Hair growth restoration is now a multi-billion dollar industry that has countless
products claiming to help hair loss sufferers regain their full set of hair. But as everyone in the medical community knows, the world is still far off from getting a lasting curative solution to the type of hair loss that afflicts 95% of men. This is the notorious male pattern baldness, MPB or more technically known as androgenetic alopecia, indicating that the problem is rooted in the genetic predisposition of men inheriting X-related baldness traits from the maternal side of the parents.
Any lasting hair loss prevention product needs to address the cause of hair loss. Many illnesses and drugs used to treat them may have hair loss as a side effect. Treating the symptomatic hair loss can be done by just withdrawing from the offending medication. Scalp infections resulting in hair loss can be addressed by neutralizing the infection. But for genetic causes, hair loss can only be addressed by gene therapy which is still a long way off from becoming a commercial reality.
FDA-Approved Hair Loss Products
But this hasnt prevented the development of palliative treatment consisting of substances that work around the problem instead of getting into the root case. Some hair loss prevention products dilate blood vessels in the scalp to improve blood flow carrying nutrients to the hair follicles. They have been marketed for years with the FDA approval of Minoxidil after it was repeatedly shown to grow hair in patients prescribed with it to lower blood pressure.
Products using another FDA-approved hair loss substance Finasteride approach the problem by inhibiting the action of 5-alpha-reductase from converting testosterone into DHT or dihydrotestosterone that is responsible in impairing hair follicles from growing hair in male pattern baldness or androgenetic alopecia.
It is possible that combining the two hair loss products in a regimen can address the hair loss problem from two fronts. These products cannot correct the genetic roots of the problem which remain even while being treated and stopping the treatment will bring back the hair loss problem.