Hair loss is no longer an inevitable march to baldness. Medical advances over recent decades mean male hair loss can be treated. And it need not break the bank.
The cause of male pattern baldness is well established as an act of nature not nurture. Identical twins go bald at the same age, rate and pattern irrespective of diet, lifestyle or stress levels.
Baldness is a complex polygenic trait: up to five genes are involved, and it is the interplay between these genes, not unlike the interaction between the cards in a poker hand, that determine the specifics of male pattern hair loss.
So, what are the treatment options?
Finasteride
Finasteride is a Therapeutic Goods Administration-approved drug that dermatologists and general practitioners have been prescribing to treat hair loss for around 15 years.
It works by stopping the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone in the prostate, by blocking an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase.
You'll need a prescription for finasteride and your doctor will explain the benefits and risks of the drug before you decide to proceed.
The benefits are clear: men who start taking daily finasteride at the first signs of hair loss will not go bald. Plus there are no interactions with other drugs.
But there is a small risk of sexual side effects such as such as erectile dysfunction, ejaculatory problems and reduced libido, which require careful management by an experienced doctor.
An added bonus is that finasteride reduces a man’s future chance of developing of prostate cancer. Though it does not increase longevity, as the reduction in risk is exclusively for low-risk prostate cancer which are not the type men generally die from.
The cost for a year’s supply of tablets starts at around as low as A$200 (plus the extra you will need to put aside for haircuts!).
Minoxidil
Developed in the 1950s as a tablet to treat high blood pressure, minoxidil was an abject failure due to unwanted hair growth. Re-invented as a lotion applied directly to the scalp, it was launched in the United States in 1988 and soon became popular around the world.
Minoxidil is also TGA-approved and available over the counter in pharmacies for between A$15 and A$60 per month, depending on the brand.
No prescription or trip to the doctor is required, but talk to your pharmacist if you are taking any other medicines, especially high-blood-pressure medication.
