Prescription Medication That Can Regrow Hair
Another treatment option is to take prescription medication. The type of medication prescribed will depend on your:
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Hair loss cause
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Expected results
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Plans for getting pregnant
With any medication, side effects are possible. Ask your dermatologist about possible side effects that you might experience while taking one of these medications to treat hair loss. The medications include:
Finasteride : The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved this medication to treat male pattern hair loss. When taken as directed, finasteride can:
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Slow down hair loss
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Stimulate new hair growth
Finasteride is a pill that you take once a day. Taking it at the same time each day seems to produce the best results.
Finasteride: Before and after
This man took finasteride to treat his male pattern hair loss, and within 1 year , he had noticeable improvement. After 2 years , he had regrown most of his hair.
Like other treatments for hair loss, this, too, takes time to work. It usually takes about 4 months to notice any improvement.
Finasteride tends to be more effective if you begin taking it when you first notice hair loss.A dermatologist may also prescribe this medication to treat a woman who has hereditary hair loss and cannot get pregnant.
If finasteride works for you, you will need to keep taking it to continue getting results. Once you stop, youll start losing hair again.Before taking this medication, be sure to discuss possible side effects with your dermatologist.
Conventional Treatment For Thinning Hair
Conventional treatments for thinning hair include medications and surgery.
When hair is caused by an underlying disease, conventional medicine likely includes drugs like prednisone to reduce inflammation and suppress the immune system. Common side effects of prednisone include confusion, headache, restlessness, nausea, vomiting, thinning skin, acne, sleep problems and weight gain.
There are also two drugs on the market today that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat pattern baldness or thinning. The first one is minoxidil, commonly known commercially as Rogaine, and it can be used by both men and women. You may experience hair regrowth or a decreased rate of hair loss, but the growth is not permanent and will stop if you stop using it. Some common side effects may include severe scalp irritation, undesirable growth of facial hair, chest pain, rapid heart rate and more.
Another conventional option in pill form is called finasteride. Again, you need to keep taking it to retain benefits. Additionally, women who are or may be pregnant need to avoid touching crushed or broken tablets. Side effects may include impotence, loss of interest in sex, trouble having an orgasm, abnormal ejaculation, swelling in your hands or feet, feeling faint,headache, runny nose, and skin rash.
Precautions Regarding Natural Treatments for Thinning Hair
What Are The Different Types Of Female Hair Loss
Engelman explains how the hair cycle is a four phase process: Anagen , Catagen , Telogen , and Exogen . Each hair follicle goes through this process at different times, otherwise we would lose all of our hair at the same time before it started to grow again. There is no exact normal number of hairs shed per dayit depends on the individual. But if your normal seems to have changed, and youre finding extra hairs on your pillows, clothing, and even falling into your food, it could mean your hair growth cycle has been disrupted.
According to Joshua Zeichner MD, Associate Professor of Dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital, female pattern hair loss, or FPHL, is polygenic, meaning that its likely caused by a combination of genetic factors from both your mom and your dad, though other factors can contribute to hair loss. It is important to understand whether hair loss is caused by genetics alone or whether there are contributing medical factors involved, Zeichner adds. Medical factors might include hormonal changes that occur during perimenopause, menopause and post-partum, as well as stress, illness, weight loss, and even gut health.
Stress can play a big role in female hair thinning and loss. The Mayo clinic describes
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Preventing Hair Loss: Over
The simplest solution is to start using 5 percent minoxidil, which is available without a prescription, says Bruce. The trade name is Rogaine, but there are also generic versions available. This treatment is effective in about two out of three people who use it, she says.
Compliance can be an issue, because you have to use it every day to retain the benefits, she says. There are medications marketed to both men and women, but women can use the mens formulation and it is often less expensive.
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Oral prescription drugs have been shown to help with female pattern hair loss. These drugs have been approved for use in other conditions, but are used by doctors off-label for FPHL, according to the American Academy of Dermatology Association .
Spironolactone, a blood pressure medication that is a diuretic can prevent hair loss from worsening and restore hair growth, according to the AAD. Other drugs block the effects of circulating androgens or lower androgen levels.
These oral medications should not be used by women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, according to the AAD.
Medications To Treat Hair Loss
Treatment depends on the underlying cause, says Dr. Scott. Sometimes simply addressing a medical condition prompting hair loss will be enough for the hair to regrow. In other instances, a woman might consider a medication like minoxidil , which helps with certain types of hair loss, or another treatment to replace or regrow lost hair.
A newer option being used to treat hair loss is platelet-rich plasma injections. For this treatment, the doctor draws your blood, divides it into its separate components, recombines the blood fluid with a high concentration of platelets , and introduces the resulting preparation back into the scalp.
The science on this isnt totally worked out. We still dont completely understand the mechanism behind PRP, but growth factors contained in platelets can stimulate regeneration of hair follicles and other tissues as well, says Dr. Scott.
In addition, low-level LED laser lights have been found to be helpful in regrowing hair in some cases. Its likely that even more treatments will be developed in the near future.
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Follow This Healthy Hair Lifestyle Checklist
- Avoid excess stress.
- Stimulate the circulation to your scalp with a daily finger massage. Also take handfuls of hair and gentle move the scalp to and fro, and side to side, to loosen tension and promote blood flow.
- Use a shampoo containing green tea caffeine which blocks DHT production and stimulates hair growth. Caffeine also reduces smooth muscle constriction around hair follicles to improve blood flow and nutrient delivery.
- Ask your doctor if you need any tests to assess your thyroid function, to measure your serum ferritin levels to look for iron deficiency, or if any other hormone imbalances are likely.
The Best Treatments For Thinning Hair
Medically reviewed by Kristin Hall, FNP
You see yourself in the mirror everyday, so you may not see the subtle changes that develop over time until they become impossible to ignore.
Receding hairline, widening part and overall hair thinning take time to develop and, once they do, they may be difficult to reverse.
Everyone wants a head of lush and lustrous hair a mane they can be proud of. Unfortunately, we cant always get what we want.
Thinning hair is caused by a combination of factors some of which you cant control and it can create a snowball effect of complications.
Hair loss and hair thinning may not be life-threatening, but unwanted changes to your appearance can affect your self-esteem and confidence.
If youre pulling your hair out over the stress of losing your hair, youve come to the right place. Below, weve delved deep into the subject of hair thinning to discuss common causes and potential treatment options.
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Applying A Mixture Of Onion And Garlic Juice
Using a well-prepared mix of onion juice and garlic juice is a tested remedy to treat thinning hair. It will not take much of your time to make the mixture. Just take an onion and some garlic and peel those. Then use a mixer to grind the material. Use a soft, porous cloth to filter the juice properly. Massage the juice on the scalp with delicate fingers, twice each week. The results will be evident in about three to four months. Your hair will be thicker with regained glossiness.
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Low Light Laser Therapy
LLLT treatment can be administered at home or in a hair salon thats certified for LLLT. This treatment can be done in the form of a comb or a funny looking hard hat contraption. Basically the low-level laser omits waves that are said to stimulate hair growth.
A 2014 research review found LLLT helped hair growth in mice as well as men and women in controlled clinical trials.
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Natural Remedies For Hair Loss: Chat With Your Gp
Relying on hair loss remedies often leads to people trying to find a cure for hair loss without knowing what the root cause of the problem is.
Indeed hair loss isn’t uncommon, especially during stressed periods or if you’re feeling a bit run down, but this should only be for brief spells and should correct itself long-term. These natural remedies are good short-term solutions to help.
However if the hair loss is really affecting your mental state or has been prolonged, you should visit your GP – it’s best to make sure it isn’t a side effect of a bigger problem. Your doctor will be able to run a few tests and put your mind at ease.
Hair thinning can sometimes be caused by the contraceptive pill or medication, so don’t be afraid to raise any concerns.
Be Mindful Of Birth Control Pills
Birth control pills are a form of contraception that works by suppressing ovulation and/or making it more difficult for a fertilized egg to implant into the lining of the uterus. Hormonal hair loss in women may occur when women start or stop taking certain kinds of contraceptives. The hormones that make birth control pills effective may also cause hair thinning in women who use them. You are more likely to experience this side effect from birth control pills if you have a family history of hair loss. Stopping the pill is also a cause of hair loss in women. Hormones are not the only medication that may be associated with hair loss. Blood thinners and blood pressure medications may do it, too. So can drugs used to treat depression, heart disease, and arthritis.
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Effective Hair Loss Treatments
The cause of your particular form of hair loss will point you toward the right treatment. For stress-related telogen effluvium, time is usually the best solution as hair should grow back six to nine months after the excessive shedding occurs. However, if your telogen effluvium is caused by an underlying health issue such as a thyroid problem or low iron levels, your hair should grow back after you address the underlying problem.
Topical minoxidil is the only FDA-approved treatment for hair loss in women, says Dr. Goh. Its technically approved for androgenetic alopecia, but its used for many types of hair loss, and its available over the counter. A common reason people dont try minoxidil is because they have heard you have to keep using it forever, says Dr. Goh. While it is true that minoxidil only works while you use it, it is also true of all treatments for hair loss as long as the underlying hair loss is chronic. It can become a routine like brushing your teeth.Finasteride is FDA-approved for male pattern androgenetic alopecia and is quite effective, especially when combined with minoxidil. Its often prescribed off-label for women, but can cause birth defects so its usually used in women after child-bearing age, notes Dr. Goh. Spironolactone is another medication often used for women with female pattern hair loss that can cause birth defects so women are advised to use proper contraception while taking it.
What Causes Hair Thinning
Although the causes of hair loss are often hard to determine, things such as pregnancy, being a new mum, ageing, symptoms of stress or anxiety, or alopecia could be making your hair look and feel thinner than it used to.
Feeling like your hair is thinning can be a horrible feeling, especially when worrying about it can be another trigger for your hair thinning even more so its a vicious cycle. And were often guilty of falling into traps where we think were helping our hair but actually these tricks can be even more damaging to our delicate locks.
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New Treatments For Thinning Hair For Women
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After 20 years of trying every drug, supplement, diet and procedure for hair loss including driving four hours twice a week for laser therapy Lina Telford, a graphic artist, gave up on her comb over and shaved her head. From then on, she alternated between a $1,500 wig and a $4,000 wig.
When you hear people complain about having a bad hair day, you almost cant bear it, she said. Youre like, Honey, you have no idea.
In February, though, Ms. Telford, 46, flew from her home in London, Ontario, to Sarasota, Fla., for a new $1,400 hourlong treatment known as platelet rich plasma , which is said to stimulate dormant hair follicles. The procedure involves drawing blood, spinning it in a centrifuge to extract the plasma, adding various nutrients , then injecting the resulting mixture in one-inch intervals in a grid on the top of the scalp, which has been numbed with a local anesthetic.
Like the long-suffering friend who inspired her to undergo the procedure, Ms. Telford quickly saw an improvement in her hair. New hair growth usually take at least four months, but at the two-month mark, she has already spotted some baby hairs. Not a gazillion, she said, but its a start. Shes planning to return for follow-up treatments every six months, and has high hopes of ditching the wigs and wearing her hair in a pixie.
Finasteride, better known by the brand name Propecia, is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for women.