The Best Hair Loss Treatments That Aren’t Minoxidil

Minoxidil is a great tool, but it’s not for everyone. Dr. Sam Ellis gives us the other options:

Keep your hair on

Minoxidil is many people’s go-to treatment for hair loss. It improves blood flow to follicles and prolongs the anagen (growth) phase, but doesn’t address dihydrogen testosterone (DHT, which is testosterone’s more potent form that’s responsible for a lot of thinning hair), so it works best as part of a combination approach.

Other options, thus, include:

• Systemic DHT-targeting medications: finasteride and dutasteride block testosterone-to-DHT conversion and are effective alone or with minoxidil, while spironolactone is commonly used for premenopausal women to block androgen effects at follicles.
• Topical hormone blockers: finasteride, dutasteride, and spironolactone also exist in topical forms, offering an option for people avoiding systemic medication with some supporting evidence.
• PRP injections: platelet-rich plasma involves injecting concentrated growth factors from your blood into your scalp, which is low risk but costly, and works best in carefully selected patients without advanced loss or active scalp inflammation.
• Low-level laser therapy: red light helmets or combs have strong clinical evidence, minimal side effects, and are easy to integrate into daily routines for supporting hair growth.
• Scalp microneedling: creating controlled micro-injuries one to two times weekly can stimulate growth and increase topical treatment penetration when done hygienically and not excessively.
• Minoxidil-free hair serums: non-minoxidil serums may support density and shedding reduction, but they have less robust evidence than minoxidil and require at least six months of consistent use to judge effectiveness.
• Hair growth shampoos: ketoconazole shampoo may (usually “will”, but per science, “may”) reduce scalp inflammation and DHT effects, while other such shampoos can be supportive additions rather than primary treatments. We say”can”, as of course there are a lot out there and we can’t do a comprehensive list.
• DHT-modulating supplements: pumpkin seed oil and saw palmetto also inhibit DHT, but are neither regulated nor standardized for potency, thus offering more variable benefits compared with prescription options.
• Supplement strategies in general: supplements are most useful when correcting established deficiencies such as iron, vitamin D, or zinc, and routine use without deficiency has less clear benefit.

For more on all of this, enjoy:

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Take care!