Active Hair Loss

For years men have had all kinds of procedures and products dedicate to their hair loss. In fact, the number one drug approved by the US FDA, Finasteride, is only certified for use by men because of the possibility of birth defects it may cause if ingested by women of child bearing age. During all this time the only option for women was to buy a wig and hope it didn’t slip or fall off at the wrong time. This may have been OK when women were happy to sit in the house but today’s woman is active and wants to be able to treat their hair loss in a way that allows for boating, skiing, or skydiving.

The best hair restoration for women product on the market today is another FDA approved drug called Minoxidil. Minoxidil is usually sold under the brand name Rogaine but there are several generic varieties coming on the market which are cheaper. This particular drug actually stops the process of hair loss by interrupting the attachment of a hormone known as DHT to receptors on the hair follicles. When the DHT bonds to the follicle is causes a slow down in production of hair shaft material. This happens over several months or a few years but eventually the hair shaft will become so thin that it breaks off. At this time the follicle has been weakened to such a degree that it is not able to replace the hair. Once this happens to enough hair follicles the patient develops a bald spot.

If the DHT is not inhibited from bonding with receptors on the follicles then the hair will stop growing and the only way to replace it would be with hair restoration surgery. This is expensive and is difficult to perform if the patient is experiencing thinning hair over the entire head like the majority of women do. The surgery is best performed when a donor area of thick hair growth is present like when men lose the hair on the top of their head but continue to grow thick hair on the posterior of the head.