Hello! I'm Haro from MedAlpha.😺

Hair loss is a concern for appearance-conscious modern people,

making it one of the essential factors to consider..

With many types of hair loss medications, cosmetics, and health supplements being released to meet the needs of modern people who want to prevent or treat hair loss,

,

numerous false information circulating on the internet is

hindering proper hair loss treatment..

In this column, I want to share the misconceptions and truths about hair loss medications, which are essential for hair loss prevention and treatment.

👍

"The medication we developed is effective for hair loss, so

just taking it will grow new hair."~

Among hair loss treatment medications advertised online,

there are no medications that have hair loss 'treatment' effects, so,

consulting with a doctor or pharmacist and receiving a proper medication prescription

can be said to be the most effective approach for hair loss treatment..

Currently, the medications certified by the Korean Food and Drug Administration as effective for hair loss are

minoxidil (over-the-counter), finasteride, and dutasteride (the latter two being prescription medications)..

Other hair loss 'medications' are not pharmaceutical drugs but health supplements or cosmetics, and their effects are,

negligible compared to the three medications above, or

they are likely to be medications that have not been properly validated..

In particular, many health supplements known to help with hair loss (biotin, creatine, etc.) are

mostly health supplements focused on providing nutrients to the hair,,

and do not directly promote hair growth..

Therefore, it cannot be said that indiscriminately adding

supplements and functional foods for hair loss treatment is necessary.. [1]

Additionally, while functional cosmetics may alleviate hair loss symptoms,,

'their 'treatment' effects or ability to directly promote hair growth have not been validated, so,

you should never purchase products that exaggerate these effects in advertisements.[2]

To summarize, rather than believing and purchasing indiscriminate false information,

identifying your own nutritional deficiencies or the cause of your hair loss

and taking the correct medications and supplements under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist

will be more helpful for hair loss treatment.!

"Oral hair loss medications affect sex hormones and

I'm afraid to take them because sexual function may decrease."!

Regarding this,,

since there are various opinions about side effects related to sexual function,,

I believe it is right to administer the medication after your own judgment..

The main cause of male pattern baldness is known to be mostly male hormones..

The male hormone testosterone reaches the hair follicles and

5α-reductase is converted to DHT by,

5Î±-reductase, and DHT binds to male hormone receptors, which are abundant in areas of hair loss, thereby inhibiting hair growth and causing hair loss.[3

]

Finasteride, an oral hair loss medication validated by the MFDS,

blocks

the type 2 5Î±-reductase enzyme,

which plays an important role in the development of male pattern baldness, thereby inhibiting the conversion of testosterone to DHT and suppressing the progression of hair loss..

Additionally, dutasteride

blocks both types 1 and 2 5Î±-reductase enzymes, and it is known that DHT production can be suppressed more efficiently.

,

Korea conducted phase 3 clinical trials first in the world,

and received approval from the Korean Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for male pattern baldness.[4]

While these medications do affect the mechanism of male hormone changes,,

they do not affect the action of testosterone, so

the probability of side effects on male sexual function is quite low,according to reports..

In fact, the package insert for finasteride

states that erectile dysfunction side effects rarely occur..

However, as noted in the package insert, since this is a drug that affects male hormone mechanisms,

if sexual function is significantly reduced,

it states to immediately discontinue medication, ,

so if you experience these side effects after taking this medication,

it is recommended to discontinue or switch the medication after consulting with a doctor or pharmacist..

③ "My wife also has hair loss. Can she take the hair loss medication that I was prescribed?",

?

Absolutely not..

For pregnant women or women who may be pregnant,,

administering this medication can

cause abnormalities in the sexual organs of male fetuses, and since there are serious side effects,

the use of finasteride or dutasteride is prohibited entirely..

Additionally, if you touch broken pieces of this medication,,

the drug can be absorbed through the skin and pose this same risk to male fetuses, so,

women must be careful even in handling this medication..

However, finasteride or dutasteride released for hair loss treatment are

coated on the surface or encapsulated, so

there is no need to fear touching them,,

but when using Proscar 5 mg tablets, which are benign prostatic hyperplasia inhibitors, broken into pieces,

the powder from the medication can be absorbed, so you should exercise special caution..

In this column, we examined several of the frequently asked questions about hair loss medications..

Since hair loss is one of the most important issues that modern people care about,,

many false information sources are confusing us..

Therefore, I, Haro from MedAlpha, will do my best to provide you with correct information

amidst this misinformation.😁

Three-Line Summary

Do not believe advertisements circulating online; it is recommended to purchase medications and supplements after consulting with a doctor or pharmacist.!
Hair loss medications have an extremely low probability of causing erectile dysfunction side effects in men, but if they occur, discontinue use immediately.!
While they can affect male fetuses in pregnant women, commonly taken finasteride is generally coated for safety.!

[1] , Gwang seong choi, MD; Hair characteristics and androgenetic alopecia in Koreans; ëíìì¬ííì§; received December 16,2012 ; Accepted December 30, 2012 ; 48p

[2] MFDS press release; Please be careful when purchasing and using hair loss-related products online!

[3] Inui S, Itami S. Molecular basis of androgenetic alopecia: from androgen to paracrine mediators through dermal papilla.J Dermatol Sci 2011;61: 1-6

[4] Eun HC, Kwon OS, Yeon JH, Shin HS, Kim BY, Ro BI, Cho HK, Sim WY, Lew BL, Lee WS, Park HY, Hong SP, Ji JH, Efficacy, safetey, and tolerability of dutasteride 0.5mg once daily in male patients with male pattern hair loss: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III study. J Am Acad Dermatol 2010; 63: 252-258