Key Takeaways
- Hair loss (especially male pattern baldness) is often due to hormones, namely dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which affects the hair follicles and slows down hair growth.
- To understand hair regrowth treatments you need to know medications like dutasteride, minoxidil and finasteride, all of which have been proven effective.
- Other options include a healthy diet, combination treatments and other newer treatments.
Receding hairline? Thinning hair all over? While hair loss can be frustrating and stressful, there’s more than one silver lining…
For starters, you’re not the only man dealing with male pattern baldness — up to 50% of men experience some form of hair loss by the age of 50.
And the second? There are plenty of hair regrowth treatments available right now.
In this article you’ll learn all about the big 3 of hair loss treatments: Dutasteride, Minoxidil, and Finasteride. And they’re not the big 3 for no reason either, they work.
Signs of hair loss
Understanding how hair loss happens and what signs to look for can help you better decide which hair loss and hair thinning treatments are right for you.
While the exact cause of male pattern baldness or thinning isn’t known, there’s reason to believe hormones and genetics play a role (thanks, Mom and Dad).
When you have too much of a hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT), your hair follicles may shrink, leading to thinner hair. Your follicles also may take longer to grow new hairs, causing early hair loss.
Male pattern baldness can occur in different ways, but the process typically happens slowly. You won’t wake up one day suddenly bald or lose your hair in patches, which could indicate different health conditions.
Some hair loss symptoms to look for?
- Thinning hair at the temples
- Receding hairline, typically forming an ‘M’ shape
- Hair thinning on top of the head
- Thinning hair all over the head
Fortunately, if caught early, hair loss can be slowed down, and in some men, hair regrowth is possible.
Hair loss treatments
There are currently two hair loss treatments approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA): finasteride and minoxidil.
However, several other powerful and effective medications like dutasteride can be prescribed off-label.
We’ll go through some of the more common treatment options as well as side effects, whether they’re used as an oral hair loss tablet or topical hair loss solution, and how effective each medication is.
Something to note though: there’s no single best way to regrow hair. Instead, the cause of hair loss can determine the best course of action.
Combination treatments may help in addition to lifestyle choices and healthy habits, which we also cover further below.
Oral and Topical Minoxidil
Topical minoxidil (the generic version and active ingredient in Rogaine®) offers benefits like:
- Stimulating new hair growth,
- Reducing hair loss
- Strengthening existing hair.
The topical version of minoxidil is available as either a liquid solution or topical foam and is typically applied twice a day. Oral minoxidil, on the other hand, is only FDA-approved for high blood pressure but may be prescribed off-label for hair loss at a low dosage.
A 2023 study that compared oral to topical minoxidil found that the 5% topical solution worked better than a 1-milligram daily oral minoxidil dose. However, the researchers noted that the difference wasn’t significant.
The side effects of minoxidil are usually minimal, but still possible, skin irritation at the application site, scalp itchiness, slight burning sensation, and mild headaches.
Topical and Oral Finasteride
One of the most popular hair loss treatments, finasteride is available as either a generic medication or under popular brand names.
Typically taken as an oral tablet, finasteride is also available in a topical spray solution as an alternative hair loss treatment to oral tablets.
Finasteride belongs to a class of medications called 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, or 5-ARIs. These drugs work by blocking activity of the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme, which plays an important role in converting testosterone to DHT.
But finasteride has been proven effective. In one study, 90% of men who used oral finasteride saw improved hair growth or maintained their current amount of hair without further hair loss.
Meanwhile, research shows that topical finasteride is nearly as effective as oral finasteride in increasing hair growth over 24 weeks.
While finasteride is effective, it’s side effects which, while mild, commonly include, reduced sexual desire, trouble getting an erection, problems ejaculating, and depression.
Topical and Oral Dutasteride
Although not approved by the FDA for hair loss, dutasteride is another common treatment typically prescribed off-label for male hair loss.
Dutasteride is also a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor, meaning it works similarly to finasteride by reducing DHT in your body.
However, Dutasteride also inhibits more types of alpha reductase than finasteride, making it more potent at reducing scalp and serum DHT.
The most common side effects of dutasteride include difficulty maintaining or having an erection, trouble ejaculating, and reduced sex drive.
Topical and Oral Tretinoin
Typically prescribed for skin care purposes, particularly anti-aging and acne, tretinoin is a retinoid derived from vitamin A.
While topical tretinoin is used to treat mild acne and reduce wrinkles and mild skin roughness, oral tretinoin is approved for conditions like acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) and moderate to severe acne and cystic acne.
Common side effects of topical tretinoin include: slight stinging of skin, swelling or blistering of skin, redness, skin discoloration, increased dryness, and peeling or flaky skin
There’s not much research on tretinoin for hair loss. So why are we talking about it? That would be thanks to a medication mentioned above: minoxidil.
When combined with minoxidil, tretinoin can increase the absorption of minoxidil and potentially boost its effect on hair growth.
While more research is needed to know if a tretinoin-minoxidil combo could be a game-changer for hair growth, here’s what’s known so far:
- The biggest upside of tretinoin-minoxidil is that it only needs to be applied once daily as opposed to twice. For the treatment of male pattern baldness, tretinoin-minoxidil could be used only once a day instead of a twice-daily application of minoxidil alone according to a 2007 clinical trial. In the study, one group applied a once-a-day combined solution of minoxidil and tretinoin while a second group used minoxidil alone, twice a day. Both groups experienced hair growth.
- Tretinoin could promote hair growth, according to older research that found tretinoin combined with minoxidil led to visible hair growth in 66% of patients. Of course, this research is much older and a smaller study.
The current research on tretinoin for monotherapy isn’t enough to definitively include it as a possible treatment. However, the studies on tretinoin plus minoxidil are promising.
Other ways to treat hair loss
Medication isn’t the only way to slow or reverse hair loss symptoms.
While hormones and genetics may play a large role in causing hair loss, other factors like high stress, poor diet, and some medical conditions can also lead to a less-than-ideal amount of hair in your mane.
For example, a poor diet could lead to weaker hair. While diet alone can’t fully prevent hair loss, data suggests certain vitamins and minerals like iron, zinc, and vitamins A, B, C, D, and E, may help hair growth, but a lot more research is needed.
Know the solutions. Get the solutions.
Hair loss can mess with your confidence and self-esteem, for sure.
But catching it early, knowing the right treatments that are most effective, and treating it the right way can help you keep the hair you have, and grow the hair you don’t.
Dutasteride, Minoxidil, and Finasteride are the go-to options for hair loss for a reason: they’re effective. Don’t wait.
Your doctor can help you find a hair loss treatment based on your type of hair loss, symptoms, medical history, and any other conditions.
Disclaimer: The contents of this article, including, but not limited to, text, graphics, images, and other information, is for information purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information contained herein is not a substitute for and should never be relied upon for professional medical advice. The content is not meant to be complete or exhaustive or to be applicable to any specific individual's medical condition. You should consult a licensed healthcare professional before starting any health protocol and seek the advice of your physician or other medical professional if you have questions or concerns about a medical condition. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment. Never disregard or delay seeking professional medical advice or treatment because of something you have read on this site. Maximus does not recommend, endorse, or make any representation about the efficacy, appropriateness, or suitability of any specific test, products, procedures, treatments, services, opinions, healthcare providers or other information contained herein. Maximus is not responsible for, nor will they bear any liability for, the content provided herein or any actions or outcomes resulting from or related to its use.
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