Hair loss prevention methods. What are the most effective?

Nobody wants to lose hair. Unfortunately, over 50% of men and 25% of women suffer from hair loss. Hair loss runs through the family. It could be genetics. Therefore, if you come from a bald family, you are always nervous that one day you will wake up and find your head bald.

Unlike our ancestor’s era, nowadays we can reverse hair loss – thanks to the advent of new scientific breakthrough. Major ways or reversing hair loss is with drugs and by surgery.

With drugs, these are the main medications that are used to prevent hair loss.

Aldactone

Aldactone or spironolactone is a testosterone-inhibiting drug that has been used for centuries to treat high blood pressure. Through research, it has been revealed that higher doses of the drug are useful in stopping hair loss in women. Unfortunately, the drug does not cause hair re-growth.

It has negative effects on men, as it is a testosterone inhibitor. It can cause breast enlargement and sexual dysfunction; therefore, it should not be used to treat hair loss in men.

In addition, Aldactone has the ability to retain high levels of potassium; therefore, you should be cautious while using it. The drug can retain very high levels of potassium resulting in hyperkalemia—which is a fatal condition. Due to the dangers surrounding this drug, it should be used only under a doctor’s scrutiny.

Topical minoxidil.

This is the most common drug that is used in preventing hair loss. Fortunately, you can access it without a doctor’s prescription. The drug can be used by both sexes: men and women. The drug is topically applied on the head where hair is undergoing thinning.

Just like Aldactone, the drug had been used to treat high blood pressure for a long time until its use in reversing hair loss was discovered. In men, Minoxidil is majorly used to treat the bald patch on the back of the head, which is usually linked to male baldness. In women, the drug is used to stimulate hair growth.

Although, Topical minoxidil is effective in preventing hair loss, it should not be used by people suffering from heart conditions. This is because the drug is readily absorbed through the scalp of the head and into the blood stream. In the blood stream, it causes lowered blood pressure. In case you have any heart condition, you should use minoxidil with dire caution.

Propecia

Propecia (finasteride) is another drug that is used in preventing hair loss. Unlike Topical minoxidil, you need a doctor’s prescription in order to access propecia. It works by blocking the formation of hormones responsible for hair loss in men.

On the down side, the drug should be used by men and women who cannot sire. This is because the drug causes birth defects if exposed to women of childbearing age. In addition, the drug causes erectile dysfunction in men.

Avodart

Avodart (dutasteride) is another hair loss-reversing drug that is available from your pharmacist only with a doctor’s prescription. The drug is dispensed as a capsule and it has been very successful in reversing male baldness.

The main side effects of Avodart are sexual dysfunction and lack of sexual desire. Fortunately, the side effects diminish as the body adjusts to the drug.

Apart from the use of drugs to reverse hair loss, there is the hair transplant surgery. Hair transplant surgery is the best method of reversing hair loss. This is because the method has few side effects and it is permanent.

The process involves removing small pieces of skin having hair follicles from the areas of the body that are resistant to hair loss. Then, the pieces of skin are grafted on the scalp where hair is undergoing thinning.

Conclusion

Both surgical (hair grafting) and non- surgical (use of medications) methods are in the market. If you are bald and you would like to reverse the hair loss or just want to prevent hair loss, all you need to do is to weigh the pros and cons of each method and settle on the one that meets your specifications. The choice that you make is your sole responsibility.