Male hair loss can bring about a range of emotions tied to that stuff on your head you took for granted until it threatened not to stick around much longer.

Low self-esteem, feeling unattractive–it’s a known fact that male pattern baldness is no picnic.

Luckily, there are some things you can do to combat your hair loss, as well as ways to rock thinner hair a little better. Below, we’ll lay out your best options for hair loss prevention, and even replacement. Plus, we’ll look at the cost of hair loss treatments.

Keep reading to learn more.

Medications

Forget any of the medications you see on late-night TV, unproven herbal elixirs that promise a bounty of new hair growth. Instead, limit your options to those that the FDA has approved (a good rule of thumb for anything topical or consumable).
Finasteride (Propecia) and minoxidil (Rogaine) are your two best choices for fighting hair loss.

Minoxidil, better known as Rogaine is commonly available as a foam solution. This solution is absorbed by the scalp and is aimed at restoring hair growth over time. That said, you may not see results for a few months.

Additionally, it’s worth pointing out that the product was designed to treat male pattern baldness–not a receding hairline. While both are genetic, Rogaine tends to work better when restoring smaller patches of lost hair, rather than a larger area.

On a monthly basis, you can expect to pay about $50 to use Rogaine–a little expensive but it’s one of the lowest cost of hair treatments available.

Dr. George Cotsarelis of the University of Pennsylvania says both Propecia and Rogaine are best used as a preventative method. These drugs won’t have a huge effect on users with significant hair loss, but they may keep the problem from progressing.

Propecia, on the other hand, is taken in pill form. It works to prevent testosterone from converting to another hormone known as DHT. DHT is a hormone associated with male characteristics, but too much of the stuff can block hair follicle growth, leading to hair loss.

Propecia blocks hormones from wreaking havoc on your hairline, but it might cause erectile dysfunction. While not every user will experience ED, the drug may mess with the nervous system function that stimulates arousal, in turn messing with your libido.

Like Rogaine, you’ll need to use Propecia on a regular basis for a few months before seeing any changes. As far as the cost of hair loss treatments is concerned, Propecia is one of the more affordable options, costing about $70 a month for the name brand and as low as $30 if you go for the generic option.

Shampoo

Shampoo itself isn’t going to help you regrow any hair, but it can improve the outcome of your experience with Propecia or Rogaine.

There are a handful of prescription shampoos that contain ketoconazole, an antidandruff agent. An upgrade from Head and Shoulders, this stuff will keep the flakes away so your foaming solution can seep in properly.

With that in mind, ask your dermatologist for a prescription or look for Nizoral A-D on the drugstore shelves. It’s the shampoo available without a prescription that contains ketoconazole.

Wash your hair with the stuff just 2-3 times a week–if you use it more than that you may see breakage or dry skin, which counteracts your progress. Use baby shampoo if you’ve got oily hair that demands additional washes.

Nutrition

As we mentioned above, genetics have way more to do with hair loss than anything else, but, if you’re eating like garbage, you’re not helping the cause. Poor nutrition can weaken both the hair shafts and follicles–exacerbating the hair loss process.

Make sure you’re getting enough B vitamins, iron, protein, and vitamin C, as well as meeting your daily calorie allotment.

Surgery

If you’ve already tried changing your diet, using Rogaine or Propecia to no avail, it may be time to consider hair restoration surgery.

This process is a transplant procedure–which involves taking very small sections of the scalp and hair follicles from the back of the head and placing them in another area where the hair no longer grows. These little patches of skin, known as plugs, ideally will continue to grow in their new home.

The cost of hair loss treatments like plugs sounds a little expensive upfront–ranging from $3000 a treatment up to $15,000 or more. That said, years of taking Propecia or applying Rogaine foam can add up.

Laser

If you’re looking for a less expensive alternative to hair plugs, consider laser therapy. The cost of hair loss treatments are always an investment, but this may be a good option if you’re sick of the drugs. Laser light treatment helps to stimulate the hair follicle, resulting in new growth. Learn more here.

So, What’s the Best Defense Against Baldness?

Sometimes, it might be worth it to face the music and lean into a shaved head. However, if you’ve got the money to cover the cost of hair loss treatments, try one of the ideas outlined above.

Propecia and Rogaine are good places to start, as is changing your diet to support healthy hair growth. Adding lean protein and vegetables to your diet and reducing sugar and fried foods stand to help you reduce the risk of weight gain and heart issues.

It’s hard to know what to expect in terms of hair loss, some people find their hairline recedes ever-so-slightly, while others see a rapid loss over the course of a few years.

Fortunately, you have some options–many of which have been proven effective. Talk with your dermatologist–and they’ll be able to figure out which option is the right choice for you.

If you’re looking for a hair loss solution in your area, check out the Sebule Classified page. Whether you’re looking for a dermatologist or a surgical solution, we can help you find the services you need.