Are There Any Treatments For Baldness?

Don’t lose hope, if at all you find yourself turning bald. There might be some treatment that could help you.

What are the treatments available for baldness?

Corticosteroids: Cortisone administered as injections into the scalp can treat alopecia areata. In such instances, the treatment is usually repeated monthly. Sometimes corticosteroid pills are prescribed by doctors for extensive hair loss due to alopecia areata.

Local application of drugs

It is commonly believed that a drug called minoxidil, to be applied to thinning areas of the scalp daily, is effective in preventing further hair loss and in growing new hair. This drug helps in dilating the blood vessels, thus improving the supply of blood and hormones to those areas of the scalp that are losing hair.

There is another drug, named finasteride. It is a pill to be taken daily, and helps to prevent further hair loss in most cases. It also helps to grow new hair in some cases.

Such drugs may reduce the fall of hair, but generally it is observed that the regrown hair falls out once the application is stopped. Also common are side effects like irritation of the scalp.

Transplantation of Hair

This means to transplant hair follicles from areas of the scalp where hair is still growing, to where there are no hairs.  There is of course a risk for skin infections, but it is low. The treatment may also cause minor scarring in the areas from where follicles are taken.

Cosmetic treatments are available to cover up your baldness:

One such device is synthetic hair.  It is a custom made hairpiece to cover a balding area. One should never neglect the scalp under the hairpiece, however. The scalp should continue to be washed regularly. A weave is another option. Here, synthetic hair is sewn into existing hair.

There are also plenty of hair-care products available in the market, which claim to thicken and straighten hair.  They should be used with utmost care, because most of them just build a layer of wax or oil and simply create an illusion of thickening.

So, let’s say, losing hair need not mean the end of the world!