Hair Loss Treatments

Although there are thousands of different products for treating hair loss available in the stores and pharmacies around the world, most of them are ineffective for the majority of hair loss sufferers. In order to identify the most suitable treatment for your current condition and avoid scams, it is necessary to understand the basic approaches to treating thinning hair. In general we can split hair loss treatments into dihydrotestosterone (DHT) blockers, also called antinandrogens, and hair growth stimulants. Considering methods of application, they can be divided into oral treatments, topicals and others, such as LaserComb. And lastly, hair growth treatments can be broken into medicinal and natural remedies.

Current antiandrogen modes of action include (a) preventing the creation of DHT, (b) preventing DHT from binding to the receptor site and (c) blocking activity in the androgen receptor itself. The best known drug amongst DHT blockers is finasteride (Propecia). It is often described as a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor and its selective action blocks only the effects of DHT and not the effects of testosterone. However, 5-alpha reductase inhibitor properties are currently attributed to far too many substances, though only few of them work at the level of hair follicles. Some antiandrogens, such as finasteride, are only used in men and some, such as spironolactone, only in women.

Hair growth stimulants can also work by different modes of action. Some are said to directly stimulate epithelial growth of hair follicles, some counteract the hardening of the hair follicles but the exact mechanism is not known. The common denominator for products in this category is to increase the length of the hair growth cycle, thus improving the ratio of hair in the growth phase and to increase the diameter of each hair. The best known representative of this category of hair loss treatments is minoxidil.

Natural treatments are often presented by their marketers as being superior to medicinal treatments in terms of their efficacy and safety. The fact is that too many natural/herbal remedies make bold claims without ever having been clinically tested for treating hair loss, and their side effects are usually unknown. Caution is advised for any nutritional/herbal supplement you decide to take to treat your condition. For many, like those mentioned on this website, they may not hurt you, but their efficacy in treating baldness is far from sure. The only products proven to be effective in treating hair loss are a few medicinal treatments. Natural products are sold as cosmetics and only need approval for their safety but not for their efficacy. FDA approval is often referred to as a stamp of quality and safety, not only in the US but worldwide. The fact is that the only FDA-approved hair loss cures to date are two medicinal treatments (minoxidil and finasteride), whereas HairMax LaserComb, often mentioned as the third FDA-approved treatment for hair loss, has only received clearance for safety as a cosmetic device. Following the approval of minoxidil and finasteride in the US, these two drugs have been approved by the equivalent health authorities in many other countries of the world.

This platform brings you unbiased and unsponsored reviews of the best-known hair loss treatments. You will find here assessments of the potency of the active substances used in diverse hair-growth cures, as well as reviews of existing commercial products. The first four subsections present a basic assessment of the efficacy of the active ingredients. Please refer to the "Commercial Hair Loss Products" section for an overview of treatments available in stores around the world and visit GreyHairLoss blog for hair loss product reviews and hair loss related articles. You are encouraged to rate and write a consumer review on any product examined on GreyHairLoss blog using the "REVIEW IT" button in the horizontal navigation bar and writing a consumer review.

Medicinal Hair Loss Remedies

Overview of the medicinal substances commonly found in commercial hair growth products and assessment of their efficacy in treating baldness. Medicinal Hair Loss Remedies

Herbal Hair Loss Remedies

Overview of the herbal substances commonly found in commercial hair growth products and assessment of their efficacy in treating baldness. Herbal Hair Loss Remedies

Substances of Natural Origin for Treating Hair Loss

Overview of the substances of natural origin, other than plant extracts, commonly found in commercial hair growth products and assessment of their efficacy in treating baldness. Substances of Natural Origin for Treating Hair Loss

Other Hair Loss Treatments

Overview of the alternative approaches to treating hair loss and assessment of their efficacy. Other Hair Loss Treatments

Commercial Hair Loss Products

A list of commercial hair loss treatments, presenting their consumer rating summary, the main active ingredients, mode of action, pricing and links to the editor review and independent consumer reviews. Commercial Hair Loss Products