Scientifically proven medical therapies that can help you stop your hair from falling out.
- The moment you first notice your hair falling out can come as a shock.
- For some, it starts with noticing a receding hairline.
- Others notice a small bald patch where there wasn’t one before.
- Then there are the ones who look down in the shower and see a full clump of hair clogging the drain.
- In this moment, it’s easy to feel angry… powerless… even scared…
But there ARE medically proven ways to manage hair loss. And a number of treatments available to help hair loss sufferers overcome their problems. Some of these methods may help you regrow hair. Others may prevent the hair you have from falling out.
Below you’ll find a list and small description of some of the methods available to you.
Scientifically proven and FDA approved medical therapies
Lotion: Minoxidil (rogaine)
Minoxidil started life as a tablet for treating high-blood pressure. One of the side effects was that it promoted hair growth.
Both men and women use Minoxidil in the form of a lotion you apply to the scalp – thinning and balding areas – to promote hair regrowth.
It is available over the counter – you do not need a prescription to buy it.
The reason Minoxidil makes hair grow is unknown. It was approved for use by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1988.
For more information on Minoxidil, please read this article, or contact the Australasian Hair Transplant Institute to organise a consultation, and ask your doctor about it.
Tablet: Finasteride
Finasteride is a tablet that was approved for use in the treatment of male pattern baldness (at the crown and in the middle of the scalp) by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1997.
It is only available to treat adult male pattern baldness – and must be prescribed to you. It is not suitable for women or children.
Finasteride works by decreasing the amount of DHT (a hormone) in the body, which increases hair regrowth and slows hair loss.
For more information on this medication, please see this article, or contact the Australasian Hair Transplant Institute to schedule a consultation if you wish to find out if you can get a prescription.
- For latest medical development in hair loss treatment: PRP, laser or dutasteride, please read Newsroom
Hair Transplantation
The most common extraction techniques available today are
- Strip Method
- Follicular Unit Extraction
| FOLLICULAR UNIT EXTRACTION (FUE) | STRIP |
| No scalpels, No staples or sutures | Wound edges closed with sutures or stables |
| No visible scars | Permanent linear scar, up to 30cm long, can range from 1mm to 10mm wide |
| Minimal pain on recovery | Can be painful on recovery |
| Faster healing, wounds heal in 3 to 4 days, quicker return to normal activities | Slower recovery, need to remove sutures or staples at 2 weeks |
| Up to 3000 grafts per session (2 days) | Up to 4000 grafts per session (1 day) |
| 1-4 hours of extraction | 1-2 hours of extraction |
| Donor site options: scalp and body hair | Donor site limited to the scalp |
| Higher cost | Lower cost |
To find out which surgical option may help you grow more hair, click here to organise a consultation with Dr Chan at the Australasian Hair Transplant Institute.
To read more about latest medical technology for hair loss, please visit the Newsroom.
At your consultation, Dr Chan will
- Examine your hair and skin under a digital microscope
- Work with you to determine what areas of your hair loss concern you the most
- Let you know what to do to gain the most desirable outcome for your hair regrowth
- Talk you through the details of the medical and surgical therapy tailored to your condition
- In some cases, Dr Chan will complete a blood test and biopsy to determine the cause of your hair loss, if it is not apparent after the clinical assessment
