Hair loss treatments for men

What types of general hair loss treatments are available?

Medical science has made remarkable advancements during the recent years and it is now possible to reduce or prevent the hair loss or even to achieve regrowth of the lost hair. Hair loss treatments for men include, use of antimicrobial agents in  medicated antidandruff shampoos, micronutrient supplements; containing vitamins and minerals to overcome the probable causative factors; including anaemia, hypothyroidism, mycotic or yeasteral scalp infection and the aftereffects of prescribed medicines.

What are hair loss treatments for men?

Use of surgical restoration techniques like hair grafting and the use of 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors like ‘Propecia’ too have been found beneficial. FUT (Follicular Hair Transplantation) involves taking a follicular unit comprising of many hair follicles from the donor site of the patient, then dissecting it with microscopical precision to the level of single units, followed by grafting into the recipient sites of the scalp. In another method LLLT; Low-Level Laser Therapy utilizes biostmulation to initiate regrowth of the lost hair.

Is Hamilton –Norwood Scale, Male Specific?

The Hamilton –Norwood Scale was introduced in 1950 by Dr. James Hamilton and it is a male specific standard to measure the degree of male pattern baldness. The scale range is 1-7 and the highest number is indicative of the most severe hair loss. It the most used scale to measure the degree of baldness and a helpful tool for benchmarking and chasing the progress of a treatment. Since most of the chemical treatments are temporary in effect, they need to be continued intermittently and Hamilton-Norwood Scale helps monitoring to alert when it is time to resume the treatment.

Is there an FDA approved medication for hair loss treatment?

 FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has approved two medications; Minoxidil (Rogaine) and Finasteride (Propecia) for the treatment of hair loss in men. Minoxidil (loniten) was initially approved by FDA to control blood pressure but it was noted that, a side effect of its use was the growth of hairs on unusual locations like cheeks, forehead etc. This suggested that its topical usage might have the potential to regrow the hair, and it was objectively evidenced after clinical trials. FDA approved it for the treatment of hair loss in men. It is slow acting and temporarily effective in the prevention of hair loss .

Finasteride was the second medication to be approved as hair loss treatment in men. Finasteride is the generic name of Propecia and Proscar. Proscar was initially approved by FDA as treatment for the enlarged prostate. Hair growth was noted as the side effect of its usage. A pharmaceutical company; Merk , conceived the idea of developing an FDA approved  pill as the first oral treatment for hair loss in men, since a treatment in the form of topical application of Minoxidil had already been approved by FDA, and was available in market. FDA finally approved 1 mg. dosage of Finasteride for the treatment of hair loss in men; medically known as Androgenetic alopecia and commonly known as Male Pattern Baldness.