Posted by nolvas on May 7, 2009, at 18:30:25
In reply to Hair Loss, posted by johnnybaklava on May 7, 2009, at 11:48:29
If you are male then there is no cure for male pattern baldness. You can possibly slow down the hair with two treatments :
Minoxidil
Finasteride (Proscar)
Dutasteride (Avodart)Ok that's three, but you either use Proscar or Avodart. No one knows the exact mechanism how Minoxidil helps to regrow hair. The regrowth is usually very minimal. If you have frontal recession then there's absolutely nothing that can treat it yet. It seems that Minoxidil imitates hair growth factors in relation to Nitric Oxide. If you stop Minoxidil then you will quickly lose any hair that you regrew, tolerance is thought to happen with Minoxidil and some people use formulas with Retinoic acid in them to try and avoid this.
Proscar and Avodart are 5-Alpha Reductase inhibitors, there are two types of 5AR, type I and II. Avodart is more powerful at inhibiting 5AR than Proscar. It is thought that Dihydrotestoterone causes the immune system to attack hair gradually reducing them in size over time until they become transparent vellus hairs. 5AR inhibitors stop or lessen the conversion of Testosterone to DHT.
Proscar is approved for treating hair loss and Avodart isn't. Avodart should get approval in the future and appears to be more successful at stopping hair loss than Proscar.
When starting these treatments it's normal to shed more hair, this is to do with how the hair grows, it has different stages of growth, which you can research online if you like :)
I have looked at preventing hair loss myself between 1992 when I first noticed it up to I guess around 2000 when I accepted that I was going to be bald.
My advice is this, it's no disgrace to go bald, I believe around 80% of males go bald, if you can accept yourself as being bald you will be a lot happier person and have a lot more money in your wallet. The best advice is get yourself checked out by a Doctor and if the prognosis is MPB (Male Pattern Baldness) then simply do nothing and accept it. It may seem difficult as hair forms a strong emotional bond in a person, how they feel about themselves and how they think others percieve them.
I have tried every supplement under the Sun they are in my opinion nediocre to useless for treating hair loss, remember you are trying to fight against the will of genetic predisposition, hair loss will not harm you unless you let it emotionally.
poster:nolvas
thread:894643
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20090410/msgs/894684.html