Hair Care Foundation - Medical Hair Restoration

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The Only Two Proven Medical Treatments for Hair Loss

From The Hair Foundation
www.hairfoundation.org

Products that claim to stop hair loss have been around almost as long as concern about hair loss. Until scientific research discovered the cause of androgenic alopecia (hair loss), medical treatments for hair loss were hit-or-miss or sometimes pure quackery. Even today there are countless products on the market that claim to reverse hair loss, but only two medical treatments have FDA-recognized effectiveness:

Minoxidil (brand name Rogaine)
Minoxidil is available over-the-counter and applied topically to the scalp skin in areas of hair loss. Minoxidil is available in both 2% and 5% strengths. The 5% strength has been shown to be more effective in both men and women in slowing hair loss and promoting new hair growth. Results of Minoxidil's effectiveness in slowing or halting hair loss to some degree in men have ranged from 50% to 80% of men treated. A lower percentage has reported new hair growth. Minoxidil is ineffective for some men and women who continue to lose hair.

While it is available without prescription it is used most effectively in a physician-guided program of hair restoration, after the cause of hair loss has been diagnosed. Minoxidil's mode of actin is not completely understood. It appears to act to prlong the anagen (growth) phase of the hair follicle.

Finasteride (brand name Propecia)
Finasteride is available only by prescription and is taken orally daily. Its mode of action is well understood thanks to research that documented the hormonal cause of hair loss in androgenic alopecia. Finasteride inhibits the enzyme that converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (the dreaded DHT everyone with hair loss is ware of) in the follicle.

Finasteride has proven highly effective in clinical trials and in medical practice for slowing hair loss in almost all men and stimulating new hair growth in some men. It can be used alone or in conjunction with other hair loss treatments, including surgery.

Who We Are:
The Hair Foundation is an independent nonprofit organization that provides expert and scientific information about hair health - including care, loss, styling and volume disease and proven hair loss treatments - with no commercial bias, through The Hair Foundation Web site (www.hairfoundation.org) and through its public education outreach.

The Foundation is governed by a seven-member Board of Trustees composed of dermatologists and cosmetic surgeons who have studied and treated hair diseases and hair loss and are internationally recognized and respected as leaders in the field.

Our Mission:
To develop the concept of hair health, educate the public, promote the importance of hair health and coordinate and gather the unique expertise of various hair-related organizations to serve this mission.

Contact:
Jessica Blomquist, Executive Director 224.522.5420