Your Hair is Your Crown
The Best Treatments to Fight DHT Induced Hair Loss
Although hair loss belongs amongst the most common health conditions it is considered to be a lifestyle condition and often not taken too seriously which can be, among other things, seen by the lack of financial support for the hair loss research. The two medicinal drugs that have been so far approved for treating hair loss were both originally developed to treat other health conditions before their hair growth promoting properties were accidentally discovered. Minoxidil also known as Rogaine was the first medication approved by the FDA to treat baldness. It is a vasodilator originally used to lower the elevated blood pressure in the form of an oral drug. Its hair growth promoting effects were observed in patients treated with oral minoxidil for hypertonia in the late 1980s and a couple of years later minoxidil solution received an FDA approval for treating hair loss, first in men and about a year later also in women.
The second such incidental discovery was the discovery of finasteride’s ability to protect hair follicles from negative effects of the natural metabolite dihydrotestosterone (DHT) by reducing its availability in the body. Finasteride was originally approved and used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia, a common disease of elderly men which is also caused by the negative activity of DHT. It was observed that men treated for BPH with Proscar (5mg of finasteride) started growing thicker and longer hair in the thin areas of their scalp. Thus a few years later the second drug finasteride earned an FDA approval for treating hair loss under the new proprietory name Propecia. Unlike minoxidil, finasteride is a prescription medication administered orally and it can only be prescribed to adult men.
Since hair loss is seen as a lifestyle condition health insurance plans do not cover the cost of its treatment and, therefore, patients have to pay for their medications themselves. Minoxidil is not such a big problem as many cheap generic versions exist so that the patient can choose an OTC product that is ridiculously cheap. However, Propecia is a prescription drug and it is extremely overpriced. Although it only contains 1mg of finasteride per pill it is often more expensive than Proscar with its 5mg of finasteride (Proscar is the original formulation of finasteride used to treat BPH). Hence many hair loss patients after securing a prescription from their doctor buy 5mg finasteride in the form of cheaper Proscar pills and then cut them in five equal pieces in order to manufacture their own home made Propecia pill. Propecia and Proscar only differ in dosage but their delivery mechanism and effects are the same whereas cutting pills does not affect their absorption or efficacy.
The third incidental discovery that may lead to another drug being approved for treating hair loss is bimatoprost. This medication also known under its trade name Lumigan was originally approved for treating elevated intraocular pressure known as glaucoma. It was later observed that patients who used this medication started growing longer and darker eyelashes so after series of clinical testing bimatoprost got recently approved for thickening and extending eyelashes and now it is being tested for treating hair loss as it was also observed to promote increased hair growth of the scalp hair. Preliminary data looks very promising but the major concern at the moment is the price of the medication which is quite high to justify its use as a topical hair loss treatment.
Hair Loss is 96% Hereditary
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