Surf the Internet or watch different TV channels late at night and be amazed by the number of products and procedures that promise to stop hair loss. You’ll see solutions based on high-tech herbal tonics, creams and more. You will see infomercials for so-called hair systems are really nothing but darned wigs and elaborately attached. Most of these alleged solutions are about as effective as the crown of Julius Caesar who wore to hide his baldness – or extravagant wig European kings centuries ago. The fact is that there are only three solutions to hair loss that work and there is only one that is permanent.
Minoxidil / Rogaine
In the late 70s, the drug company Upjohn introduced minoxidil – a prescription pill used for treating severe blood pressure. Without thinking it was discovered that minoxidil reduced and in some cases, the hair did grow back. In 1988, as a lotion Minoxidil became the first drug to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration of the United States for hair growth. Hit the market under the brand name Rogaine, a prescription was initially requested. Rogaine helps to reverse the decline in the hair follicle, which characterizes the hereditary hair loss. In 1995, the 2% minoxidil lotion was approved for sale in the United States without a prescription. It is currently available for men and women as a nonprescription lotion at concentrations of 2 and 5%. If applied to cases of early loss of hair directly to cover a bald spot in the upper area lint, Rogaine can reduce the rate of hair loss and sometimes allow the hair to regrow.
Finasteride | Propecia
Finasteride, marketed under the trade name Proscar by its manufacturer Merck & Co., was first developed to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia. After it was discovered that a side effect of Proscar was that this really did grow hair. This discovery led to studies and clinical trials that would bring to market finasteride as the first pill for hair loss approved by the FDA. This came on the market under the brand name Propecia. Clinical trials revealed that Propecia stopped hair loss in more than 80% of cases tested and actually, the hair grew back more than 64% of the cases examined – unprecedented success rates.
A scientific and clinical data is that hair loss of men and women is due to the effects of Dihidrotestostrone (DHT) on genetically predisposed hair follicles. The DHT causes increased hair shedding, gradual miniaturization and eventual hair loss. Propecia works by inhibiting the alphareductase 5 – the enzyme that produces DHT. Propecia prevents and possibly to some extent, reverses hair loss.
Propecia is only one treatment, not cures. If discontinued, any hair that was retained or re-grown, will be lost.
Follicular Unit Transplantation
The surgical hair replacement is the only permanent solution to hair loss. Follicular Unit Transplantation at the latest, most advanced procedure hair restoration, replacing mini and micro hair transplants, surgery and vascular tissue transfer scalp reduction. This is the only treatment that provides a full and natural looking head of hair.
Follicular Unit Transplantation is only possible by using a stereo microscope, which is used to dissect the follicular units, which grow in naturally occurring groups of one to four hairs. The dissection microscope ensures accurate and without causing damage.
The benefits of follicular unit transplantation are immeasurable. The ultimate benefit to the patient is the creation of hair transplant more naturally as possible. The stereo microscope makes it possible to cut the largest amount of epithelium (top layer of skin) from follicular unit grafts. This produces significantly smaller grafts mini and micro grafts which can then be replaced at locations close together minutely punctured. The growth of transplanted hair often starts sooner and is generally considerably faster as a result of less bruising to the follicular units and scalp.
The clones and gene therapy may well be the ultimate treatment for hair loss. The clones would allow hair transplant surgeons have an unlimited amount of donor hair available, which would be implanted surgically implanted microscopic stereo using current techniques. Gene therapy could “turn off” the real genes that cause hair loss. Unfortunately, we are not technically trained to clone hair follicles or to modify genes.
This will probably be many years from now, maybe not in our lifetime, before the procedures are perfected. Meanwhile, highly motivated and dedicated surgeons continue to carry out transplantation of follicular units, the only permanent solution to hair loss.