Unfortunately, there is no cure for baldness. This doesn’t mean, however, that a person who is going bald is stuck with the condition. There are many treatments for baldness, ranging from medications and topical applications to hair transplants. These treatments can help stimulate hair regrowth or cover bald patches with new hair.
Often, people think of treatments for baldness as cures, but there is a difference. A cure for baldness would stop it permanently. A treatment, however, can help relieve the symptoms of baldness but cannot put a stop to it altogether. For example, an individual may take a medication that slows balding and even helps him to experience some hair regrowth. Once he stops taking the medication, he may begin to bald once more.
An individual who is dealing with hair loss may see a wide variety of advertisements that claim to offer a cure for baldness. Many of these products may not provide any real benefit for a person struggling with hair loss. Instead, these marketing campaigns tend to prey on the hopes of those looking for a real cure.
Someday scientists may discover a real cure for baldness. In the meantime, however, there are many treatments that may help those dealing with hair loss. Among the available treatments are medications designed for relieving the symptoms of male pattern baldness. One such medication is called minoxidil. Available without a prescription, this medication is sold as a liquid or foam that a person can apply to his scalp.
Minoxidil works to slow or prevent balding and may even stimulate the regrowth of hair in the area. Unfortunately, the hair that regrows is typically shorter than usual, and people often have to choose styling methods to make it blend in with their existing hair. Hair regrowth typically ends when the medication is discontinued.
Another medication used for treating hair loss is called finasteride. This medication is available by prescription and is taken in pill form. Finasteride may help to slow the rate of hair loss and may even provide a small amount of regrowth. As with minoxidil, however, the effects of the pill typically end once the patient discontinues treatment.
Hair loss patients also have the option of undergoing hair transplant surgery. There are different surgical options from which a person may choose, but they generally involve taking healthy hair from one part of the scalp and transplanting it to the balding spots. In some cases, a surgeon may even remove the balding portions of a person’s scalp and then stretch the sections that have healthy hair to cover the leftover space. Essentially, this covers the bald spots and allows hair to grow in the formerly bald spaces, but does not cure baldness.