Noticeable hair loss affects about two in three US males in their mid-30s. This prevalence rate then skyrockets to a whopping 85% among men in their 50s.
Now, those figures highlight how advancing age and hair loss go together. Unfortunately, however, even men in their early 20s can already experience some thinning.
The good news is that hair restoration for men is no longer limited to toupees or wigs.
To that end, we created this list of the top methods to counter hair loss. Read on to learn about these products and services that may help you regrow your locks.
Minoxidil
Minoxidil, one of the most popular hair restoration products, is a topical medication. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved its use for pattern baldness in men and women.
Moreover, minoxidil doesn’t require a prescription, as it’s an over-the-counter product. It’s available in foam or liquid solutions that you only need to apply to balding areas of the scalp.
Minoxidil works by shortening the resting (telogen) phase of the hair growth cycle. It then pushes the hairs into their active growth (anagen) phase. It also lengthens the growth phase, helping the strands mature and become denser.
Although studies prove minoxidil’s efficacy, it can take three to four months to work. Moreover, you must use it every day as directed for it to keep producing results. Stopping its use may make your hair go back to the telogen phase.
Finasteride
Researchers say that androgen dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is a factor in pattern baldness. They found that individuals with pattern hair loss have higher-than-normal levels of DHT. DHT, in turn, appears to cause pattern hair loss by shrinking the hair follicles.
Moreover, DHT seems to shorten the anagen phase. As a result, the hair bulbs don’t mature completely, and instead, they go back to the telogen phase.
If your hair loss is due to elevated DHT levels, finasteride, a DHT inhibitor, may help. Like minoxidil, this medication has also received approval from the FDA. However, you need a doctor’s prescription to buy this hair restoration product.
Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)
FUE is a hair transplant procedure that uses donor grafts from the scalp or other body parts. A surgeon takes these grafts, ensuring it consists only of a single healthy hair follicle. The surgeon then implants the follicles one by one into the balding scalp areas.
The success rates of FUE vary depending on the donor site. For example, some researchers say that body grafts can have an uptake rate of 60% to 80%. However, this can then go down to 30%, even 20% for chest grafts, and 10% to 20% for beard-harvested hair.
Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT)
FUT, like FUE, is also a hair transplant procedure, although it’s much less popular than FUE. That’s because, with FUT, the surgeon harvests an entire strip of hair follicles. As a result, the grafted site is more susceptible to scarring.
Robotic Hair Transplant System
According to Barbersurgeonsguild.com, some hair transplants now involve state-of-the-art robotics. In such cases, medical professionals utilize robotic hair transplant equipment.
Robotic transplant systems combine FUE with robot-assisted equipment for harvesting hair. The machine has a robotic arm that extracts precise amounts of hair follicles. The same arm then implants the extracted follicles into the scalp’s thinning areas.
Regrow Your Mane With These Top Methods of Hair Restoration for Men
Always remember that significant hair loss can have a significant impact on self-esteem. In fact, researchers found evidence that hair loss can diminish one’s quality of life. That should be enough reason for you to consider undergoing hair restoration for men.
Looking for more informative guides on health, beauty, and wellness? Have a look at our most recent posts for other tidbits of wisdom, then!
