Health

Thinning Hair: Can Medications Help?

Thinning Hair: Can Medications Help?

There can be many reasons which cause women to lose more hair than normal: genetics, illness, stress, medical conditions or hormonal imbalance, aging, and even what you eat. The very first step is to consult with a doctor to find out what's causing the problem and get a solution for it. There are treatments that help restore your locks.

Minoxidil: No Prescription Needed

Pros: Minoxidil (Rogaine, Ronoxidil) can stop hair fall and get thinner. It also helps some women regrow hair on the top of their heads. Very good studies show that it’s effective and gets the hair root or follicle to become larger.

Minoxidil OTC comes in 5% and 2% solutions and is considered safe for most women of the different age range. The 2% solution is the only hair loss treatment for women approved by the FDA. It should be applied on the scalp as prescribed.

Prescription Possibilities

Two drugs aren't approved to treat women's hair loss, but doctors sometimes use them in women with hair loss. Finasteride (Propecia, Proscar) is an oral medication approved for hair loss in men, but not for women. That, says Mirmirani, is because it affects the hormone testosterone.

If a woman takes it and gets pregnant, it can cause birth defects in male children. The risk is so high that a pregnant woman is not even supposed to touch the drug. But some doctors prescribe it to women when minoxidil doesn’t work or when they have reached their menopause age.

Spironolactone (Aldactone) is used to treat high blood pressure, and some women take it to stop hair loss. It can cause high levels of potassium to build up in the body, so it's not the first thing a doctor would use for hair loss.

Like Propecia, spironolactone can cause birth defects in male children. Pregnant women or women at childbearing age shouldn't take it or must use birth control when using this medication.

A potent antiandrogen, Flutamide, has been used with some success. Concerns over liver failure have limited its use.

Not having a proper diet can be one of the major reason for hair loss. Although your mom might tell you otherwise; taking a daily multivitamin improves hair growth but there is no such proof.

Maintain your hair is equally important as the body. Drinking lots of water and having a balanced diet can help in hair growth. One should oil and shampoo twice a week and must take care whether the shampoo used is a paraben-free and sulfate-free one.