Male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia) is the most common
form of hair loss in men. For some men, it can start in their
20s and occurs in 30% of men by the age of 30, and 50% of men by
the age of 50. Over 6.5 million men are losing their hair.
Pharmacy2U offer online consultations to help with this
condition. If you are suffering from hair loss, act now and
start your convenient and confidential, online hair loss
consultation with a UK registered GP.
Our UK-based, GMC-registered GPs will
review your online consultation details and if appropriate can
provide a prescription for all treatments of hair loss and male
pattern baldness including Propecia and generic
finasteride (Aindeem).
Male pattern baldness or androgenetic alopecia is hereditary and
occurs when the genes and hormones in your body have a shrinking
effect on your hair follicles, making them ineffective at
growing new hairs. The affected hairs become thinner and lighter
in colour and in time some hair follicles will stop producing
new hairs. If left untreated, male pattern baldness will tend to
get worse with time. Other types of hair loss (not male pattern
baldness) have different causes. Alopecia areata (patches of
baldness that come and go) is an autoimmune disease whereby the
body's immune system attacks the hair follicles and damages
them.
Chemotherapy and radiotherapy used in cancer treatment can also
cause hair loss from all parts of the body. Hair loss can also
be caused by hormonal changes (such as the menopause in women),
emotional or physical stress, illness such as a bad infection,
your diet and crash dieting (a lack of iron in your diet can
cause hair loss) and finally some medicines can cause hair loss.
Despite being a common condition hair loss can seriously affect
the confidence, and if this is the case for you then it matters.
The most common licensed prescription
treatment for male pattern baldness in the UK is Propecia
(finasteride), which is classed
as a 5 alpha
reductase inhibitor. Available in just one strength
- 1mg - it decreases the hormone levels in the scalp which bring
about a shorter hair growth phase. Tackling the hormonal cause
of this type of hair loss means that there’s every chance of
further hair loss being prevented and new hair growth
encouraged. The active ingredient of Propecia is now also
available as a generic medicine called finasteride.
Finasteride and Aindeem contain
the same active ingredient as Propecia and are used in the same
way as Propecia. The Pharmacy2u Online Doctor can prescribe
Aindeem (finasteride) at a much lower cost than branded Propecia.
There is also another UK licensed medicine
that works in the same way as Propecia but which is not licensed
for use in the treatment of male pattern baldness. For legal
reasons we are unable to name this medicine, but these capsules
are available through Pharmacy2U for the treatment of male
pattern baldness should our doctor decide they are appropriate
for you. A clinical study of over 400 men showed that this
treatment can be more effective than the active ingredient of
Propecia, and it can be used safely when prescribed carefully. Click
here for further details.
Regaine (minoxidil) is
a "Pharmacy Only" medicine licensed to treat androgenetic
alopecia in both men and women. While the response on an
individual to Regaine is hard to predict the effect has been
assessed in a 48-week clinical trial. 60% of the men experienced
increased scalp coverage after 48 weeks treatment with Regaine
for Men Extra Strength and of these, around 35% experienced
dense or moderate regrowth. A further 30% of men experienced no
further hair loss, so a stabilisation effect was seen.
Hair transplant surgery, wigs, tattooing and the use of
microfibres to give the appearance of thicker hair are all
non-medical solutions. Click here to see a full range of
treatments offered by Pharmacy2U.
Steroid creams and injections are used to treat alopecia areata.
However, the condition is not suitable to be treated by the
Pharmacy2U Online Doctor service - talk to your own GP if you
think you may have this condition.
|
|