Is There A Reliable, Affordable Cure For Baldness?

It seems as if the number of men and women experiencing baldness is on the rise. So it comes as no surprise that finding a cure for baldness is one of the primary goals of current research endeavors. While there are products that can slow and possibly reverse the balding process such as finasteride and minoxidil there is yet a cure for baldness. 

The closest thing to a cure for baldness is hair transplant surgery. While expensive, sometimes painful, and often requiring multiple surgeries it can produce good results. That said, although transplanting hair can reduce thinning, and add cover to bald areas, it does not restore the original thickness or fullness of the hair. Another drawback is that if hair transplant surgery is performed before the balding process has stopped the result can be an unnatural unusual pattern on the scalp requiring multiple additional surgeries to correct. So while hair transplant surgery may be the closest thing to a cure for baldness it is not without its drawbacks. 

So the question begs to be asked if hair transplant surgery isn’t recommended until balding and thinning has stopped what should I do in the meantime? This is certainly a quandary of sorts. It is like being lost in the no man’s land of hair restoration. 

While you may not be able to cure baldness there are steps you can and should take to keep your hair and scalp healthy while possibly re-growing new hair. It is important to realize that the vast majority of cases of hair loss are follicle related. In other words the small sac like pouch from which the hair shaft emerges is either damaged or starts to shrink. The dreaded shrinking follicle cuts off circulation to the hair cell complex causing hair to thin, become unhealthy, reduce the hair growth cycle, and eventually fall out. At some point the follicle will shrink so dramatically that hair growth will no longer be possible without some type of intervention. At this point balding will start to become obvious and much more difficult to reverse. 

The most often mentioned product as a cure for baldness and follicle regeneration is the hair stimulant minoxidil (Rogaine, Loniten). It is applied to the scalp twice daily to stimulate hair growth. When hair growth is achieved it is usually noticed about 90 days after the first application with the benefits continuing as long as the drug is used. 

While minoxidil is not considered a cure for baldness it does do an excellent job in protecting existing hair from certain androgen hormones and keeping follicles open. In fact it’s success rate is thought to be somewhere in the 90 percent range. As far as new hair growth the numbers aren’t very impressive with only about 30 percent of men and women reporting hair re-growth. 

What Next? There are currently a handful of hair re-growth products (specially formulated for both men and women) which have been proven effective both in blocking harmful hormones and bringing the all important dead hair follicles back to life. These specially formulated products can be used both as a preventative tool, starting before hair loss becomes severe, or after loss of hair has become noticeable. Whatever the level of balding or thinning you are experiencing these products could be just what is needed to overcome this latest life challenge.