Health & Fitness Blog

Treating hair loss is a big business but in reality there are only a few methods that really have a very positive effect on the treatment of hair loss. There are all kinds of remedies and natural hair growth products that are sold. But, the fact is the majority of them have never been studied in a clinical setting to prove their effectiveness.

There are two drugs though which have been studied by the Food and Drug Administration in the US and found to have a positive effect in dealing with balding problems. These substances do very well at keeping the hair you have. They also will assist in re-growing some hair but not a lot.

The first drug, Finasteride, was originally being developed to treat male urinary tract problems. In particular, it was targeting enlarge prostates. During clinical trials anecdotal evidence indicated many men on the drug were also seeing relief from their hair problems.

New clinical trials were initiated that showed the drug was effective at helping to slow down and in some cases reverse hair loss. Finasteride is a medication that is taken by the mouth in tablet form every day. Once the treatment is started it must continue or any gains will be quickly lost.

This drug works well for men but is not prescribed to women of child bearing age because of the potential for birth defects. It is so powerful that women are not even allowed to handle the tablets. Although effective, there are concerns about other side effects that should be looked into.

The second drug is called Minoxidil. It also was being developed to treat another condition. In this case, the drug was in trials as a treatment for high blood pressure. It works by enlarging the small blood vessels in the body.

This enlargement of the blood vessels apparently allows for more blood to reach the hair follicles even though the pattern baldness has been inhibiting the supply. Minoxidil is applied to the scalp by rubbing it in every day. This drug is safe for both men and women and in fact is the only one targeted to female pattern baldness.

Both of these drugs have been shown conclusively to have positive effects on pattern baldness. If you are suffering from this condition then one of these may be the solution you have been searching for. The thing to remember is there are some FDA approved remedies that will help you in your fight against baldness.