What are the treatment options for male pattern baldness?
No treatment
To become gradually bald is a normal part of the ageing process for most men. No treatment is wanted or needed by most affected men. For some men, baldness can be distressing, particularly if it is excessive or occurs early in life. Treatment may then help.
Medication
Currently there are two medicines that help - finasteride (trade name Propecia) and minoxidil (trade name Regaine). Neither are available on the NHS, so you need to pay the full price for them.
Finasteride was launched in the UK in 2002, although it has been available in the US since 1997. It works by blocking the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone. The hair follicles are then not affected by this hormone, and can enlarge back to normal.
Some hair re-growth occurs in about 2 in 3 men who take a finisteride tablet each day. In about 1 in 3 men there there is no hair re-growth, but most do not have any further hair loss whilst taking finasteride. It has no effect in about 1 in 100 men. So, if you take finasteride, you have a good chance that hair will re-grow, or at least stop any further hair loss. Some points about finasteride include the following.
- It takes about 4 months for any effect to be noticed, and up to 1-2 years for full hair growth.
- The balding process returns if treatment is stopped. Therefore, if successful, you need to carry on treatment to maintain the effect.
- Side-effects are uncommon. The most common is that about 2 in 100 treated men report loss of sex drive (libido).
- It does not work in women with male pattern baldness.
- It is expensive, costing around £30 per month (December 2003). You need a private prescription to get it from a pharmacy.
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