The cause of male pattern baldness has not been known for many years. It is only through recent research that certain drugs have been proven to help treat certain cases of baldness. Leading to many health societies declaring baldness cure discovered. Several tests carried out on men that showed male pattern baldness produced similar results which showed the presence of dihydrotestosterone (DHT). The presence of DHT in all samples taken from men that had male pattern baldness led to a much intense research on this compound.
This lead to certain discoveries that showed that DHT is actually testosterone that has been converted in the presence of an enzyme called 5-alpha-reductase. It was also found that DHT freely circulates the body and when it reaches hair follicles it binds onto their walls. This causes the blood vessels around these hair follicles to constrict thus reducing blood flow to these hair follicles. This then causes the hair follicles to shrink and die causing hair loss. The DHT compound somehow accumulates in the frontal and vertex areas of the scalp. This is the reason why men bald in these areas. Women on the other hand do not have DHT so they do not show any balding that is centered on this region of the scalp.
Discovery of the male pattern baldness drug was somehow done by chance rather than medical expertise. This was the case with drugs like finasteride which was initially only prescribed to persons suffering from prostrate cancer. These patients however experienced certain side effects among which included undesirable hair growth. The link between finasteride and hair growth was then studied. This led to the discovery of the action of finasteride on hair follicles. It was found out that finasteride inhibited the enzyme involved in the synthesis of DHT. The removal of DHT from hair follicles allowed for increased hair growth. Now the drug is available in lower concentrations for the treatment of male pattern baldness.
Another drug that was introduced in the treatment of male pattern baldness is minoxidil. This drug was originally prescribed to patients suffering from high blood pressure. The drug was originally only available as an oral drug that would dilate blood vessels and lower blood pressure in patients suffering from hypertension. Some of these patients however experienced certain side effects which included increased hair growth. The action of minoxidil on hair follicles was then studied. It was soon found that minoxidil dilates the blood vessels that supply hair follicles thus increasing the amount of blood that reaches these hair follicles.
The drug also opens up some potassium channels on hair follicles thus allowing them to absorb oxygen and nutrients at a much faster rate. Soon the drug was made available in the form of a topical cream of 2% minoxidil concentration for the treatment of male pattern baldness. Minoxidil can also be used to treat baldness in women unlike finasteride which specifically deals with baldness caused by DHT. These are only two examples of baldness drugs which have been discovered, a much wider selection of baldness treatment drugs are available on the market
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