4 Things You Probably Did Not Know About the Top Hair Loss Treatments
1. Rogaine
The active ingredient found in Rogaine called Minoxdil was actually designed and introduced initially as a treatment for those with high blood pressure, and was taken orally in tablet form.
It was later discovered however that it had an unusual side effect for those taking the pill, hair growth! It was this discovery that led to it being developed into a topical formula to be applied directly to the scalp to help reverse hair loss, commonly known today as Rogaine.
2. Propecia
While Propecia/Finasteride is a well-known treatment for hair loss in men, the alleged 3% likelihood of sexual side effects is somewhat misleading, and is speculated to be over 20%. The internet is flooded with horror stories from men about how Propecia has ruined their lives. Some men even report using Propecia without seeing any sexual side effects but then a few years down the line that’s when serious problems start to occur.
Originally the labeling on Propecia stated that the side effects experienced would fade away once you stop taking the pill, however recently the FDA has made Merck, the company that makes Propecia, change their labeling to reflect the fact that the side effects can be permanent even after you stop taking Propecia.
3. Hair Transplants
Today advances in hair transplant surgery have come a long way since the old hair plug look from the past. Many people and celebrities will have had hair transplants and you are completely unaware as they look so natural and can be 100% undetectable if done by a professional.
However, while the hair that is taken from the back of the head and transplanted into the thin area is genetically programmed to not fall out, the existing hair in that thinning area will continue to shed and therefore a few years down the road another hair transplant will be required. This is why it is important to use other effective treatments such as Rogaine and the HairMax LaserComb to hang onto to what you have left.
4. Low-Level Laser Therapy
People typically associate lasers being used for laser hair removal, but low-level lasers used for hair loss treatment are a different kind of laser altogether, it is a completely different wavelength!
With laser hair removal hot lasers are used and the heated laser actually destroys the hair follicles to prevent hair from growing. However, with low-level lasers the laser is cold and this stimulates the follicle to actually grow hair!
There is a lot of science and clinical studies behind low-level laser therapy for hair growth and even though it seems like something new to many, the first studies actually came out in the 1960's, so it has a lot of research behind it.
