Does Hair Loss Medication Stop Hair Loss Completely?
Why Am I Losing Hair? Conditions That Lead to Hair Loss
Hair loss medications like finasteride, dutasteride, and minoxidil are often the first course of action for managing or stopping ongoing hair loss. At our practice, we encourage our patients to start their hair loss treatment as early as possible because that will be key to stopping progressive loss of hair or hair thinning. However, they are not a miracle cure for pattern hair loss and there are cases where surgery and medication might be the best option. If you’re hoping that hair loss medication is the only answer, here’s what you need to know.
What’s Behind Hair Loss?
Male and Female Pattern Baldness
Hair loss, or alopecia as it’s known in medical terms, comes in different forms. The most common type is androgenic alopecia or hereditary hair loss, which you might know as male or female pattern baldness.
This is when your hair gradually starts thinning due to the presence of dihydrotestosterone (DHT). This hormone is responsible for shrinking the hair follicles, leading to premature hair thinning and ultimately hair loss. People with a family history of baldness are more genetically predisposed to develop this type of hair loss.
There are also other types, like telogen effluvium, which can happen suddenly from stress or illness, and alopecia areata, where hair loss occurs in patches. Traction alopecia, which is a type of hair loss caused by tight hairstyles, is also a common condition we treat at Ziering Medical.
Another type of hair loss is scarring alopecia, or cicatricial alopecia, which is a group of hair loss disorders where inflammation destroys the hair follicles, leading to permanent hair loss and replacement of the follicles with scar tissue. The inflammation can occur below the skin surface, resulting in damage that makes it impossible for hair to regrow.
This category includes conditions like Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia (FFA), Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia (CCCA), and Lichen Planopilaris (LPP). Some hair thinning occurs as part of the natural aging process as well.
There’s no single answer to why hair loss occurs. For some, it’s due to hormones, especially high levels of DHT, which is a big factor if you have pattern hair loss. But genetics, health issues, lack of certain nutrients, and even some medications can also lead to hair loss. In all instances and conditions, early diagnosis and intervention are key.
How Do Hair Loss Medications Work?
Hair loss medications work differently depending on the type of hair loss you’re dealing with. The two most commonly prescribed are minoxidil and finasteride, especially for pattern baldness.
Minoxidil
Minoxidil is a topical treatment you apply directly to your scalp. It helps increase blood flow to your hair follicles, which can encourage hair growth. Some people see a slowdown in hair loss and even some new hair growth. Minoxidil is also available in oral form for those who want a more convenient option.
Finasteride
This is an oral medication and a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor that reduces the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). 5-alpha reductase is an enzyme that plays a role in the metabolism of certain hormones – namely the conversion of testosterone into DHT.
By lowering DHT levels in the scalp, finasteride directly counteracts DHT’s follicle-shrinking effects and can help slow down hair loss and preserve existing hair and in some cases may stimulate hair regrowth. It is most effective at slowing down hair loss and promoting regrowth in the crown because the crown region of the head has a higher density of hair follicles that are sensitive to the effects of DHT.
Finasteride works really well—it slows down or even stops hair loss in almost 90% of men and about two-thirds of those guys actually see some hair grow back. You’ll usually start seeing results in about 3 to 4 months, but to keep the benefits going, you’ll need to stick with the treatment and follow your doctor’s guidance.
Dutasteride
Like Finasteride, Dutasteride is a DHT blocker, but it is more potent because it inhibits both type I and type II enzyme 5-alpha-reductase, which converts testosterone to DHT, whereas Finasteride only blocks the type II enzyme.
This makes Dutasteride more effective at lowering DHT levels, which could lead to better outcomes for those who haven’t seen sufficient improvement with Finasteride alone. Someone might switch from Finasteride to Dutasteride if Finasteride isn’t providing the desired results in terms of slowing or reversing hair loss.
Important Considerations:
Finasteride and Dutasteride are only approved for treating male pattern baldness and they might not do much for other types of hair loss. It is only considered for women experiencing hair loss if they are postmenopausal.
Topical minoxidil is entirely over-the-counter, but oral minoxidil requires a prescription, so you’ll have to consult with a Ziering hair loss specialist to get started on these treatments.
Watch Dr. Calder Explaining the Differences BEtween Finasteride and Dutasteride.
Do They Stop or Reverse Hair Loss Completely?
Finasteride, dutasteride, and minoxidil won’t cure baldness. If you stop taking them, you will start losing hair again. However, even when they won’t stop or reverse hair loss completely, they can help you rescue your receding hairline or even regrow some hair with continued use.
Many of our patients are happy with the results of our medicated products. When used together with our other hair loss treatments like red light therapy with the Z CAP or Z-factors, we can dramatically improve the density of your hair. These medications and hair loss therapies are often combined with hair transplant surgery as well to address the progressive hair loss associated with genetic or pattern hair loss.
Watch Dr. Ziering Explain How to Prevent Hair Loss.
Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia (CCCA) is a type of hair loss that usually affects Black women, causing thinning or balding that starts at the crown of the head and gradually spreads outward.
It can be frustrating because it’s a form of scarring alopecia, meaning once the hair follicles are damaged, they can’t grow back. But there’s hope! Early treatment with anti-inflammatory medications, like topical steroids or antibiotics, can help stop the progression, and sometimes even save the surrounding hair.
It’s all about catching it early and working closely with a hair loss specialist. For individual situations, Scalp Micropigmentation (SMP) may be recommended to camouflage the balding and thinning areas.
What is a Permanent Solution to Hair Loss?
Hair transplantation offers a permanent solution to baldness. The hair grafts used in a hair transplant are genetically resistant to DHT so they will continue to grow in their new location when implanted into the areas where hair thinning or loss are present.
At our practice, we perform the most advanced hair restoration surgical techniques and innovative tools to deliver the most natural-looking results. When you come to Ziering Medical for a hair transplant, your procedure will fall in either one of these methods:
Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)
In this method, the back and sides of your head are shaved short, and your surgeon carefully removes individual hair follicles one by one from the donor area, usually the back or sides of your head, where the hair is genetically programmed to be DHT-resistant and last for life.
They use a hand-held device, a SAFE System or the WAW, to extract each follicle, leaving behind pinpoint, barely visible dots that fade over time and are hidden by your hair as it grows back after being shaved short.
Next, the hair transplant surgeon creates the recipient sites, followed by the highly-skilled Medical Techs placing the hair grafts at the proper angle and orientation into these recipient sites. The entire procedure takes between 8 and 9 hours to perform.
Because FUE doesn’t involve removing a strip of scalp from the donor area, recovery is quick, and you can usually get back to your routine within a few days.
After 1 FUE transplant with 2435 grafts. See more results like this in our gallery.
Microscopically Dissected Elliptical Excision (MDEE)
Formerly known as FUT, this technique involves removing a thin, elliptical-shaped strip of scalp tissue with hair follicles from the back of the head within the permanent hair zone or safe donor zone. Whereas FUE procedures require shaving the entire back of the head for the donor harvest, with MDEE procedures the shaved or trimmed area is just wide enough to allow for the removal of the strip of tissue which will vary depending on the number of hair grafts needed (usually 1 – 2 cm wide and 15 – 30 cm long).
Once the strip is removed surgically, the donor site is sutured using the Ziering Tunnel Technique which reduces tension along the suture line and improves healing of the linear scar which becomes finer and nearly invisible over time. The hair above and around the donor site is left longer and may be combed over the elliptical incision immediately camouflaging the donor site as it heals.
Then this strip of tissue is slivered and dissected into the naturally occurring follicular units or tiny grafts under a microscope. After your hair transplant surgeon creates the recipient sites following the agreed hair transplant design, these hair grafts are transplanted into the thinning or bald areas.
MDEE can be faster than FUE, but it does leave a thin linear scar at the donor site, though it’s usually hidden by your hair. MDEE typically delivers a higher yield of harvested grafts than FUE, making it a great choice when you need a lot of grafts to create an aesthetic change in one procedure. Because the entire donor zone does not need to be shaved short, it is the most common procedure recommended for women.
1-year transformation of our patient. He received an MDEE (FUT) hair transplant with 1600 grafts. See more results like this in our gallery.
Schedule a Private Consultation at Ziering Medical.
At our practice, we perform world-class hair restoration in a state-of-the-art facility. When you come to one of our clinics, a treatment plan customized to your specific needs will be developed using our most advanced surgical options, innovative technologies, and our suite of hair loss prevention medications, topicals, and laser therapy options. Your treatment plan is designed with short- and long-term goals to help you get the best lifetime results.
But what sets Ziering Medical apart is the experience, skill, and artistry of our hair restoration surgeons. Led by celebrity surgeon, Dr. Craig Ziering, you will have peace of mind knowing that your limited donor hair will be in the hands of the best doctors in the field of hair restoration.
Call us to book a consultation today with one of our Ziering Medical surgeons and join the thousands of patients who have restored not just their hair, but also their confidence. We serve patients all over the greater Tri-state area of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut as well as the greater Southern California area from Los Angeles and Beverly Hills to Newport Beach and San Diego.