What can be done about hair loss and baldness?
You need to have your scalp examined by Dr. Shiell to determine the cause of your hair loss. As mentioned, there are many scalp diseases which lead to hair loss, some of which have no cure at present. Fortunately these conditions are rare and represent only about 1% of the patients we see. Patients with early male baldness generally respond well to the oral medication finasteride (Propecia or Proscar). Other drugs are likely to be approved soon. The topical medication Minoxidil is also known to be reasonably effective in the early stages of hair loss for both males and females. More advanced degrees of hair loss may require surgery.
