Apart from surgical and non-surgical hair treatment methods, you can also take medication to help combat the effects of hair loss. After a thorough assessment by our clinicians to help determine the best hair restoration for you, occasionally medication is found an advisable treatment and a medical prescription is given either to reduce the hair loss effects in general, slow down the rate of loss or treat the ailing regions.

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Finasteride, also known as Propecia, is a medication that is ingested, and it is used to prevent the formation and effects of DHT (dihydrotestosterone) – the big reason behind male pattern baldness. DHT is formed from testosterone and is involved in the process of ‘miniaturisation’ – where the hair and hair follicle becoming increasingly smaller and thinner until some of the hair follicles stop working altogether, hence male pattern baldness. Finasteride is technically a 5α-reductase (an enzyme) inhibitor that blocks this enzyme from converting testosterone into DHT.

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The medicine is to be taken daily as a pill and causes the slowing down of the balding process by at least 88%. It also boosts the growth of new hair by at least 66%. You are expected to keep using the drugs to maintain the hair growth pattern and slow down the process of balding. Possible side effects for the drug include diminished sex drive and erectile dysfunction, however, this is not an established causal link and only around 6-8% of people experience such symptoms.

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Propecia is most effective when taken in the early stages of male pattern baldness by men who are in their 20s or 30s. Older men at later stages of male pattern baldness can still benefit from Propecia and many experience significant slowing to their pattern of hair loss and some even notice some degree of hair growth returning to their hair.

 

Minoxidil, often referred to as Regaine, is a topical medicated treatment that is approved for use by both men and women in the treatment of hair loss. It works as a vasodilator which is something that widens the blood vessels. So, when applied directly to the scalp it works to increase blood supply and nutrients to your hair follicles helping to strengthen the existing hairs and encourage them to grow. The medicine will result in the growth of new hair within 6 months, and you will need to continue applying the medication to maintain the benefits. Possible side effects from the use of this drug include rapid heart rate, irritation of the scalp as well as the possible unwanted growth of hair on the side of the face.

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Like Finasteride/Propecia, Minoxidil is best used in early stages of hair loss where there are hair follicles left for the solution to work on. Minoxidil is not able to revive dead hair follicles so if you are in the advanced stages of balding, this may not be the most effective treatment.