Treatment of Hair Loss

Hair loss is a common and distressing symptom. With the approval of two drugs that promote hair growth — finasteride and minoxidil — we can now treat patients with some types of hair loss. Both drugs influence the hair-growth cycle and increase the length and diameter of existing hair, although their mechanisms of action differ. In this article, I will focus on the treatment of two common problems, androgenetic alopecia and alopecia areata, both of which involve a reversible alteration of the hair-growth cycle. The Hair-Growth Cycle Hair growth is cyclic, with phases of growth (anagen), involution (catagen), and rest . . .