Does hair loss treatment work?

There are effective treatments for some types of hair loss. You may be able to reverse hair loss, or at least slow it down. With some conditions, such as irregular hair loss (alopecia areata), hair can grow back without treatment in a year. Treatments for hair loss include medications and surgery.

You may have heard that combs, brushes, hoods, and laser caps can help stop hair loss. The theory is that when hair follicles absorb laser light at a certain level, it stimulates hair growth. But there is insufficient evidence that any of these devices restore hair or prevent baldness. Minoxidil can also be used to treat female pattern baldness.

Some of these treatments may not be available on the NHS. This medication only works while you are taking it; if you stop taking it, any impact it has had on hair loss will be reversed within a year. What is happening is that you are seeing the loss of hair that would have occurred if you had never treated it. It can take 4 to 6 months of daily use of finasteride before you notice an improvement in your hair loss.

Consult a family doctor to get a clear idea of what is causing hair loss before considering going to a commercial hair clinic. However, if you stop using it, any new hair will fall out (usually within three months) and hair loss will begin again. When you start using Rogaine, you may notice an increase in hair loss for the first few weeks, as the hair follicles push old hair out to make room for new growth. While Rogaine has been shown to be effective in regrowing hair, it doesn't work for everyone or all types of hair loss.

This is the only over-the-counter hair loss medication approved by the FDA for use in both men and women. With some treatments, you can reduce or stop thinning hair, and maybe even regrow some hair that you thought was gone forever. The theory of laser treatment for hair loss is that low-dose laser treatments invigorate circulation and stimulation that stimulates hair growth in the hair follicles. Some men also see their hair growing back, which tends to happen in men who start taking finasteride when they first notice signs of hair loss.

Thinning hair occurs gradually, which means you have time to identify the causes and determine the best treatment measures. Widely available in stores and online, this is the most commonly used treatment for male pattern hair loss.