I once wrote an article trying to help people answer the question “does Rogaine work?”
The answer…it sort of works.
Rogaine
has been known to help people grown hair back, but only on the crown of your head. You cannot grow hair back around your temples or in the receding hairline area by using Rogaine.
Some people don’t like using Rogaine or Minoxidil for various reasons including the shedding phase, fear it won’t work, the need to use it forever after you start, and the daily upkeep of it. There are a few alternatives however.
Rogaine/Minoxidil Alternatives
Propecia/Finasteride
This is a prescription medication used to treat hair loss. Propecia is the most known name for the finasteride product that may also be known to some as Proscar and other generic names. Finasteride is used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia, but has been shown to help treat male pattern baldness.
Like Rogaine, Finasteride only works for as long as you take it. If you see hair regrowth during the time that you took Propecia, there is a good chance that you will lose that hair within a year.
Propecia side effects include: impotence, abnormal ejaculation, decreased ejaculatory volume, abnormal sexual function, gynecomastia, erectile dysfunction, ejaculation disorder, and testicular pain.
Revivogen was developed by board-certified dermatologist Alex Khadavi, MD. In 1999 it was introduced by Advanced Skin and Hair, Inc.
Revivogen uses natural ingredients to stop DHT production in hair follicles, which ultimately can lead to hair loss.
There are three product/steps involved in Revivogen hair regrowth therapy:
- Revivogen’s Scalp Therapy – Used every night for 10-20 seconds. Uses natural anti-DHT ingredients along with hair-growth stimulators.
- Bio-Cleansing Shampoo – Has the same ingredients as the scalp therapy, but used during showers
- Revivogen’s Thickening Conditioner – Used to add volume to the hair so hair strands fill out the scalp more.
Treatment needs to be continued after you get your desired results, but you only need to use the producer 3-5 times a week rather than 2x a day like Rogaine.
Hair Transplant
Hair transplant is one of the most expensive options you can go with, but it is the most likely to fill out an entire head of hair and does not require constant treatments.
Grafts containing hair follicles that are resistant to balding are transplanted to bald scalp area. Two different versions of hair transplantation are “strip harvesting” and “follicle unit extraction”.
Laser Therapy
Lasers are usually connected with hair loss when most people think about it. However, there are new laser therapies that can reverse male pattern baldness.
“Cool” lasers are used to “awaken” hair follicles. The lasers increase the blood flow to hair follicles which bring more oxygen to the area. This makes the hair follicles a better environment for growing hair.
Hairpiece/Wig
Most people’s last resorts.
