Hair loss has become a big epidemic in today’s society. Alopecia can be triggered due to stress, medical conditions, or unhealthy lifestyle choices. Even though it is possible to grow back hair in certain areas where it is thinning, many individuals opt for a more permanent solution to prevent this from happening.
Several treatments with prescription medication for hair loss have different purposes and mechanisms of action. The most common solutions and therapies include minoxidil and hair transplantation.
Minoxidil and Its Application in Hair Loss
The best medicine for hair regrowth is typically a topical application of minoxidil. Minoxidil increases the amount of blood and oxygen supplied to the scalp, resulting in follicle regeneration. Generally, patients who use this drug experience hair growth around four weeks after beginning treatment.
Minoxidil was first prescribed as an oral medicine to treat acute and refractory hypertension in the 1970s. Unexpectedly, clinicians noted hair regeneration and widespread hypertrichosis in balding individuals, which resulted in the development of a topical minoxidil formulation for addressing androgenetic alopecia (AGA). To date, topical minoxidil is the standard treatment for androgenetic alopecia and is used off-label for various hair loss diseases. Despite its universal popularity for decades, the mechanism involving minoxidil’s hair growth-promoting benefits is still unknown.
Minoxidil’s favorable impact on hair regrowth is primarily due to its minoxidil sulfate, metabolite, and the enzyme necessary for the conversion of sulfotransferase, which is found in hair follicles and differs in secretion between persons. Individuals with higher enzymatic activity reacted more positively to topical minoxidil than persons with less enzyme activity.
Minoxidil’s Biological Effects
The medicine acts on follicular cells, increasing hair growth and decreasing hair loss. Treatment discontinuation causes significant hair loss between 1 to 2 years. Scientists found that Minoxidil Solution (MS) reduced the telogen phase in treated animals to 1 to 2 days, compared to around 20 days in untreated animals. According to the findings, minoxidil activates secondary hair germ cells in telogen follicles, causing a quick shift to the anagen phase.
The FDA has authorized topical minoxidil for the treatment of AGA. Furthermore, it has been used off-label to treat various hair issues, including alopecia areata (AA), scarring alopecia, and hair shaft abnormalities, as well as to improve body hair development in other regions, such as the eyebrows and beard.
Hair Transplant
A hair transplant uses grafts taken from one area of the body to regrow hair in a bald or thinning area. It is typically done by taking a strip of scalp containing follicles from a natural part and transplanting them to the bald spot. This can be effectively used on other areas, such as eyebrows, eyelashes, beards, or mustaches.
There are many reasons a person would choose to get hair transplant surgery. If a person has lost hair from trauma such as a car accident or burns, it is necessary to undergo a hair transplant. Hair transplant can also be used by patients with conditions like male pattern baldness, female pattern baldness, or other forms of thinning hair. It can also be used to restore eyebrows and eyelashes that may have been damaged in the past or to correct scars or birth defects that may cause cosmetic issues.
It is important to note that hair transplants are not permanent and must be redone after a few years. The results from the transplanted hair can last from 2-5 years depending on the quality of the grafts, condition of the scalp tissue, how much you stress your head, and lifestyle factors. The most significant cause of failure is usually a failure to follow maintenance instructions properly.
Bottom Line
Various treatments are available on the market. Each of them has its benefits. It all depends on what you want or need in medicine. The problem with most homeopathic products is that they frequently lack the necessary concentrations to be effective.
