Hair Loss Treatments: From Ancient to Modern Methods

Even as far back as 1500 BC, people were concerned with hair loss and tried to persuade their gods to help regrow their hair. Egyptian and Greek literature are full of references to this. Julius Caesar reportedly wore a victory wreath to hide his bald spot. And everyone is familiar with the physical and psychological destruction wrought upon the great Samson after losing his locks.

Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, prescribed a potion of pigeon feces, cumin, horseradish and nettles to cure hair loss. Needless to say, he—as well as his patients—remained absolutely bald. Of course if this foul concoction were marketed online today, I think men would be typing in their credit card numbers right now to get some.

If you are balding, let me save you some time and money here. There are only two FDA-approved medications to treat male pattern hair loss: minoxidil and finasteride.

There are a few other prescription medicines that can be tweaked here and there, but minoxidil and finasteride represent where you should put your money. Don’t spring for that elixir on the pop-up ad or infomercial.

Finasteride is a prescription so you’d want to talk to your dermatologist about potential side effects. Minoxidil is a blood pressure medication that happened to have a side effect of growing hair, so its manufacturer formulated it for OTC topical use. It’s also one of the few accepted treatments for female pattern baldness.

Many people experiencing hair loss are put on a biotin vitamin as well for good measure in addition to prescription medication. Hair transplantation and grafting have come light years from the “doll plug” and “corn row” look of a decade ago. It is expensive but permanent and actually the most natural solution in my opinion.

Donor hair from the back of the scalp is transplanted into the bald areas. The donor hair follicles are hair from the horseshoe like area of the head, where men don’t typically lose their hair. Since these types of follicles biologically respond differently to your hormones, they should not fall out once transplanted.