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Home > Hair Loss > Hair Loss Treatment Solution > Hair Loss Remedy
8 Common remedy treatment to hair loss in men
1.
Minoxidil for male
2.
Finasteride for male
3.
Antiandrogens for male
4.
Ketoconazole shampoo
5.
Tretinoin for male
6.
Diazoxide for male
7.
Estrogen for male
8.
Progesterone for male
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Minoxidil for male
Minoxidil has a hair growth promoting effect on pattern baldness affected hair follicles.Minoxidil was originally introduced in the early 1970s as a treatment for hypertension. Minoxidil is in the class of treatments called "Potassium Channel Openers" that are used primarily for treating persons with high blood pressure. Although several potassium-channel openers have been used in research for many years, Minoxidil is the only approved one in this category of
drugs for use in humans.
Although it is clear that Minoxidil stimulates hair growth, our understanding of its mechanism of action on the hair follicle is very limited. Drugs may stimulate hair growth in various ways. They may increase the linear growth rate of hair, increase the diameter of the hair fiber, alter the hair cycle, either by shortening telogen (resting phase) or prolonging anagen (growth phase), or hair follicles may respond to act through a combination of these effects.
Minoxidil does not appear to have either a hormonal or immunosuppressant effect. However, it has been shown to have a direct mitogenic effect (i.e. it induces cell division) on epidermal cells both in vitro and in vivo. Despite untiring efforts by researchers, we still have only a limited understanding of how hair follicles respond to Minoxidil stimulation.
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Finasteride for male
Finasteride (Propecia) is an approved treatment for male pattern baldness
The use of Finasteride (brand name propecia), a synthetic 4-azasteroid compound, is indicated in men older than 18 years with mild to moderate male pattern hair loss. The underlying principle behind the use of this drug in male pattern hair loss is the reduction of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) production; thus limiting the action of DHT on scalp hair follicles.
Finasteride (1 mg daily) has been approved for the treatment of male pattern hair loss in the United States as well as in several European countries. It has been found that oral Finasteride at doses of 1 and 5 mg per day causes a marked suppression of serum DHT of 71.4 and 72.2 percent, respectively and suppression in the scalp DHT of 64.1 and 69.4 percent, respectively. Treatment must be continued for at least 6 months before a proper evaluation of efficacy can be made. Although it affects vertex balding more than frontal hair loss, the medication has been shown to increase re-growth in the frontal area as well.
Finasteride is available as the brand name Propecia, which was developed to treat male pattern hair loss in the vertex and anterior mid-scalp area. Propecia is proven to maintain or increase hair count in most men.
Small-scale, variably controlled studies conducted on a primate model for androgenetic alopecia and on young men with mild to moderate male pattern hair loss showed that combination of Finasteride and Minoxidil may be more effective than any one drug alone, but further investigation is needed to sustain this theory.
Side effects in Men
Some common side effects of Finasteride treatment in men according to authors are decreased libido, decreased semen volume, and erectile dysfunction, with each occurring in fewer than 2 percent of men younger than 41 years and slightly more often in older men. Contrarily, a recent study by Overstreet et al showed that Finasteride 1mg daily for 48 weeks does not affect spermatogenesis or semen production in men aged 19 to 41 years.
Many recipients of this drug are elderly men taking 5 mg per day. There is no effect of long-term use on bone mineral density. Reversible painful gynaecomastia (abnormal enlargement of the male mammary glands) has been reported and the incidence is thought to be around 0.001 percent. Many of these adverse effects in men on Finasteride resolved while they remained on drug itself, and any remaining adverse effects were cleared up once the drug was stopped. With regards long-term safety, Finasteride for men has now been in medical use for over 10 years. -
Antiandrogens for male
Topical anti androgens are used by some to treat their pattern hair loss
Hamilton observed that when men with male pattern baldness were castrated it prevented further progression of hair loss; and that the hair loss in eunuchs induced by exogenous testosterone halted when testosterone treatment was discontinued. This leads to the assumption that it would be feasible to use an antiandrogen to halt or even reverse pattern baldness in men (and equally in women too). However, antiandrogen therapy for androgen-induced baldness is still in its infancy and relatively limited information is available on how it can be used and the appropriate formulations for use.
Anti androgen drugs used in medicine may be systemic or topical. Because systemic anti-androgens reduce circulating testosterone, which is required for normal male sexual functioning, their use in androgenetic alopecia is currently limited to women. A topical antiandrogen is administered by applying the compound to the surface of the skin, and appears to hold promise for treatment in men as well as women. -
Ketoconazole shampoo
Ketoconazole shampoo is a popular treatment in combination with other treatments for pattern baldness
Ketoconazole (Brand name Nizoral) is actually a synthetic antifungal drug used to prevent and treat skin and fungal infections, especially in immuno-compromised patients. This drug, an Imidazole (an organic crystalline base that is an inhibitor of histamine) derivative, is an effective oral agent that has broad-spectrum antifungal activity and is also a steroid biosynthesis inhibitor. The androgen lowering potential of high doses of Ketoconazole has led to its use in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer.
Formulated as a topical treatment, oral tablet and as a shampoo, the drug Ketoconazole is available by prescription. Branded Nizoral shampoo contains 2 percent Ketoconazole and is prescribed not only for the treatment of infectious fungal scalp conditions, but also in combination with other treatments for androgenetic alopecia. Ketoconazole can cause a reduction in the production of testosterone and other androgens in the skin. A 1 percent version is available over-the-counter, but it may not be as effective as the 2 percent prescription strength. -
Tretinoin for male
Topical tretinoin is used by some to treat male and female pattern hair loss, sometimes in combination with minoxidil
Tretinoin essentially is a derivative of vitamin A. Topical Tretinoin is used by dermatologists in the treatment of mild to moderate acne and on skin that has been damaged by excessive exposure to the sun. Two treatment forms of retinoic acid have been developed - all-trans-retinoic acid and 9-cis retinoic acid.
As a retinoid that regulates the growth and differentiation of epithelial cells, topical Tretinoin can be used to help enhance the effects on Minoxidil for the treatment of hair loss. Although Tretinoin alone does not act as a significant stimulant of hair growth, there is some evidence that a combination of Minoxidil (0.5%) and Tretinoin (0.025%) promotes hair growth in men with androgenetic alopecia. This is most likely due to the increased absorption of Minoxidil through alteration of the horny outer layer of the epidermis, the stratum cornum.
However, the manufactured formulations of Tretinoin (Retin-AŽ) and Minoxidil (RogaineŽ) are incompatible and become ineffective if compounded in one formulation. They must either be mixed using generic powder forms or be applied as separate treatments. For efficacy, RogaineŽ must be applied every morning and night and Retin-AŽ during the day. Even though there appears to be some benefit in using the combination, the need for an extra application during the day is generally considered to be rather inconvenient, discouraging wide acceptability. Additionally the skin irritation caused by Tretinoin is not always well tolerated.
Side effects
The potential side effects of topical Tretinoin are irritation and photosensitivity .As Tretinoin does not work alone, the potential side effects of Minoxidil should also be considered when administering treatment. Concerns about increased irritation, possible systemic absorption of drug, and difficulties related to the use of both agents together has led to the limited usage of this line of treatment. -
Diazoxide for male
Diazoxide is a nondiuretic benzothiazide. This potent and rarely anti-hypertensive agent has diverse pharmacologic effects including:
Hypertrichosis (hair growth).
Hyperglycemia associated with suppression of insulin release, which is why it is used to treat idiopathic hypoglycemia of infancy.
Elevation of serum levels of androgens.
Taking advantage of the hypertrichotic side effects of diazoxide, several authors have examined the effect of topical application of the drug on hair re-growth in androgenetic alopecia. A topical formulation of diazoxide was reported in 1989 to show efficacy in male pattern baldness. Nineteen men with "early to midstage" androgenetic alopecia were treated with 3% diazoxide solution twice daily for 2 to 11 months. Reports indicate that four men had a dense growth of new hair, seven had moderate growth by way of some new terminal hairs, one had vellus hair growth, and seven had no re-growth at all. Local irritation occurred in one patient. -
Estrogen for male
Topical estrogen is used by some to treat pattern hair loss
Estrogens are indirect anti androgens, increasing the production of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) and thus leading to a decrease in the bioactive free testosterone. SHBG, a glycoprotein synthesized by the liver, is the most important protein for androgen binding .The more potent androgens and estradiol are bound in the plasma to SHBG, although the binding affinities differ. Elevated testosterone causes SHBG synthesis to decrease, in addition to an increased activity of 5 alpha - Reductase, the enzyme responsible for the metabolism of testosterone to DHT. Estrogens increase Sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) and thus further decrease the amount of free testosterone.
Extensive clinical trials of the use of a topical estrogen preparation in subjects with androgenetic alopecia have been not been conducted as yet. However, one double-blind, controlled, 6-month trial of topical 0.025% 17 alpha - estradiol conducted with 51 men and women who had pattern alopecia showed a significant reduction in the percentage of telogen hairs along with stabilization of the hair loss. Although more than 70 percent of a topically applied preparation is metabolized to weak non-androgenic by-products, the absorption of topical estrogen can lead to decreased libido in men.
Topical estrogens are not generally available in North America, but they are being used in Europe and topical estrogen products are available from a number of pharmaceutical companies there. There seems to be some confusion over which estrogen formulation is best (as there are different types of estrogen) but it seems that estrogen application topically could help treat pattern baldness in both men and women. -
Progesterone for male
Progesterone is a potential topical hormone for treating male pattern baldness
Topical progesterone has been utilized widely, but has not been thoroughly tested in clinical studies. One study undertaken to ascertain the efficacy of the compound used topical progesterone (concentration and vehicle unnamed) for 10 to 48 months in 12 men, in the age group 18 to 39 years, with male pattern baldness. None of the subjects grew hair: 6 of them developed further thinning, and the other 6 had the same hair density.
Overall, topical progesterone has not been found to be of great value in treating androgenetic alopecia, but it can have a limited positive effect for some people.
