What Hair Loss Treatment Alternatives are Available?
Monday, November 2nd, 2009More and more alternative treatments for hair loss are being discovered as time goes by. These new treatments come with many benefits, including lower cost. Most of these alternative treatments target hair loss prevention as well as encouraging new hair growth.
Dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, is the primary cause of hair loss. Testosterone, the male sex hormone, is transformed to DHT by an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase. DHT then destroys hair follicles by blocking their blood supply and starving them.
For many years anyone wanting to stop hair loss had few options other than expensive medical treatments. And, many times, the results were far from satisfactory. Of course, many of these treatments were never designed to restore anyone’s hair, just to lighten their wallets.
The advent of hair transplants made the treatment outcomes more certain. Even so, the total cost of treatments could easily surpass $20,000.00. The high price, general discomfort involved, and the length of time necessary for these procedures made finding alternatives more and more attractive.
Currently, the only FDA approved alternative treatment is Minoxidil (aka: Rogain), which is now available in a number of over-the-counter products> Many other treatments are out there, but most have not been independently tested, so buyer beware should be your word of the day. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t consider other options, only that you should be careful what you choose to buy.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This article is based upon information readily available in the national press and medical journals on the subject of alternative treatments for hair loss. Nothing herein should be or construed to be any kind of medical advice. For medical advice the reader should talk with his or her physician or other medical specialist.