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Suggest Treatment For Male Pattern Baldness

Posted on Mon, 21 Apr 2014

Question: Hi, I am a 25 year old male and suffering from severe hair loss since the past few months. My hair was very thick just a few months back. But unfortunately it has begun to thin a lot. I have consulted a dermatologist at my place and he advised me to use Tugain 10% oil for 3 months along with Folliderm tablet. I have the following queries: 1) Is it OK to use the above lotion.Does it have any side effects. 2) Is there a possibility for my lost hair to regrow or thicken my thinning hair? 3) Does shaving my head reduce hair fall? 4) Does Folliderm have any side effects? Please help me. Thanks a lot in advance for the service.

Answered by Dr. Kalpana Pathak (3 hours later)

Brief Answer: details below Detailed Answer: Hi Prateik, Thanks for writing to us. It seems the treatment as been prescribed for male pattern baldness. 1)The prescription is perfect. Minoxidil is quite a safe drug to use and can be prescribed safely for prolonged period( years). It may sometimes lead to mild side effects like redness, dryness or itching over scalp. In my practice, I haven't seen patients complaining about any side effects except for dryness or may be slight itching. So you can use it safely 2) with this treatment, improvement should be seen in hair density and thickness. 3) shaving does not improve hair growth, density or thickness 4)Folliderm is a nutritional hair supplement. It is safe, can be used from six months to an year. Hope this helped. Take care

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Kalpana Pathak (35 minutes later)

Thanks a lot for a prompt response. Based on your response I have few more queries. 1) How do we identify whether it is a male pattern baldness. If my hair loss is due to some other reason is it safe to use Tugain 10 solution as I have no family history of hair loss. And most of the hair thinning happened in the frontal area of my hair. 2) Also I have read in the instructions of application for that solution that it should not be applied on shaven heads. I have a plan to shave my head in a month's time. Should I continue using that solution even then? 3) I heard that there are different phases in hair growth. Is there a possibility that my hair currently is in resting phase(I am not too sure of the technical terminology of resting phase:-)) because the hair loss has started all of a sudden and there were no traces of hair loss before 4 months. But once started it is seeming to be quite severe. Thanks a lot in advance for the service and patience.

Answered by Dr. Kalpana Pathak (27 hours later)

Brief Answer: it is male pattern baldness Detailed Answer: Hi Prateik, Thanks for writing back 1) frontal hair loss on both the sides ie bilaterally is seen in male pattern baldness. Minoxidil is safe and effective in almost all types of baldness. Male pattern baldness usually involves frontal temporal and vertex of scalp. It may occur in an individual with any familial occurrence. Its just that if either or both the parents have hair loss, its occurrence and severity increases 2)After shaving for first few days, chances of irritation over scalp may increase. However its not an absolute contra indication, so you may go ahead with shaving of your scalp. Infact shaving may help in better application of medicine but for first few days after shaving, avoid anything over scalp. 3) When hair is in resting phase and starts falling( telogen effluvium), hair fall is diffuse and the hair that sheds off has a bulbed end. Even if lets say, its telogen effluvium, the same medicines would help. Hope this answered your query. Take care

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Kalpana Pathak (2 days later)

Hi, Thanks a lot for a patient response. I am just a bit worried because the hair fall has intensified suddenly from the past two months and there were no traces of it before. My hair growth has slowed down drastically as i can observe. Does hair growth across all places on head slow down if the issie is male pattern baldness? I did go through some severe emotional stress in the past year after which i am finding my hair is falling off. Can that be a primary reason? Does stress have a relation with hair growth? Thanks a lot in advance for your service. Regards.

Answered by Dr. Kalpana Pathak (34 hours later)

Brief Answer: details below Detailed Answer: Hi, In male pattern baldness, hair growth diminishes, hair strands miniaturise- become thin and frizzy and hair density starts reducing. Male pattern baldness is a gradual process, so it might be present since long. However density must have reduced to an extent that you started noticing it since last two months. Male pattern baldness involves all the areas frontal, temporal, crown etc. Its only the hair at back( occipital area/ above nape of neck) that are not affected. Stress has a relation to hair growth and its an important cause for diffuse hair fall. So yes, it could have led to increased hair fall in your case. As I said earlier, whatever be the cause, treatment would remain the same. So please follow your doctor's prescription. Apart from that take a protein rich diet and avoid stress. Hope this helped. Take care

Note: Hope the answers resolves your concerns, however for further guidance of skin related queries consult our Dermatologist.Click here to book a consultation

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar