How Propecia Works In Stopping Hair Loss

If you are suffering from hair loss, you have probably heard of Propecia. It is the only Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approved medicine for combating androgenetic alopecia or male pattern baldness (MPB). The nice thing about Propecia is that it is taken orally, in pill form. What is the history of this drug, how does it help stop hair loss and help re-grow hair? Lets look at some of the answers.

History - Propecia was initially being used to help men deal with an enlarged prostate, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). It helped men with BPH by shrinking the prostate, relieving men of much discomfort. When men took this medicine, they noticed that hair re-grew where they had lost it due to MPB.

After some studies, the FDA approved this for use in treating men who are suffering from MPB. However women should not use this since it has been proven to cause birth defects in babies.

How It Works - The reason men were taking Propecia for an enlarged prostate, is because it helped to regulate DHT (dihydrotestosterone), which has been determined to be the cause of an enlarged prostate. DHT is the same hormone that causes MPB. It does this by attaching itself to the hair follicle. By attaching itself to the hair follicle, it effectively stops nutrients from getting to the hair strand and to the follicle. Eventually the hair strand falls out and the follicle will soon shrink and die.

DHT is created by the male hormone testosterone and the 5 alpha reductase enzyme combining to create DHT. DHT is one of the more powerful hormones found in both men and women.

Propecia works to lower the levels of DHT in the blood stream. By doing this, the hair follicles remain free of DHT and needed nutrients are allowed to get to the hair strand. The hair will stop falling out and in some cases, hair has actually re-grown in places where hair has already been lost.

Conclusion - Propecia is the only orally taken pill approved by the FDA for stopping male pattern baldness. It does this by reducing the levels of DHT in the blood. Women should not use Propecia since it has been known to cause birth defects in babies.

Women are approved to use Minoxidil for treatment of female pattern baldness. The FDA has approved this drug to help both men and women with androgenetic alopecia.

Jimmy Chase started losing his hair when he turned 50. He has done lots of studies on loss of hair, in both men and women, to determine what works and what doesn't. He has successfully stopped his hair loss and has even re-grown some of his hair. He wants to help other people learn what he has learned, on dealing with loss of hair and re-growing hair.

He operates the web site http://www.no-longer-balding.com/.