Table of contents hair loss treatments
Dutasteride: Anti-hair loss treatment
What is Dutasteride and what is it used for?
El dutasteride It is a 5 alpha reductase enzyme inhibitor. This drug is commonly used for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia, but in recent years, and as has happened with Finasteride, its use has led to treatment for the prevention of hair loss.(3 )
The scientific community has carried out a large number of studies in this regard, demonstrating its safety and effectiveness (1), but today this use is not yet approved by Health and its prescription is “Off label”.
Why is it effective in preventing hair loss?
Dutasteride is a drug that acts directly on the hair root, reducing the baldness-causing action of male hormones (or androgens) on the hair follicle. It is an effective drug in the prevention of hair loss due to its ability to inhibit the formation of dihydrotestosterone, which causes the miniaturization of the hair bulb and finally hair death and hair loss.
The most common forms of supplying it are orally, in the form of capsules or tablets; and mesotherapy microinjections. This last form of application requires medical intervention, which is why it is only performed in clinics. For outpatient therapy, the most common are 0,5mg capsules.
Which is more effective, Dutasteride or Finasteride?
Comparative effectiveness studies carried out between the two molecules (2) show a clearly superior effectiveness of Dutasteride to inhibit the serum concentration of dihydrotestosterone, which results in a greater effectiveness of the treatment.
It is also very interesting to indicate that the usual concentration of Dutasteride ranges from 0,25 to 0,5mg, while Finasteride is used between 1 and 5mg, which directly affects the adverse effects that each molecule can produce.
The result of the study shows that Dutasteride causes fewer adverse effects, although not drastically, since they barely decrease by 1% or 3% depending on the effect tested, therefore, Dutasteride does present a health advantage over Finasteride (2,4).
What are the secondary effects?
Dutasteride, like Finasteride, is contraindicated in women, children, adolescents, and patients with severe hepatic impairment.
Men should also stop taking it if the couple is pregnant, since it is secreted in semen and has a very harmful effect on developing fetuses. (5)
The most common adverse effects are impotence, decreased libido, ejaculation and breast disorders, depression, testicular pain and inflammation.
Finasteride
Finasteride to stop hair loss
El Finasteride It is one of the best known pharmacological treatments to stop hair loss. It's about a antiandrogenic drug non-hormonal derivative of steroids.
Did you know that Finasteride was initially born as a medicine for prostate diseases? An antiandrogenic drug is a drug that reduces or inhibits the effects of the male sex hormones. The Testosterone is directly related to the activity of the follicles hairy In people genetically predisposed to suffer from alopecia, the follicles are reduced in size due to the action of testosterone. With this miniaturization of the follicle, the hair becomes fine, short, until it finally disappears.
El Finasteride acts as an inhibitor of the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase type II. This enzyme turns out to be responsible for transforming testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is the enzyme responsible for terminal hair, as well as acne or prostate growth. In individuals with androgenetic alopecia, DHT acts at the level of the hair follicle, accelerating its growth phase with which the hair is refined by this replacement accelerated (miniaturization process) and prematurely exhausts their life cycles, with which the alopecia.
Is Finasteride really effective in stopping hair loss?
Finasteride, administered in doses of 1mg per day, he is able to reduce the presence of dihydrotestosterone by up to 60-70% (DHT) in the scalp. In this way, it largely prevents DHT from attacking the root of the hair follicles and thus allows the the hair recovers its normal growth cycle, fall and renewal. Various studies have concluded that the drug is effective in up to 83% of the men who take it, managing both to prevent the miniaturization and fall of the follicles and, to a certain extent, for those who were weakened to recover their thickness and strength.
Is Finasteride really effective in stopping hair loss?
Finasteride, administered in doses of 1mg per day, he is able to reduce the presence of dihydrotestosterone by up to 60-70% (DHT) in the scalp. In this way, it largely prevents DHT from attacking the root of the hair follicles and thus allows the the hair recovers its normal growth cycle, fall and renewal. Various studies have concluded that the drug is effective in up to 83% of the men who take it, managing both to prevent the miniaturization and fall of the follicles and, to a certain extent, for those who were weakened to recover their thickness and strength.
Minoxidil is a medication used to stimulate hair growth and stop hair loss.. At first the Minoxidil It was a medicine that was administered orally for the treatment of arterial hypertension (HTA) due to its vasodilator effect. In some of the treated patients, the appearance of hair was observed as an undesired effect, so The enriched magistral formula was used in the form of a hydroalcoholic solution for topical application in cases of alopecia.. It was approved in 1988 by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration- US Department of Food and Drugs), together with Finasteride, as one of the effective drugs for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia (common baldness).
Minoxidil
Who can use Minoxidil to stop hair loss?
El minoxidil can be used both in cases of alopecia y hair loss en hombres as in of. As a general guideline, 5% is usually recommended for men and 3 or 4% in women to avoid the appearance of facial hair (hirsutism), which is described in 5-10% of cases. It can also be applied at 2%, but then it is required to apply it 2 times a day. The recommended dose is 2ml per day (equivalent to 10-12 sprays).
In addition to the 2%, 3%, 4% and 5% concentrations in which the Minoxidil treatment is found to treat alopecia and hair loss, we can find various types of presentations and different commercial brands on the market. The most common commercial presentation so far has been in lotion format, which we find several brands such as: Lacovin, Minoxidil Viñas, Regaxidil, Alopexy, Dinaxcinco, dinaxil or Aloxidil. We must also highlight a very innovative presentation of Minoxidil in foam, and which belongs exclusively to the Rogaine trademark.
How is Minoxidil applied?
Most patients prefer to apply it at night since this is how its action takes place while the patient sleeps and the next day he can wash his hair before restarting daily life.
To facilitate penetration, it is recommended to apply it with a gentle massage on the scalp. A vasodilator effect is obtained at the level of the papilla that contains arterial and venous capillaries at the base of the hair follicle, thereby stimulating capillary microcirculation with the consequent increase in blood supply.
Su action, same as the Finasteride, it is greater at the level of the upper area of the head and crown and less effective in the area of the frontal front line and entrances.
In combination with the application of Minoxidil, in our hair clinic we carry out an innovative treatment of microinjections of Dutasteride and Vitamins directly on the scalp, with which an even more outstanding effectiveness is obtained.
At Aesophy Excellence Clinic we have the best doctors specialized in Hair Transplant and in hair loss treatments.
