A guide to baldness treatments

Abnormal hair loss or alopecia occurs in both men and women as a result of genetics, hormone imbalance, disease, or some other conditions. Genetic male pattern baldness comprises 95% of hair loss in men, while hormonal imbalance and stress usually cause women to periodically lose hair. Learn more about baldness and its treatments.

What causes baldness?

While it is normal to shed a few strands of hair everyday, excessive loss of hair that leads to thinning and baldness is distressing. However, this phenomenon can be expected, especially in most men who have genetic predisposition to male pattern baldness, or in many women who experience hormonal changes which are related to pregnancy, child birth, menopause and others. Baldness can also be due to some diseases and conditions like malnutrition, extreme stress, severe infection or after a major surgery or chemotherapy.
Effects of baldness Whether you are a man or a woman, and regardless of your age or the reason behind your excessive hair loss, you may be unhappy with the changes in your appearance, worried about what is causing these and anxious to find ways to treat or delay hair loss. Before trying different products and services, consider the following treatments.

Treating baldness

People may lose hair in varying degrees and the effectiveness of treatment may also vary. Successful treatment of hair loss depends on early intervention, and it is important to begin treatment as soon as the process of thinning is noticed. Furthermore, it is important to know which products are medically approved as effective treatments for baldness.
Medications for baldness
Finasteride Finasteride (Proscar and Propecia) was originally developed by the Merck company as a drug to treat enlarged prostate glands. During clinical trials, it was found that the drug causes significant hair growth, and has been approved as the first pill to treat male pattern baldness. At a dose of 1 mg daily, Finasteride significantly reduces hair loss by 60% in more than 80% of men.
Minoxidil Minoxidil was the first drug approved for the treatment of male pattern baldness, although for many years, its pill form (Loniten), was widely used to treat high blood pressure. Hair growth as a side-effect of the drug is not based on hormonal influences, and is therefore not long-lasting. Minoxidil (Rogaine) is now being used topically to induce hair growth, and is an effective treatment for both men and women at concentrations of 2% and 5%.
Hair transplantation Aside from these medications, transplantation of tiny hair follicles taken from one area of the scalp into the affected areas is another option. It is very effective and can produce permanent results that are natural-looking.
References
WebMD