The Most Promising Drugs For Treating Hair Loss
When it comes to treating baldness, it is medicinal pills and topicals that spring to most peoples’ minds as the options holding the greatest promise. There are also other available treatment options, such as surgical and non-surgical hair replacement, but to date only oral and topical medicinal treatments have been proven to reduce and reverse hair loss naturally. Hair surgery, though providing the best cosmetic results, cannot slow or reverse hair loss. Natural and herbal hair loss treatments seek to mimic medicinal treatments in their mode of action but their effectiveness in treating hair loss has never been confirmed in any serious clinical study and too many of them are associated with hair scams.
The two medicinal treatments that have been approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in the US for treating hair loss are topical minoxidil (trade name Rogaine/Regaine) and oral finasteride (Propecia). These two hair loss drugs have been also approved by national health supervisory authorities in many other countries. Topical minoxidil is suitable for both sexes, whereas finasteride can only be prescribed to male patients. Minoxidil is a vasodilator, originally used to treat high blood pressure, which was later found to stimulate new hair growth when applied topically to the scalp. Its exact mechanism of action is not known, though.
Finasteride is an antiandrogen that was originally applied to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), also known as prostate enlargement. It acts by blocking conversion of the male hormone testosterone to the follicle harming didydrotestosterone (DHT). The discovery of finasteride’s positive effects on hair growth led to finding the true cause of hereditary baldness, which are the harmful attacks of DHT on our hair follicles. Since making this discovery, a quest for other alternative DHT blockers has begun, especially amongst antiandrogen drugs and herbs that have been traditionally used to treat urinary problems.
Dutasteride (trade name Avodart) is a drug similar to finasteride and has been studied extensively for treating hair loss. It is currently undergoing phase III clinical testing. Avodart has been approved for treating BPH and is thus available in pharmacies in many countries around the world. Although it has not yet been approved for hair loss by any national health supervisory authority, it is being prescribed by some clinics and doctors to male patients who no longer respond to finasteride. Dutasteride is believed by many doctors and patients to be a more powerful hair loss drug than finasteride but also with more severe side effects.
Flutamide (trade name Eulexin) is an extremely powerful antiandrogen used to treat prostate cancer. It works by binding to the androgen receptors and thus competing with DHT. Oral use of flutamide can cause serious side effects but it is believed that topical applications might have less adverse side effects and could be, in the future, used to combat hereditary hair loss. More research is needed to verify such claims.
Spironolactone (trade name Aldactone) is another antiandrogen that acts by binding to androgen receptors, competing with DHT. It is used in women to treat acne, hair loss and hirsutism (excess body hair) and although there are some generic topical applications out there for treatment of male pattern baldness containing spironolactone, it has never been approved to treat hair loss in men and should better be avoided.
Aminexil, was developed by L’Oreal to treat baldness in men and women and its molecule is quite similar to that of minoxidil. Its mode of action is not exactly known and it is considered to be a weaker weapon in the fight against hereditary baldness than minoxidil.
The most promising novel drug under development is called NEOSH101. It happens to be in phase II clinical trials and is supposed to be a hair growth stimulant, distantly related in its actions to minoxidil. Although not expected to become an ultimate cure for baldness, it could improve the chances of hair loss sufferers of regrowing some of their lost hair.
The above list of medicinal treatments for hair loss is not exhaustive. There are a number of other drugs that are believed to help treat hereditary baldness, such as superoxide dismutase, ketoconazole, fluridil, alfatradiol, etc. (for more info read: http://www.greyhairloss.com/medicinal-hair-loss-remedies.html ) but none of them has ever been proven in any serious clinical study to promote new hair growth and further studies will be needed to evaluate their positive effects on hair loss. Therefore, for the time being, minoxidil and finasteride remain the main weapons in the fight against genetically-determined hair loss conditions in male patients.
Medicinal hair loss remedies are amongst many hair care-related topics discussed at GreyHairLoss.com, a website dedicated to educating the public on treating hair loss and premature gray hair. Readers are kindly asked to use this platform to share their experiences with hair care products they have used by writing a consumer review on any existing product or therapy.
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The Best Approach to Treating Hair Loss
Once you start losing your hair, you may start wondering about the best approach to treating hair loss. Granted, hair loss is not life threatening but it seriously affects many people’s self image and they go to great lengths in order to find a solution for their hair loss. In some instances, hair loss has been likened to someone experiencing a terminal disease. There are many tried and tested techniques to treating hair loss and this article will explore some of them.
The major cause of hair loss in men is due to hereditary factors. The production of the DHT hormone is actually responsible for the hair loss in men. This hormone inhibits the growth of new hair by the hair follicle. A normal person usually losses about 100 hairs everyday. The loss is however barely noticed as the lost hairs are quickly replaced by the new hairs that are produced by the hair follicles. When DHT blocks the production of new hairs, the loss of hair starts becoming more that the replenished hair. Therefore, one starts to bald first partially and then completely. Some drugs have been developed to remedy this situation and at their core they are trying to prevent the production of DHT. They do this by blocking the conversion of testosterone to DHT.Such drugs have been clinically tested and some have been found to greatly aid in the growth of new hairs. Such drugs include Procerin, provillus, corvinex, fullmore, etc. The drugs may however have some side effects and it is important to discuss with your doctor to find out which drug is appropriate for you. These drugs however treat the male pattern baldness only since it’s the one caused by DHT. Female pattern baldness is caused by hormonal imbalances and as such there are drugs that have been developed to correct this hormonal imbalance.
If you find that prescription drugs have too many side effects and therefore have to be avoided, then you can use the traditional or herbal products. These treatments are loved by many since they do not have many of the side effects of the prescription drugs. They are also relatively cheap to make and do not require a high level of expertise to administer. The jury is still out however on whether these drugs really reverse hair loss as they claim to. Some of the herbal substances include rosemary, margosa, amla, honey, saw palmetto, honey, etc. Some of the herbal substances are also included in the prescription drugs so as to give them a more natural appeal.
Another treatment for hair loss that may not involve much money at all is to avoid stress. Stress is a major factor that leads to the constriction of blood vessels that flow to the hair follicles. Blood carries nutrients to the hair follicles and therefore when less blood is available to the hair follicles, they produce less hair, and hence a person starts to bald significantly. Stress can be avoided by regular exercises and by taking proper amounts of sleep that helps clear the mind and keep the body relaxed. The treatment solution really depends on your choice and the amount of money at your disposal.
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