We encourage you to to learn about hair loss causes, discover available options for the treatment of hair loss, and see before and after photos of real patients.

With the development of new drugs specific for hair loss, medications now play a significant role in both the management and prevention of baldness.

Medication
Within the last few years, several promising medications have shown some benefit with respect to hair loss prevention and treatment.

The first of these was Rogaine followed soon thereafter by Propecia. Although the topically applied Rogaine may only assist a few percentages of individuals, it is deemed safe for use by women and is now available in a 5% formulation. Propecia seems to work better, especially when the hair loss is still relatively early (ie not after many decades of balding). In addition, it seems to offer better action in the crown (back of the head) and thus transplantation of the frontal ¾ area of hair loss with the addition of Propecia for work on the crown may be a very prudent choice. What is also anticipated is that these medications will likely limit to some degree further hair loss, although at this time we cannot give any predictions as to their overall effectiveness. Some people have been using the unapproved stronger cousin of Propecia, termed Avodart, but at this time detailed information regarding it’s role in hair restoration is pending.

Women, as mentioned above, may realize some benefit from the use of topically applied Rogaine. Some women may also benefit by the use of medication that blocks the androgen receptor on hair follicles. Examples of these medications include the diuretic Spironolactone and the oral contraceptive (marketed in North America to treat acne) Diane. Both these medications have a possibility of adverse effects and should only be prescribed to individuals who have no contraindications and are aware of potential risks.

Dr. Wallik insists that consent forms be completed prior to dispensing these drugs.

Human or Synthetic Hair Systems
These products are available by a wide variety of names including weaves, fusion, toupees, wigs, “systems”, etc.. They are made from either harvested natural human hair or a synthetic fiber. The hairs are attached to a surface that is then attached to either the scalp or the circumference of existing hair. The hair that is used for these “systems” is usually matched to the client’s existing hair for curl, caliber and color. Often, however, the matches are not exact and thus recoloring and reconditioning are required. The systems may be “bonded” (glued) to the scalp, which often poses challenges of excessive warmth and difficulties with hygiene. Systems that are attached to the surrounding rim of hair also have challenges with hygiene and will require reattachment as that rim of anchoring hair grows over the course of time.

Although a hair system is difficult to conceal when it is offering coverage to the hairline, it can be a very effective augmentation to hair transplantation when used in areas behind the hairline. An example of this option is provided by Ted Danson, who starred in “Cheers” and used a “system” for the crown region of his head.

Additional Treatments
There exists a wide variety of treatments that purport to arrest or reverse hair loss.

These range from vitamin-mineral products, to herbs and manufactured compounds. Many are applied to the scalp by way of a lotion or shampoo, while others are ingested internally. More recently, laser light has been suggested as a possible beneficial treatment. While it would be fantastic for a treatment in this category to provide respectable results, unfortunately, none come close to the results provided by Rogaine or Propecia, and these latter two medications don’t provide stellar results either. Further compounding the difficulty is that these additional treatments are promoted by manufacturers who make astounding claims but have very scant, if any, scientific literature to support their positions. Ideally, a product should be matched with a placebo (an inert replica of the product) and the product and placebo should be randomly given to two very large, but very similar groups of individuals. The investigators and study participants should only know at the end of the period of study which group of people received the product and which group the placebo. In this way, if a greater proportion of people in the product (treatment) group had beneficial results, then a claim by the manufacturer would receive far greater respect. Unfortunately, few, if any of the aforementioned treatments undergo this style of study, termed a “double blind placebo controlled study”.

Additional factors such as safety, ease of applicability, comfort and cost are further determinants to treatment options. However, individuals have a wide ranging tolerance to these issues and many people are prepared to put up with some fairly expensive and time consuming, yet unproven, strategies to combat their hair loss.