How do men and women tackle hair loss and thinning hair?

Hair loss affects over half of men and just over a third of women, by the age of 40.  As from 2017, the hair treatment sector is worth an estimated £1.8 billion, and is set to rise to over £5 billion but 2022.  Yet with all the money involved, there is still no known cure for alopecia.

So, how do most people treat pattern baldness?  Can it be prevented, and how effective are the treatments on the market?  Here, we look at the options that men and women are taking in order to try and treat hair loss and thinning hair.

Hair Topical Liquids

Topical liquids such as serums, lotions, foams and shampoos have always been popular choices of treatment for men, and particularly for women.  Dating back to the 80s and 90s, the topical liquids came in the form of Chinese 'Herbal Medicines', which promised the world, but delivered very little in the way of results.  The most common choice of topical liquid is the FDA approved treatment, Minoxidil, which is famously branded as Regaine/Rogaine.

Hair Pills and Vitamins

The hair loss treatment pill is relatively new in the world of alopecia treatments. The FDA approved drug, Finasteride (branded as Propecia), has been a popular choice for men trying to halt male pattern baldness, but for most men who are looking to avoid the potential side-effects that come with this drug, they tend to opt for natural hair health supplements such as Nutrafol and HR23+.  Hair supplements have also become very popular with women who suffer from balding during and after pregnancy.  Results will vary with each individual, but hair supplements can be very beneficial for hair loss sufferers.

Hair Laser Comb/Brush

Zapping your hair with infrared rays won't magically regrow your hair, but they do claim they can stimulate weakened follicles.  There is not much hard evidence to back the claim of these types of devices, and their popularity has decreased over the past few years since the emergence of hair supplements and topical solutions.

Hair Surgery

If we all had the money, hair surgery would probably be first on the list of things to do to try and tackle hair loss, but even hair transplantation is not guaranteed to work.  Many men (and women) who go down the hair transplant route, need regular 'top-up' visits, and are also put on strong medication in order for the surgical procedure to be effective in the long run. You might think hair surgery is the simple solution to tackling hair loss, but in reality it i everything but simple.