Does anyone know or has anyone tried herbal supplements of prescription drugs to counteract balding? If so, what are your results and recommendations?
If the hair loss is due to male pattern baldness, the only things that have been shown to really work are minoxidil (Rogaine) and finasteride (Propecia). When searching for more information, I stumbled on this site: Keratin.com, which appears to have an incredible number of articles on all aspects of hair in general. I don’t know if the owner of the site has an ulterior motive; there are many ads for hair-loss treatment products on the site, but the articles look like they’re backed up by solid research.
This page addresses male pattern baldness treatments specifically.
[sup]Your mama is to blame.[/sup]
As one who is also cursed with male pattern badness, I’ve done a lot of research to try to find a solution. There are two things I’ve learned for sure:
- There are a HELL of a lot of scams out there
- Real options are limited.
As someone mentioned before, Rogaine and Propecia are the only two known drug treatments on the market. Rogaine needs to be applied to the hair for half an hour a day, and only 15-30% of men experience significant growth. It supposedly works by increasing blood flwo to the follicles.
Propecia is a pill you take once a day and it works by stopping the production of dyhydrotestosterone, the hormone that makes your hair migrate from your head to your back. The success rate for Propecia is much higher. I don’t remember what it was off hand, but I believe it was close to 80%. Side effects were minimal.
Me? I’m taking Propecia. I acted quickly as soon as I suspected baldness, and although I still had plenty of hair, I’m pretty darn sure it’s thickened back up since I’ve been on Propecia. The unwelcome stray hairs that had begun to grow on my shoulders has fallen out as well, making me happier all around. The downside is that it costs about $150 for three months, which has caused me to spend many an evening searching the kitchen floor for a stray tablet, but I think it’s worth it. After all, I got more hair, and the only side effect is hair falling out that I didn’t want anyway. Who would have guessed a little brown octagonal pill could bring so much happiness?
There’s also the surgical option, though, which I didn’t look into much. Your doctor would know more about that.
Baldness is proof that God hates us and revels in our misery.