Hair Loss treatments beyond Rogaine ®

Hair loss is a common condition that affects both men and women. There are several treatment options available for hair loss, including topical and oral medications. Among these medications are common treatments including Minoxidil, Dutasteride, and Spironolactone. We often use these topical and oral medications in conjunction with True Hair Therapy™. Simply put, although many of these medications have been on the market for quite a while now, they often work synergistically with our proprietary treatment of the future.

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What is minoxidil?

The easiest but least effective treatment is topical minoxidil, which is a blood pressure medication that has been found to help treat hair loss. Rogaine ® is a topical version of minoxidil that can be directly applied to the scalp. It works by increasing blood flow to the hair follicles, which can promote hair growth. Minoxidil is available over the counter and is generally well tolerated, although it can cause scalp irritation in some people. The oral form of the original blood pressure medication when taken at low doses will not affect the blood pressure significantly but may stimulate hair growth, everywhere.

What does Finasteride and Dutasteride do?

Hormonally, Finasteride and dutasteride are medications that block the male hormone. Finasteride is the only FDA approved medication for male hair loss and is sold under the trade named Propecia. Both finasteride and dutasteride work by inhibiting the production of  dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a very strong form of the male hormone that acts on the hair follicles. Finasteride and dutasteride are only available by prescription only and may cause side effects such as decreased libido and erectile dysfunction. Finasteride and dutasteride are less commonly considered for hair loss in women of non-child bearing age because taking a medication that blocks the male hormones can cause feminization of fetuses if the mother is pregnant.

Can I use spironolactone for hair loss?

Spironolactone is another oral medication that is often used off label to treat hair loss as well as hormonal acne in women. Spironolactone is a medication that falls under the class of “water pills” that promotes water loss from the body. For the purpose of hair loss and acne treatments, we are actually utilizing spironolactone’s side effect to block male hormones (androgens), which are hormones that can contribute to hair loss in women. Spironolactone is also available by prescription only from your dermatologist.

Can men use spironolactone?

Prolonged use of spironolactone in men can cause increase in breast size which is an undesirable consequence thus it is not routinely used for hair loss and acne in men.

It's important to note that the effect of each of the hair loss medications above can vary significantly from individual to individual. Regardless of the treatment, it will take several months of adherent and consistent treatment before any results can be seen. For many patients, less hair loss rather than significant hair growth may be considered a victory in and of itself.