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Best Hair Loss Treatments & Scams

The Washington Post reports that Americans spend more than 3.5 billion dollars a year attempting to treat hair loss. Hair loss can be emotionally devastating. Sufferers are so eager to find a cure that they are particularly vulnerable to hair loss treatment scams. The American Hair Loss Association recommends purchasing only hair loss products approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
    • Hair Loss

    FDA-Approved Hair Loss Treatments

    • Before you waste your time and money on unproven hair loss treatments, try these products approved by the Food and Drug Administration. There are two FDA-approved hair loss treatments, Minoxidil and Finasteride. If introduced early in the progression, these producst can stop hair loss in some cases.

    Minoxidil

    • Minoxidil is a drug originally introduced to treat high blood pressure. It was discovered by accident that one of the side effects was hair growth in places such as the forehead, cheeks and on the back of the hands. By applying Minoxidil topically to places where hair growth is desired, some users have had success in regrowth. It is particularly effective in treating male pattern baldness.

    Finasteride

    • Finasteride was originally used to treat enlarged prostate glands. As with Minoxidil, a side effect was hair growth. Finasteride was approved as a treatment for male pattern baldness by the FDA in 1997. Finasteride works by lowering dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels, the only medically known way to stop hair loss. Finasteride lowers DHT levels by as much as 60 percent in some cases.

    Provillus

    • Provillus is not an FDA-approved product. However, it does contain the FDA-approved drug Minoxidil. It also consists of several other herbs, minerals and vitamins. Among these ingredients are magnesium, vitamin B-6, pumpkin seed meal and saw palmetto berries. None of these nutritional supplements has been proven to prevent hair loss. Provillus is much more expensive than the FDA-approved drug it contains, Minoxidil.

    Other Hair Loss Products

    • There are several hair loss products available online, and in drug stores and health food stores. Their effectiveness has not been approved by the FDA. Some of the products available claiming to help stop the progression of hair loss are Tichogen, Faboa, Revivogen, Avacor and Thymuskin.

    Recognizing Hair Loss Treatment Scams

    • Be wary of any hair loss treatment product that claims to have "no side effects." Products that claim to help prevent hair loss by increasing circulation are scams. It has been proven that hair loss is not caused by poor circulation. A claim of an "easy and fast cure" for baldness is false. Hair loss does not happen overnight and neither does hair regrowth. The best way to evaluate the effectiveness of a hair loss product is to consult a pharmacist, physician or other health care professional.

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