Hair Loss Treatment for Men
Hair Transplant
This is the most effective and reliable method of hair restoration. There is no other treatment that comes close. The hair roots that are too abundant in the back or sides of the scalp will be removed and placed in the balding, thin areas at the top and front. These transplanted hairs will begin to grow in their new place after about four months. There is no risk of it being rejected because it is your body. The hair will grow as long as the hair is not removed from its back. Because it is regular hair, this hair can be styled, washed and cut as normal hair. Most hair transplant are done in one or two sessions. This is a minor procedure that can be done in the office under local anesthesia. Two hair transplant options are available: Follicular Unit Transfer (FUT), also known as the “Strip Method.” This is the most popular hair transplant procedure. The second option is Follicular Unit Extraction also known as Follicular Unit Excision. This is a secondary procedure and should not be used if the FUT procedure is not possible. FUE procedures are often misused and can lead to some of the most disastrous results. Feller and Bloxham are leaders in the field of both procedures.
To learn more about hair transplantation click here.
Finasteride
The “hair pill”.
First of its kind
Finasteride is the first pill that has proven to be effective in treating hair loss. Its fascinating history makes it a fascinating discovery. It was not designed to treat hair loss as such, but to shrink the prostate glands of men. Although the drug’s hair-enhancing properties were only discovered by accident, the company quickly repackaged and rebranded the product to appeal to a large market. It is clear that the drug can reduce or slow down hair loss in young patients who still have most of their hair. This has been a common observation in our clinic over the last 24 years. Finasteride is not recommended for patients with significant hair loss, such as those who are at Norwood stage 4 or higher.
Side Effects
This drug is not given to anyone just because they come into our office. As with all drugs, a risk-benefit analysis must be done to determine if the drug is appropriate for each person. It would have been legal for anyone to use at any time if it was not. Finasteride is a hormone-active drug. Finasteride blocks the production of DHT, which can cause hereditary hair loss. DHT is necessary for healthy and normal functioning of the body. There will be side effects if it is reduced. This drug can cause loss of sexual drive and impotence. We have seen many patients who have tried the drug and experienced sexual dysfunction. Although there were only a few cases of such claims made over the years, I would have dismissed them as other causes. However, so many men have claimed that this side effect is the result of the drug. Two of these patients hired lawyers to file lawsuits against manufacturer because they experienced sexual dysfunction. We were asked to provide medical information to their lawyers.
How we use this Finasteride
- We recommend that patients who come to us for surgery have been taking the drug for more than a year without any complications.
- We will give a prescription to a patient who has been to us for surgery. The prescription includes enough refills for six-months. We recommend that patients inform their primary care physician about the drug and go to them. To ensure that the liver is not impaired, a blood test should be done to determine if the drug has been taken. The patient’s physician can then prescribe additional medication if necessary.
How we don’t use Finasteride
Finasteride is often prescribed by doctors to all patients who have had hair transplant surgery. It is absurd considering that transplanted hair follicles don’t have DHT receptors, so they are not affected. Why would they be on a drug to lower their systemic levels of a hormone? This argument may be valid if there are a lot of thin native hairs around the transplants. However, any hair that is too thin (miniaturized) and weak will not respond to Finasteride. We don’t believe it is worth the risk.
Yet, doctors still put nearly all patients in the hospital who only visit to discuss the drug. We believe that this is done to market reasons.
Dutasteride
Finasteride was to be marketed as a better competitor. It was believed that the drug would be a better hair pill because it blocked two pathways rather than one of DHT production. Some doctors offered the drug off-label and found it to work better than Finasteride. Although it is approved for the treatment of enlarged prostates, FDA approval has yet to be granted. Feller and Bloxham do not recommend this drug.
Minoxidil
Inadvertently, this hair medication was also discovered. It was originally intended to be an anti-hypertensive drug. However, some patients noticed an increase in their body hair and scalp hair. The company quickly repackaged the drug and rebranded the drug to be sold in the hair-loss market. We have observed over the years at Feller and Bloxham that this drug is not effective when applied topically. It seems to cause more severe hair loss by causing chronic irritation of the scalp. This drug is not recommended.
