide to help you make an informed decision. Medication is often a long term treatment option.
If you decide to use medication in treating hair loss, make sure that you follow the instructions provided by your doctor or pharmacist. Do not take more medication than your doctor recommends. This will not increase the speed of treatment and can increase your risk of experiencing side effects.
Prescription drugs are often prohibitively expensive in the United States. You may wish to use Sunshine Pharmacy, a brick on mortar pharmacy located in Canada that offers medication that is scientifically proven to be safe and effective by Health Canada. talk to your doctor before pursuing medical treatment.
Before you begin treating haroloss you first need to make a diagnosis. You should consult with your doctor before beginning treatment. Be honest with them since withholding information from them will prevent appropriate action.
If medication and lifestyle choices fail to treat your condition they may suggest more drastic methods such as hair transplants or laser treatments.