Male Pattern Hair Loss (6)

Male Pattern Hair Loss (6)

Surgery
Hair transplantation involves removing tiny plugs of hair from areas where it continues to grow and inserting them in bald areas.This can cause minor scarring and carries some risk of skin infection. Multiple transplantation sessions are usually needed and can be expensive. Results, however,are often excellent and permanent.
Choosing a surgeon with experience in this operation is recommended.
to treat male pattern hair loss that tend to have results in stopping or slowing hair
loss, with new hair growth happening in some men. The two main medications used to treat male pattern hair loss are:Finasteride - also known as Propecia®
is an oral medication that works by blocking the conversion of testosterone
to DHT. The hair follicles are then not affected by DHT and can enlarge back to
normal. About two in three men who take finasteride every day experience some
hair re-growth. About one in three men experience no hair re-growth, but most
don’t experience any further hair loss.Finasteride has no effect in about one in
100 men. The chances are therefore quite high that finasteride will help hair re-grow
or at least stop more hair from falling out.Most men do not notice any effects from
taking finasteride for up to four months.It can take up to one to two years for
full hair re-growth to happen. Any improvement in hair growth is usually
greatest over the crown than over the frontal areas of the scalp. If treatment is
stopped, the balding process will begin again, meaning if successful, treatment
needs to be ongoing to continue hair re-growth. Side-effects are uncommon, but
about two in 100 men taking finasteride experience a loss of sex drive (libido).
Finasteride taken at a higher dose(marketed as Proscar®) is also commonly
taken by men to treat benign prostate enlargement, and has been found to reduce
the risk of developing prostate cancer.However, research has found that men who
do develop prostate cancer whilst taking the drug have an increased risk of the
cancer being more aggressive1. However,whether this arises because finasteride
induces more aggressive disease, or simply because finasteride makes it easier to
detect more aggressive disease earlier is not certain2. Nevertheless, men taking
finasteride for hair loss should not be worried as the dose of finasteride given for
hair loss is much lower than what is used to treat prostate enlargement but should
speak to their doctor if they have any concerns. The low dose used for treating
hair loss does not seem to have an effect on the development of prostate cancer.
Minoxidil – also known as Rogaine®, Hair a-gain®, Hair Retreva® – is a lotion
that is rubbed onto the head. There is debate as to how well it works, but it
is believed about half of the men who use minoxidil experience a delay in
further balding. About 15 in 100 men have good hair re-growth, while hair loss
continues in about one in three users.Minoxidil needs to be rubbed onto the
scalp every day, and taken continually for four months before results are
noticeable. As with finasteride, treatment needs to be ongoing for hair growth
to continue. Any new hair that does re-grow tends to fall out two months
after treatment is stopped. Side-effects are uncommon, but minoxidil can cause
skin irritation or a rash in some men.