I think Ketoconazole will only help if the hair loss is accompanied by seborrheic dermatitis of the scalp.
Propecia contains a substance called finasteride. The main contributor to male pattern baldness is not testosterone but dihydrotestosterone. Hair follicles contains the enzyme 5α-reductase that converts testosterone to dihydrotestosteron. Finasteeride inhibits this enzyme and thus blocks the conversion. The studies on Finasteride have been generally successful, although not in 100% of cases. It slowed down the progression of baldness and triggered some regrowth. Finasteride causes in some men reversible changes in their libido and sexual function. As you can see in the third study, 3.8% men on Finasteride experienced these side effects comparing to 2.1% men on a placebo. If you decide to try it, look for Finasteride.
Finasteride in the treatment of men with androgenetic alopecia
Background:
Androgenetic alopecia (male pattern hair loss) is caused by androgen-dependent miniaturization of scalp hair follicles, with scalp dihydrotestosterone (DHT) implicated as a contributing cause. Finasteride, an inhibitor of type II 5α-reductase, decreases serum and scalp DHT by inhibiting conversion of testosterone to DHT. Objective: Our purpose was to determine whether finasteride treatment leads to clinical improvement in men with male pattern hair loss.
Methods:
In two 1-year trials, 1553 men (18 to 41 years of age) with male pattern hair loss received oral finasteride 1 mg/d or placebo, and 1215 men continued in blinded extension studies for a second year. Efficacy was evaluated by scalp hair counts, patient and investigator assessments, and review of photographs by an expert panel.
Results:
Finasteride treatment improved scalp hair by all evaluation techniques at 1 and 2 years (P < .001 vs placebo, all comparisons). Clinically significant increases in hair count (baseline = 876 hairs), measured in a 1-inch diameter circular area (5.1 cm2 ) of balding vertex scalp, were observed with finasteride treatment (107 and 138 hairs vs placebo at 1 and 2 years, respectively; P < .001). Treatment with placebo resulted in progressive hair loss. Patients’ self-assessment demonstrated that finasteride treatment slowed hair loss, increased hair growth, and improved appearance of hair. These improvements were corroborated by investigator assessments and assessments of photographs. Adverse effects were minimal.
Conclusion:
In men with male pattern hair loss, finasteride 1 mg/d slowed the progression of hair loss and increased hair growth in clinical trials over 2 years. (J Am Acad Dermatol 1998;39:578-89.)
Clinical dose ranging studies with finasteride, a type 2 5α-reductase inhibitor, in men with male pattern hair loss * *
Background:
Androgenetic alopecia is a common condition of adult men. Finasteride, a type 2 5α-reductase inhibitor, decreases the formation of dihydrotestosterone from testosterone.
Objective:
Two separate clinical studies were conducted to establish the optimal dose of finasteride in men with this condition.
Methods:
Men from 18 to 36 years of age with moderate vertex male pattern hair loss received finasteride 5, 1, 0.2, or 0.01 mg/day or placebo based on random assignment. Efficacy was determined by scalp hair counts, patient self-assessment, investigator assessment, and assessment of clinical photographs. Safety was assessed by clinical and laboratory measurements and by analysis of adverse experiences.
Results:
Efficacy was demonstrated for all end points for finasteride at doses of 0.2 mg/day or higher, with 1 and 5 mg demonstrating similar efficacy that was superior to lower doses. Efficacy of the 0.01 mg dose was similar to placebo. No significant safety issues were identified in the trials.
Conclusion:
Finasteride 1 mg/day is the optimal dose for the treatment of men with male pattern hair loss and was subsequently identified for further clinical development.
(The reported clinical studies were entirely supported by Merck Research Laboratories, Merck & Co, Inc. Merck & Co, Inc is the company that manufactures and markets finasteride.)
Finasteride: A Review of its Use in Male Pattern Hair Loss
The 5 -reductase inhibitor finasteride blocks the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the androgen responsible for male pattern hair loss (androgenetic alopecia) in genetically predisposed men.
Results of phase III clinical studies in 1879 men have shown that oral finasteride 1 mg/day promotes hair growth and prevents further hair loss in a significant proportion of men with male pattern hair loss. Evidence suggests that the improvement in hair count reported after 1 year is maintained during 2 years' treatment. In men with vertex hair loss, global photographs showed improvement in hair growth in 48% of finasteride recipients at 1 year and in 66% at 2 years compared with 7% of placebo recipients at each time point. Furthermore, hair counts in these men showed that 83% of finasteride versus 28% of placebo recipients had no further hair loss compared with baseline after 2 years.
The clinical efficacy of oral finasteride has not yet been compared with that of topical minoxidil, the only other drug used clinically in patients with male pattern hair loss.
Therapeutic dosages of finasteride are generally well tolerated. In phase III studies, 7.7% of patients receiving finasteride 1 mg/day compared with 7.0% of those receiving placebo reported treatment-related adverse events. The overall incidence of sexual function disorders, comprising decreased libido, ejaculation disorder and erectile dysfunction, was significantly greater in finasteride than placebo recipients (3.8 vs 2.1%). All sexual adverse events were reversed on discontinuation of therapy and many resolved in patients who continued therapy. No other drug-related events were reported with an incidence 1% in patients receiving finasteride. Most events were of mild to moderate severity.
Oral finasteride is contraindicated in pregnant women because of the risk of hypospadias in male fetuses.
Conclusions:
Oral finasteride promotes scalp hair growth and prevents further hair loss in a significant proportion of men with male pattern hair loss. With its generally good tolerability profile, finasteride is a new approach to the management of this condition, for which treatment options are few. Its role relative to topical minoxidil has yet to be determined.
Topic: Dermarolling for thinning hair (Read 46605 times)
