Hair Loss Remedy Facts

If you are suffering from hair loss then you need to understand some of the basics to what causes the thinning and balding problem before you can make an informed decision about what to do about it.

Let’s start at the beginning.  If you are like 95% of men with hair loss problems the cause is going to be a genetically derived condition known as Androgenic Alopecia.  The common name for this hereditary ailment is Male Pattern Baldness.  This common name derives from the fact that men will generally see hair loss in two set areas, the hair line above the forehead, and the crown or vertex of the head.  Even if a man ends up with the entire top of his scalp devoid of hair he usually started to see some loss early at one of these two spots.

This is not to leave women out of the picture.  Although some women suffer hair loss from hormonal imbalances and extreme diets, the majority of the time Androgenic Alopecia is also the problem like in men.  In fact, this is a major concern for women and 60% of all doctor visits dealing with hair loss are by women.  Unlike men, though, women generally don’t see pattern loss instead they have a thinning problem over their entire head even though the genetic cause of the hair loss is the same.

The mechanism by which this loss occurs is well known.  The male hormone testosterone, which is actually found in both men and women, is metabolized by an enzyme called alpha5-reductase.  This enzyme reduces the testosterone to several hormonal substances including dihydrotestosterone.  This substance is then what is responsible for the loss in both men and women.

Finding a good hair loss remedy has been hard because there are so many products offered which do nothing to help a person keep his or her hair. The whole problem is most of these ineffective remedies do not treat the root cause of the hair loss. Instead, they will make the scalp feel good or maybe condition what hair is left but they will not deal with what is happening under the skin of your scalp. Before we look at which remedy might be best for you we need to look at what causes hair loss in the first place. If we know the mechanism by which the balding and hair thinning is happening we can make an informative answer about what to do.

For men the majority will lose their hair because of a genetically derived medical condition called Androgenic Alopecia. This condition is to blame for about 95% of the cases of early hair loss when we are talking about males. One interesting fact is that about 60% of the cases of hair loss in the general population are women. Most people don't realize this but it is true. And, as with men, the majority of the women suffering this embarrassing situation because of the same medical condition. Women can also suffer short term hair loss due to some other reasons: birthing and pregnancy, stress, and hormonal imbalances. These are usually short lived and will correct themselves with proper diet and rest. If you are experiencing hair loss be sure to check with your doctor so these other problems are ruled out.

Both women and men can find positive results with a hair loss remedy based on the FDA approved drug Minoxidil. Minoxidil was originally developed to treat high blood pressure but as human trials were conducted the researchers noticed that men will male pattern baldness showed an lessening of hair loss problems while they were on the drug. Further research found that it really did help with hair loss problems. For years the only way to get this drug was in a solution called Rogaine. Rogaine became THE hair loss treatment of over the counter products.

Rogaine has been around for years and works well.  It is now offered in a foam which appears to be more effective possibly because it ensures that the product stays on the scalp longer.

Men will usually use the 5% solution.  Women, on the other hand, are recommended by the FDA to use the 2% solution.  Many women have used the 5% solution with good results but the US government does not recommend that.  It would be better to use the concentration that is recommended for your sex until further studies are done.

The drug Minoxidil which has been proven effective in the treatment of hair loss and hair thinning can now be found in a generic formulation.  It is basically the same as Rogaine but it is at a lower cost.  You can find the generic form of Minoxidil below.