Topical & Drugs: Pros & Cons

Topical and drug treatments are widely known and widely used. With huge marketing campaings including advertising in commercials, web advertisements, and billboards, it's hard not to see these products and wonder, "Can they really work for me?" The answer is yes and no. There are many products available in this category, but they all share very similar positive and negative aspects.

The Pros of Topical & Drug Treatments

Ease of use

Cream squeezed from tube

Just pop a pill or rub some cream on your head, and your hair grows back. These methods are usually the first methods anyone suffering from hair loss tries due to their ease of use.

Pills have the major advantage because it requires almost no effort: take a pill and your hair may simply grow back. The topical creams require a little more effort because you have to apply it each day in exactly the right spots for a certain amount of time, then rinse and then do it again later in the day.

Cheap

Pay somewhere around $100 and start regrowing your own hair. The initial cost for using this type is very minimal, and if it works you really make out on the deal. Hair transplants cost anywhere from $5-8 a hair, and you're looking at thousands of hairs. The price of hair transplants can add up fast, and they may not even work. With topical creams and drugs, if it doesn't work you're not out a huge amount of money.

Insurance may cover it

With a prescription from your doctor, you may be able to get these products at a much lower cost -- or practically free if your insurance covers it. If your hair loss is minimal and your doctor thinks this is a good option for you, run with it. With virtually no cost this could be a great option to try first.

FDA approved

Some of these products (Rogaine and Propecia) have been proven to work. No other products for hair loss are approved by the Food & Drug Administration. Clinical tests have proven that these products will work for some people. They're not gauranteed to work, but at least you can have the confidence to know they may work.

The Cons of Topical & Drug Treatments

Back of a balding man's head

Doesn't work for everyone

Some people will not get results, so you could end up wasting a bit of money. Most results can't be judged fully until after 12 months, so plan on using these products for at least a year before you can really tell. A lot of times these products will start working within 3-4 months, but you could be in for the long haul.

Side effects

Some of these drugs were discovered because they were side effects themselves, so you have to be cautious when taking these drugs. You won't start growing feet on your ears, but there is a lot to be aware of. Propecia's active ingredient Finasteride works to help shrink the size of the prostate gland in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia. Rogaine's Minoxidil can grow permanent hair on women's foreheads, help lower blood pressure, and cause weight gain.

Extended use

You have to use these drugs for at least 3-4 months to see results, sometimes up to a year. The results don't appear quickly and are not easily visible. When using these products you should document your use by taking before and after pictures every month or so. Do it in the same place each time, with the same lighting and your hair styled in the same way. That way you can really get a feel for how the hair is growing. In many cases, when discontinuing use the results slowly begin to disapate. This means you may have to use the product forever or your hair loss will continue.

Imitators

We advise using only the 2 FDA-approved products. Don't waste money on the knock-off "miracle in a bottle" products. It's easy to be fooled by them with their gimmicks and unrealistic claims. The other products may be cheaper, sound a lot easier, and have no side effects. But they may have no effect period. If you're going to risk spending money on something that may not work anyways, why not spend it on one that you know can work?

Early treatment of hair loss with topical and drug treatments will result in a much better chance for them to be effective. So if it's early in the game and this seems right for you, give it a try!