Thinning Hair Treatment Products

Baldness and thinning hair is not curable, but there are products that slow the hair thinning process, promote new hair growth, or hide thinning areas of your scalp. Your physician or a hair replacement specialist can help you decide which is the best thinning hair or hair loss treatment for you.

Minoxidil

• Minoxidil is a vasodilator (dilates blood vessels) and is one of only two prescription drugs the FDA has approved to treat androgenetic alopecia (pattern baldness typically found in men) and alopecia areata (baldness occuring in spots or a single area of the head). Rogaine (brand name for minoxidil) is an ointment that is rubbed into the scalp twice each day. The second drug is Loniten, the pill form of minoxidil, originally prescribed to treat high blood pressure, until it was found that a side effect of Loniten was hair growth. Loniten does have side effects that include salt and water retention, drug interactions and increased heart rate. Rogaine does not have these side effects, and is more commonly prescribed. New hair that has grown as a result of minoxidil use may be thinner and shorter than your original hair and it can take up to 12 weeks to see results.

Finasteride

• Finasteride is the second of two drugs approved by the FDA to treat hair loss and thinning hair. Propecia, the brand name for finasteride, is a prescribed oral hair loss medication. Originally Propecia was marketed under the brand name Proscar, which prescribed to treat enlarged prostates until Proscar's users noticed that hair growth or a slowing down of thinning hair was a side effect of the drug. Propecia is a lower dosage finasteride pill than Proscar and is used only for hair loss treatment in men. The Mayo Clinic warns that Finasteride has not been approved for use by women of childbearing age as it poses significant health risks. Pregnant women should avoid contact with crushed or broken tablets because it can cause serious birth defects.

Dutasteride

• Dutasteride (Avodart) was developed to treat benign prostate enlargement but was also shown to promote hair growth. Initial clinical trials suggest that dutasteride may prove to be a more effective than finasteride products, but the FDA hasn't yet approved the use of dutasteride as a hair loss treatment drug.

Corticosteroids

• Corticosteroid treatment involves the injection of cortisone into your scalp. Injections are repeated monthly and your doctor may prescribe corticosteroid pills for more extreme hair loss.

Anthralin

• Anthralin (Dritho-Scalp) is a synthetic drug available as cream or ointment and is applied onto your scalp and washed off daily. Typically, anthralin is prescribed for treatment of psoriasis, but doctors do prescribe it for alopecia areata.

Surgery

• Surgery for hair loss or thinning hair is typically one of two procedures. Transplanting involves replacing lost hair with existing hair and treats androgenetic alopecia. The other type of surgery for hair loss is called scalp reduction, where the surgeon removes sections of bald skin and then closes the space with the hair covered section of your scalp. Your doctor might also fold hair covered skin over a bald section (called a flap). Scalp reduction and hair transplanting may also be combined for cases of extreme hair loss.