Topical Treatments

Introduction

The Topical methods discussed here are creams, lotions, solutions, ointments etc, that claim to slow down hair loss and/or promote hair growth. For details of "cover up" type products that say they thicken hair or mask bald spots etc, go to our cosmetic solutions page. See index left.

What's out there?

Topical hair loss products such as growth promoters and various scalp treatments can offer a potentially helpful regime to more effective and proven treatments and/or surgical hair restoration. You should be aware, many of the claims made by topical treatments are unproven and may even be false. Click the heading of each item for more information. 

MINOXIDIL
Is an active ingredient in a topical hair solution that have been approved for use by many countries government health departments, most notably the USA's Food and Drug Administration (FDA). See here. It is marketed under the brand names of Rogaine^® and Regaine^® and is the only proven hair loss medication approved by the FDA for treating hair loss. 

Recently, a foam-based formulation of 5% Minoxidil was shown to be an effective treatment against Androgenic alopecia

Minoxidil is a treatment for hair loss, it is not a cure. Once a person stops taking Minoxidil, they will most likely lose all of the re-grown hair within about 3 months of stopping the medication and no further hair growth will occur.

DHT BLOCKERS
There are several other topical treatments like Advecia, Revivogen, Revivia, Shen Min, Crinagen, Progesterone Creams, Tricomin,  Xandrox etc that claim to minimize or block the amount of dyhydrotestosterone (DHT) present in the scalp.

LOW-LEVEL LASER THERAPY
See separate page here

OUR CURRENT CONCLUSION
There are lotions, such as Minoxidil, that appear to stimulate a degree of hair re-growth, in some individuals. In an ideal world, this would be the way forward. A bottled, completely safe, potion that did not have any systemic affect on the normal hormonal workings of the body. To date, none of them on their own can produce the desired cosmetic re-growth of hair that balding people want. At this stage what we feel can be achieved, is an effective combined approach to hair treatment, that uses anti-androgens with autoimmune protective agents, oxygen free radical inhibitors, other hair growth stimulators and hair transplantation to generate a cosmetically acceptable result. To achieve this an individual needs to be directed through an unbiased professional regulated system, unhinged from the pressure of marketing or focus in one particular product or area. 

Coming here shortly

Avacore
Antimicrobial lotions

Cimetidine (Tagamet)
Cyproterone Acetate (Androcur/Diane)
Cyclosporine

Dr.Proctor's Hair Regrowth Shampoo
Dr.Proctor's Advanced Hair Regrowth Formula
Dr. Proctor's European Hair Formula
Dr Lee's
Diazoxide

Flutamide (Eulexin)
Fluridil (Eucapil^®)

Herbal remedies

K-channel agonists

nicorandil
Nizoral (ketoconazole)

Omexin,

Pyridine N-Oxides, Diazoxide, and Phenytoin (Dilantin)
Polysorbate 60 and Polysorbate 80
Procyte Corporation's Tricomin
Proctor & Gamble's Copperbinding Peptides
Pottasium channel  openers
pinacidil

RU58841
Re-Mox

Spironolactone (Aldactone)
Serenoa Repens, Permixon, Saw Palmetto extract
Superoxide dismutase, TEMPOL

Topical Progesterone
Tretinoin (Retin A)
Transdermal Viprostol