Health | “An exciting time”: Breakthroughs within the treatment and prevention of hair loss

Are young people losing their hair sooner than previous generations?

New research results show Anxiety and poor food plan can result in early hair loss in millennials and folks of their twenties.

At the identical time, men and ladies over 50 suffer from hair loss and thinning hair, whether as a result of genetic predisposition, hormonal changes or the aging process.

Together, these aspects have created a rapidly increasing demand for therapies and medications to forestall and treat hair loss. To date, the FDA has only approved topical minoxidil and finasteride preparations as pharmacological treatments. The FDA hasn't approved one other drug for probably the most common type of hair loss in nearly 30 years. But that would soon change.

At least half a dozen drugs and cell-based therapies are making progress in clinical trials, and dermatologists in Florida see hope on the horizon.

“It’s an exciting time,” said Dr. Joshua Berlina Boynton Beach dermatologist who treats patients with hair loss. “We are seeing a resurgence in the number of companies looking for solutions to this problem. Although it is not life-threatening, it affects a significant portion of the population and is troubling to them.”

Berlin said increased promoting for hair loss products has led to more awareness – and interest in solutions. “I'm definitely seeing more people coming into my practice specifically for hair loss.”

Brett King, an associate professor of dermatology at Yale School of Medicine, specializing in hair loss. He is happy concerning the advances and a focus being given to probably the most common type of hair loss, androgenetic alopecia, also often known as female and male pattern baldness. He recently discovered something that works for his patients.

King gets great results by prescribing oral minoxidil, a preferred hair loss medication that is often applied to the scalp. Minoxidil is the energetic ingredient in Rogaine, a lotion or foam that’s applied to the scalp and is now available as a generic drug. It has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for oral use for hair loss. Recently, nevertheless, an increasing number of dermatologists who treat hair loss are prescribing the low-dose pills to their patients and, like King, are reporting success.

“Oral minoxidil is so much better for many reasons,” he said. “Topically, it only works where you apply it, whereas oral administration treats all parts of your scalp.”

Two latest drugs approved within the last yr and a half are also showing ends in individuals with alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease that attacks hair follicles and causes hair loss. Alopecia areata is the second most typical style of hair loss. The drugs allow users to regrow their hair.

“Hair loss is something that when someone comes into a dermatology office, the doctor doesn't just throw up their hands and say, 'I don't know, get Rogaine,'” King said. “Now we have new treatments for the two most common forms of hair loss.”

He believes that these advances are only the start.

Some drugs in clinical trials show promising effects for the early stages of hair loss and baldness, while others have the potential to stimulate existing hair follicles and generate latest hair growth. In addition, in some cases, progress is made unintentionally, as drugs intended for other conditions are repurposed as hair growth stimulators. Another area of ​​research and development is cell-based therapies that stimulate hair growth by injecting stem cells into the scalp.

“I think that in the next decade we will see the development of new drugs that actually promote hair growth … drugs that not only produce reasonably good results, but produce excellent results in treating severe hair loss at younger and younger ages,” King said.

Biotechnology researchers imagine that individuals affected by hair loss will turn to convenient, available treatments – pills, lotions, injections – that they’ll use at home.

Of course, hair transplants remain popular.

Berlin says the most effective technique to make the fitting selection is to go to a dermatologist. They can examine your scalp and order a blood test to find out possible underlying causes.

If there may be a nutrient deficiency, taking certain supplements can assist. Berlin is a fan of biotin, in addition to a complement called Nutrafol – a mix of vitamins, minerals and herbal ingredients. One study found that Nutrafol reduced hair loss in women before, during and after menopause. “They work to some extent, no question,” he said.

“Hair loss is a condition where we haven't seen anything new for many years, and suddenly there are breakthroughs,” he said. “The goal is more novel treatments, and I know many people would like to see that.”

Originally published:

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