Hair Loss Treatment: What Wor... Video Transcript

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But for every man, if you stop taking it, the side effects go away. They are reversible.

ANNOUNCER: Since neither drug carries considerable risks, many doctors feel a combination of both medications is the ideal strategy.

CRAIG ZIERING, DO: While there are currently no studies that show that Propecia and Rogaine can be used together to give an increased benefit, I definitely believe that, in combination, that there's a synergistic response and you get even a better result than using either one alone.

ANNOUNCER: Men with advanced hair loss may not get satisfying results from drug therapy. For them surgery to restore some of their frontal hairline can be an attractive option.

CRAIG ZIERING, DO: The state-of-the-art in hair transplantation today is follicular unit grafting. And that is where you remove hair from the back of the scalp and they're divided into one-, two-, three- or four-hair units; the way they naturally occur. And this is done under some sort of magnification.

When we transplant the hair to the front or top of the scalp, then it is surgeon- and artist-dependent in the results that you're going to get, because it's an illusion. You're using a small amount of hair to recreate the idea of having much more hair.

ANNOUNCER: The procedure itself is safe and requires only local anesthesia. Though some patients may experience some tenderness or pain after the surgery. Still many men worry that the results will be worse than their initial problem.

CRAIG ZIERING, DO: Hair transplantation surgery is extremely safe nowadays and very natural. And people have to understand that the plug look is gone. People that have the old plug look need to realize that something can be done to correct that and people that are having the early loss and have had already loss need to understand that it's a very safe and effective procedure. Extremely natural and can be very gratifying.

ANNOUNCER: Most men will need multiple hair transplants to get the results they want, and Rogaine or Propecia are often used to prevent further loss. In the future, men may have other options like hair cloning and a drug called dutasteride that's currently being tested for hair loss.

KEN WASHENIK, MD: There's one new drug that was approved recently to treat enlarged prostates in men which, as I understand, is now going to be used in clinical trials to look at hair loss. And from the early, small, short clinical trials that were done, it was very promising. It certainly looks like it will work at least as well as finasteride or Propecia, and the hope would be, because it inhibits the two enzymes that make DHT and therefore would lower the DHT levels even further, that in fact may even have more of a benefit and may be able to grow more hair back.

ANNOUNCER: But while men's choices will expand down the road, it's key to take action now if hair loss is bothering you.

KEN WASHENIK, MD: Find out why you're losing your hair, get the diagnosis, review the treatment options, know what's available to you and what you can realistically accomplish from medical treatment, from Propecia, from Rogaine, from hair transplantation, and then sit back and decide, with your doctor's help, which of those is best for you. I think that's the way to do it. Don't do it sitting home alone trying to decide what's wrong and how you can fix it. Go out and get the medical advice that you need to make a sound, informed decision.

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