What Works Best?
Grey Hair Treatments
At the moment, there is no proven treatment for reversing the growth of grey hair from the follicle. The only option is to change the colour of the existing hair. One can either use a regular hair dye, like women usually do, or use one of the progressive hair colorants. Progressive hair colorants work on the hair by gradually changing its colour, which makes the change more subtle than dyeing hair. They do not reverse the greying process, as their manufacturers may claim, they just gradually colour your white hair by replacing the missing pigment with a synthetic substitute. Unlike regular hair dyes, they only impact the white hair. For many men this is the preferred, more natural option, in comparison to using hair dyes. They are not messy, one does not need plastic gloves to apply them and they colour the hair selectively. A strand of grey hair can be left untreated to make your hair look more natural. The weakness of this approach is the fact that progressive hair colorants have to be applied more often than permanent hair dyes, usually twice a week.
Hair Loss Treatments
Hair loss is reversible to a certain degree. But there is no single magic formula that works completely. Since there are multiple factors in male pattern hair loss, it is wisest to approach the problem from several angles to maximize results, as some treatments are complementary and address different underlying causes. The best-proven approach is to use an oral antiandrogen such as finasteride and a topical growth stimulant such as minoxidil. These two substances are not only the only two compounds approved by the FDA and equivalent health authorities in many other counties for treating male pattern baldness but they also happen to be the most potent agents among hair loss remedies. It is often mentioned that no matter what we do, we need 20% of our time to do the initial 80% of work and then we need 80% of our time to finish the remaining 20% of work. One can consider finasteride and minoxidil as doing 80% of the work. Finasteride in this basic formula could be replaced by dutasteride but minoxidil does not have an equally powerful substitute yet. Although there are some other promising remedies, such as azelaic acid, aminexil, topical caffeine, copper peptides, beta-sitosterol, procyanidines, ketoconazole, LaserComb, etc. that might be worth experimenting with, they should only be used to fine-tune your regimen to gain additional benefits. No matter what the daily regimen is like, it should always include the two most powerful proven components for treating baldness.
Hair Transplantation
Hair surgery is currently the only suitable treatment option for those who wish to dramatically improve the coverage on top of their head. The cosmetic results of hair surgery and the resulting customer satisfaction have greatly improved in recent years. This is mainly due to the introduction of the follicular unit extraction (FUE) technique, which has quickly become the gold standard of the hair transplant industry. Hair transplant candidates should consider this method as their first option. Follicular unit transplantation (FUT) or any of its finer modifications should only be considered if your hair loss pattern has progressed to NW5 and beyond. The follicular unit transplantation procedure leaves the patient with a linear scar at the back of the head for the rest of their life. The follicular unit extraction technique was introduced in 2002 and not all hair transplant surgeons and clinics can offer it yet. The industry needs a few more years to mature as more surgeons learn and perfect this technique. Prices are likely to fall and the quality and the affordability of hair surgery should improve. The new techniques, such as hair multiplication and the generation of new hair follicles from wounds, though not expected to become commercially available earlier than in 2010, should further expand surgical treatment options. Their main benefit should be ensuring an unlimited supply of donor hair.