Generic propecia - Finasteride

The reason why why most men lose hair is due to a genetic male pattern balding process. This happend to million of men word wide but the actual reason why it happens is complicated and it took many years for scientists to understand the mechanism of hair loss.

Hair loss is mainly the result of changes in the androgen metabolic cycle. These changes involvethe 5-alpha reductase enzyme reacting with hormone testosterone forming DHT or dihydrotestosterone. It is the DHT, a naturally occuring compound the appears in the scalp that is the fundamental reason for hair loss in most men.

The DHT is found in greater quantities in the scalps of bald men compared to men with a normal head of hair. It gets right into the follicles and stops vitamins and essential proteins from getting to the roots of the hair follicles. This means that the phase when the hair is growing called the anagen phase is shortened and the phase where hair is shed called the telogen phase is increased.

The reason why some people get a bigger build up of DHT than others is lekely to be heriditary and due to your genes. Some women are also gentically programmed to produce DHT, but this is rarer than in men. So scientists studying a cure for male pattern hair loss as well as female pattern hair loss have concentrated their efforts on stopping the formation of DHT in the scalp in order to boost hair growth The have come up with a number of formulas and drugs called DHT blockers

The first effective DHT blocker was Minoxidil and has been available for more than 15 years. It is applied directly onto the scalp in a liquid form and comes in a 2% and a 5% solution for different strengths. It must be massaged into the scalp at regualr intervals to boost hair growth and is recommended by many doctors and dermatologists. You need to be patient with minoxidil as it takes time for results to show. It is a relatively safe medcine with no real side effects and problems, though doctors say that pregnant women should not use it.

The more recent DHT blocker to come onto the market is the drug finasteride and marketed widely under the name Propecia. It was originally developed as a prostrate medication called Proscar and bald patients started to notice hair growth on their heads. It works because it is a blocker of Type II 5Alpha reductase which changes the testosterone into the hair killing DHT.

Propecia can stop hair loss in as much as eighty percent of men with hair loss at the front and seventy percent of those with hair loss on the crown. Scientist are not sure why Propecia works better on the crown of the head than at the front. Using both finasteride and minoxidil together produces good results in men. Propecia is not licenced for use in women as it may harm the foetus in pregnant women.

Women who suffer from hyperandrogonism, the medical name for having higher than normal amounts of androgen and who don’t react well with minoxidil solutions can use another remedy called anti-androgen treatment. The most common anti androgen is called cyproterone acetate, (CPA) and is normally combined with ethinyl estradiol. It is available in the UK but not in the United States. Another hair loss remedy for women is Flutamide. Women with hair loss due to hirsutism respond well to Flutamide.

The vast number of hair loss treatments to be seen with a search on the internet can demoralise a man suffering from Alopecia. Be aware that any hair loss remedy that promises total hair restoration is unlikely to be so. However hair loss can be slowed and stopped by using some special drugs and in some cases hair can start to regrow, but the treatment is never 100% effective for all men despite the claims of some unscrupulous advertisers.

For male pattern balding that is created by a build up of DHT in the scalp the best remedy to use is probably Propecia (finasteride). This drug licenced by the EMEA and even the FDA and has been the target of countless clinical trials which have all shown that it can be effective it limiting and preventing hair loss in men. It stops the formation of the DHT in the scalp and has side effects in only very few men and if you are lucky it may be that Propecia really works for you.

The other EMEA and FDA approved drug for hair loss is Rogaine (minoxidil) which actually works in a similar fashion to Propecia in that it stops the build up of DHT in the scalp. However it is different to Propecia in that it is actually applied directly to the head and not taken in a tablet form like the Propecia drug. With these 2 drugs only a few men say that their hair actually grows back but the vast majority of users say that the hair loss stops or slows.

If you are not responding to hair loss drugs you may want to try more drastic measures like hair transplants and surgical procedures for hair loss. The skill of a good hair loss surgeon can give very good results which mean that the surgery is virtually undetectable. The hair used for the balding patches is taken from the back section of the head which is genetically different to hair in the scalp and doesn’t fall out with time. Other than the above remedies your options are limited until a real miracle cure really comes along.

Hair loss treatment doesn’t come cheap and can be irritating when it doesn’t produce instant results. For example Minoxidil and Propecia used over the period of a year can make a hefty dent into your pay packet but if your hair is important than it will be worth it. Other people feel that hair transplants are too expensive as they can cost anything from £1500 to £6000 for each procedure and you may need more than one to get the full results. But then again maybe using both Propecia and Minoxidil for a number of years will end up being more costly as well as more time consuming and a bigger hassle.

Before embarking on any hair loss treatment ukmedix advises that you sit down and work out the long term expenses of all the treatments that you intend to use and that your doctor has recommended. Be aware that while Minoxidil and especially Propecia can give results in the vast majority of people they can give very poor results in the minority and this risk factor should be considered also. If on the other hand the medical treatment of say Propecia works then the investment would have definitely paid off.

Some people opt for hair transplants simply because they think that the whole process is simple one stop shop and that they won’t have to keep using time consuming medicines for the duration of their lives, however the while new techniques have made the hair loss surgery very look very real and genuine nothing beats naturally grown hair on you head. In some cases people who have had hair transplants find that the hair loss continiues and that they require further surgery to maintain the hair thickness and this means that more hair is needed from the rear of the head. In this case the back of the head may start to become deficient of hair follicles.