Hair Regrowth Treatment: Do Topical Creams Really Work?

Men, and women, have been searching for effective, if not quick, treatments to hide their balding and thinning hair since 1550 B.C. According to History.com,“the ancient Egyptians, ‘suffering from hair loss’ recommended treatments such as using a mixture of fats from a hippopotamus, crocodile, tomcat, snake and ibex; porcupine hair boiled in water and applied to the scalp for four days; and the leg of a female greyhound sautéed in oil with the hoof of a donkey.” While the search for a ‘cure’ to losing hair continues today, effective hair loss treatments for men and women have advanced well beyond the pigeon droppings of Hippocrates.

Most of us lose anywhere from 50 to 100 hairs a day. This can sound like a lot of hair until you realize that someone with a full head of hair has roughly 100,000 hairs on their head. It’s not until our once beautiful full head of hair becomes noticeably thinner that we start to panic and wonder if treatment is needed. Aging that time in life when your body starts to look older than you feel, is a big culprit when it comes to hair loss. Hair naturally thins out as we age. Other causes beyond illness, hormone levels (increase or decrease), stress, and medications:

• Genetics: You could be genetically predisposed to thinning hair or female and male patterned baldness.
• Diet: If you aren’t getting the nutrients your body needs as a result of poor diet, eating disorder or crash diets, your hair could suffer.
• Hair Care: Another leading cause to hair breakage, thinning and balding is the overuse or improper use of certain hair products such as coloring products, straighteners, and blow dryers

Certain types of hair loss, for both men and women, just need a little time to correct on their own. For example, if your hair loss was the result of a specific event such as pregnancy, hair treatments, or medication allergy your hair will likely grow back in time. Other types of hair loss may improve with treatments designed to help promote hair growth. For example aging, male or female patterned baldness, or genetics. One of the more popular regrowth treatments is the topical cream/foam Minoxidil, also known as Rogaine. Minoxidil has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and it comes in two forms, over-the-counter (liquid or foam) and by prescription. To use, you just rub the medication into your scalp twice daily. It may take up to 12 weeks before signs of new hair appear.

Minoxidil comes in two strengths, a 2 percent solution and a 5 percent solution. Men can use either strength. The makers of Minoxidil however, have not received FDA approval to recommend the 5 percent strength to women and therefore can only recommend the lower concentration. The American Hair Loss Association recognizes that hair regrowth treatment differs greatly between men and women. According to the Association, “While many drugs may work to some degree for some women, doctors are reluctant to prescribe them, and drug companies aren't exactly falling over themselves to test existing or new drugs specifically for their ability to prevent and treat female pattern baldness.” Their advice to women, “The American Hair Loss Association recognizes the limitations of topical Minoxidil treatment in the fight against female androgenic alopecia (female pattern baldness) therefore we recommend that you seek out the advice of an informed hair loss specialist that can provide you with information on the potential treatments.” To locate a hair restoration specialist in your area click here or call Capillus for more information at (786) 888 6249 or Toll-Free at 1 (888) 272-9599..