Are there any effective treatments for hair loss?
In most cases, yes, but not all. It really depends on how strong the genetic factors are. If someone has inherited a strong genetic predisposition to this type of hair loss where, for example, hair thinning starts in the teens and baldness is obvious in the twenties, then nothing will prevent the loss of most of the hair. If, however, the genetic factors are much less strong there is the possibility of reducing, stopping or even reversing the hair loss.
To date, there are only two proven and medically approved treatments for hair loss; Minoxidil and Finasteride.
HAIR TRANSPLANTS
Hair Transplants are a surgical technique that involve moving individual hair follicles from the donor site at the back of the head to bald area of the scalp (the recipient site). The reason this technique can be very successful is because the hairs which are transplanted from the back of the head are not genetically programmed to respond negatively to elevated levels of DHT and so will not be lost as the original hairs were.
Hair transplants range from the truly brilliant to the not so good, and it is all dependent on the skill and experience of the doctor carrying out the work. Not only must they have the skill of a surgeon, they must have the eye of an artist. Many men are tempted to have hair transplants carried out in countries such as Turkey where the price can be half of that in the UK. But a word of warning. I have seen extremely bad hair transplants carried out overseas, so bad in fact, I can honestly say I wanted to cry out of pity for the poor client.
In total contrast to this, however, there are excellent hair transplant surgeons in the UK whose standard of work is exceptionally high. These can be found at: The British Association of Hair Restoration Surgery. www.bahrs.co.uk
The surgeons whose work we have always found to be truly superb are at the Farjo Institute in London and Manchester. https://www.farjo.com/
Cost of hair transplants: £4,000 – £10,000 + depending on the number of graphs required
FINASTERIDE
The treatment which can produce the best regrowth of hair (excluding hair transplants) is Finasteride, sold in the UK under its trade name, Propecia. Finasteride is a drug which blocks the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone, this means that there is much less DHT in the cells of the hair follicles to prevent hair growth. As explained in our hair loss blog post, DHT inhibits the growth of new hair cells, resulting in a finer hair being produced. The action of Finasteride can be impressive, with the first effect being a reduction in hair loss of up to 90%, this usually happens within a month or two of starting the treatment. Within six months approximately 50% of men will have new hair growing, usually on the periphery of the thinning regions. Within twelve months the re-growth can be considerable over the entire region.
Propecia is only available on private prescription from a doctor. There can be some minor side effects from Finasteride, so consult your doctor about its use. Many people find that the combined effect of taking Finasteride internally and Minoxidil applied externally to the scalp has the best effect.
Cost of Finasteride: £400 – £600 per year
JUNIPER SCALP THERAPY SHAMPOO
As with all hair loss treatments, whether medical or surgical, it is of vital importance to maintain superior health of the scalp. Check out our article here on the link between hair loss and a healthy scalp.
The Tony Maleedy Hair Juniper Scalp Therapy Shampoo works in the following ways:
- Six natural therapeutic oils work together as antiseptic and anti-microbial agents to calm and soothe, whilst gently clearing any scale from the scalp
- 1% piroctone olamine content kills the common Malassezia globosa fungus and has been scientifically proven to help the scalp retain hair
- The high anti-mitotic Juniper oil content slows down the epidermal turnover, effectively treating dandruff and many other serious scalp disorders
- Incredibly effective and nourishing shampoo that leaves both the hair and scalp in excellent condition
- Used and prescribed by registered Trichologists, dermatologists, hair transplant surgeons and other hair care professionals across the UK
- Makes other forms of hair loss treatment much more effective
