Explaining “what are the best hair loss treatments available” is the topic discussed by Dr Martin Wade in this weeks article. This is the first of a two part article which will be concluded next week.
Hair loss affects a large proportion of the population, including women and children. Our society puts a lot of value on appearance, and a full head of hair is sometimes viewed as an indication of good health, virility and beauty. Losing one’s hair, particularly at an early age, can be a highly distressing and upsetting. There are multiple reasons why people lose their hair, and many conditions which contribute. I won’t discuss the reasons in this week’s article, but instead want to focus on the treatment used to slow the rate of hair loss, stop the hair loss, and encourage new hair growth. Given the highly emotive impact of hair loss, there are many products and so called ‘miracle-cures’ out in the market place. While there are no miracle-cures, clinical trials and medical research have demonstrated that a number of treatments do work for treating some types of hair loss. It is these treatments I will focus on in this article.
1. Eliminating the root cause
Lifestyle factors are over-rated with respect to hair loss, however a poor diet, low iron levels and stress can contribute to some forms of hair loss. With male patterned baldness, however, it has a purely genetic basis, but can be accelerated by the use of exogenous androgens (anabolic steroids).
2. Finasteride
Finasteride is a drug which blocks the conversion of Testosterone into dihydrotestosterone. It is mainly indicated for male patterned baldness where it can either reverse the miniaturisation process, slow it down or arrest it. This has been tested in large clinical studies and shown to be very effective for men. This drug is also used as an unlicenced indication, prescribed only by medical specialists, for female patterned hair loss.
3. Anti-androgen therapy
Anti-androgen therapy has been shown to be effective in women with female patterned hair loss. The drugs used include Spironolactone, Cyproterone Acetate and the oral contraceptive pill Dianette. A retrospective clinical study has shown that 80% of women can respond to this form of treatment, however regrowth is modest.
4. Topical formulations such as Minoxidil
Minoxidil is an effective topical treatment for some different forms of hair loss. It is mainly used for male and female patterned hair loss where it works to stimulate the hair follicles to produce a thicker hair at a faster rate. It also converts more of the resting hair follicles into the growing phase of the hair cycle. Topical Minoxidil is also used for chronic telogen effluvium and has been reported to stimulate hair growth in patients with alopecia areata. The recommended concentrations are the 5% lotions to be applied twice daily for men and the 2% lotion to be applied twice daily for women. In practice most people only manage to apply the solution on a daily basis. A 5% foam formulation is now available in the US but not yet in the United Kingdom.
5. Topical steroid creams
Inflammatory causes of hair loss or hair loss that have an auto-immune basis may respond to the application of a topical steroid lotion. Conditions such as scarring alopecia, lichen planopilaris or discoid lupus may respond to a topical steroid as may some cases of alopecia areata. Topical steroids will not help male or female patterned hair loss.
In the second part of this article, I discuss the value of injections into the scalp, immunotherapy, systemic treatments, and biologics and some of the newer treatments currently being researched.
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Find out more about hair loss and general dermatology by visiting the websites of Dr Martin Wade and The London Skin and Hair Clinic.
This information is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended to be used for self-diagnosis and treatment. An accurate diagnosis can only be determined through a face to face consultation with a qualified Dermatologist.
