Hair Loss : Treatments and Drugs

    Effective treatments for some types of hair loss are available. But some hair loss is permanent. With some conditions, such as patchy alopecia, hair may regrow without treatment within a year.

Treatments for hair loss include medications, surgery, laser therapy, and wigs or hairpieces. Your doctor may suggest a combination of these approaches in order to get the best results.

The goals of treatment are to promote hair growth, slow hair loss or hide hair loss.

Future of Medical Treatments of Hair Loss

    Most of today's medicines for treating hair loss have limited effectiveness. Today's medications prescribed to counteract androgenetic alopecia (genetic pattern hair loss), require ongoing use for the benefits of treatment to continue, and these medications have only a limited effect on some patients. And the cost of drugs that must be taken continuously adds up to a large lifetime expense. In the future, as physicians and scientists gain a better understanding of how the normal hair growth cycle is controlled, and how various disease conditions affect hair growth, new medicines will be developed that more effectively target the cause of the hair loss, and cause fewer side effects as a result.

Drug Induced Hair Loss

    Many commonly prescribed prescription drugs can cause temporary hair loss, trigger the onset of male and female pattern baldness, and even cause permanent hair loss. Note that the drugs listed here do not include those used in chemotherapy and radiation for cancer treatment.