Hair loss can occur due to various reasons, including heredity, medications, or any medical conditions. If you are losing your hair or your hair is becoming thinner day by day, you need to talk to your doctor as soon as possible. It is always easier to treat your hair loss while you still have hair than once it is all gone. Besides, it is necessary to figure out what the reason is before starting the treatment.
Top Hair Loss Treatments
There are several hair loss products in the market to treat your hair loss problem. The best treatments you can get for your hair loss are discussed below:
1. Finasteride
Finasteride is a drug used for hair loss treatment. This prescription drug is also known under its brand name Propecia. It was introduced to the market in the year of 1997. You can get it in the form of a pill and take it orally every day. If you are losing hair at the middle part of your scalp and on your crown, it will work best on you. It works by blocking your DHT hormones around 70%, which helps to slow down the shortening and shrinkage of your hair. Thus, you get to keep your hair for longer.
According to the studies, you need to take Finasteride consistently to see its impact. You might notice the results after 3 months. It will be necessary to continue taking it. Otherwise, you might lose progress after 12 months of not using it. Studies show that 64% of men experienced some regrowth after taking Finasteride for two years, and 80% of men have shown promising results by keeping the count of their hair follicles. It might not work well for men over 60. Talk and consult your doctor as it is a prescription drug. Don't forget to discuss its potential side effects.
2. Minoxidil
Hair goes through several phases:
- Anagen: When your hair is actually growing.
- Telogen: A resting phase, when your hair shrinks and gets detached from the follicle.
- Catagen: When it slows down a bit.
- Exogen: When your hair falls out from your scalp to be replaced by new hair.
Minoxidil stimulates the regrowth of your hair by reactivating hair follicles in the anagen phase and relaxing the blood vessels in your scalp. This makes your blood flow easier to the follicles. In some cases, a large number of old hairs might fall out by their initial usage. It might seem as though you are losing more hair instead of growing more. If something happens like this, don't panic. Be patient for three to five months, and you will be able to see the regrowth of your hair from moderate to dense.
Minoxidil is a vasodilator, which means it widens your blood vessels. So, before having this treatment, consider consulting with a doctor to check if you or your family ever had any kind of heart disease. Some side effects might occur while you are having this treatment. Make sure to discuss thoroughly before going for it.
3. Hair Transplant
Typically, when you face permanent hair loss, the top of your head gets affected only. Restoration surgery or hair transplant can be effective in this case. In this procedure, a cosmetic surgeon or dermatologist removes hair from a part of your head that has hair. Then they transplant it to a bald spot. Each patch of hair might have one to several hairs (mini grafts and micrografts). Sometimes the surgeon might take a larger strip of skin that contains multiple hair groupings. The process doesn't require hospitalization.
As it is painful, you might be given sedatives to ease any discomfort. Possible risks include bruising, swelling, bleeding, and infection. To get the best result, you might need to get more than one surgery. This hair transplant procedure might not be effective if your hair loss is caused by heredity reasons.
4. Laser Therapy
Laser therapy is a costly hair loss treatment. It is also quite a time commitment treatment. As per the Food and Drug Administration's approval, you can use a low-level laser device to treat your hair loss if you suffer from hereditary hair loss. There might not be enough data to show that this therapy is very effective over the long term to prevent your hair loss, but there are still some encouraging results. However, long-term safety and effectiveness have not been confirmed yet.
5. Scalp Micropigmentation
This is not actually a treatment for hair loss. It is one kind of cosmetic procedure. It's like having tattoos in little dot forms onto your head to make it look like you are rocking a buzz cut. It will seem like you have it intentionally rather than being forced. It costs near $1000-$4000, depending on the number of dots you will have on your scalp. It is a new procedure and though it does not help grow your hair back, it still brings the confidence that you had once when you did not suffer from hair loss.
Simple Steps to Prevent and Reverse Hair Loss
To prevent and reverse your hair loss, check out the following points:
- Be gentle to the hair you have. Go easy while towel drying after having a shower.
- Remember that UV rays can be harmful to follicles.
- Do not wear a baseball cap too tightly. It can cut off circulation to your scalp, hindering your new hair growth.
- Find out if the ingredients in your pomade, shampoo, and styling creams are friendly to your hair and scalp.
- Get better nutrition to slow hair loss. Eat foods high in omega-3 fatty acids like egg yolks, tuna, salmon, white fish, and walnuts. These foods help bring down inflammation while balancing your hormones. You can also have supplements like fish oil, iron, and vitamins, such as vitamin C, B-complex, and vitamin D, to get a better result.
Confidence makes your personality brighter. A lack of hair cannot impact your personality if you are confident enough. However, if you decide to take any of these treatments, be sure to be confident about that too. Be proud of what you do and what you have to shine brightly throughout your life.
Best of luck!
