Male pattern baldness is extremely common in the United Kingdom, with nearly 40% of all adult males in the country being in various stages of balding. In fact, this puts the UK in the fifth position among nations with the highest percentage of bald or balding men.

Therefore, it is only natural that the country has a booming industry of hair loss prevention and hair regrowth products. However, there are scientific facts that every Brit should know about in advance, before paying for anything that’s being sold as a cure for male pattern baldness.

There is No Oral or Topical Cure for Male Pattern Baldness

As of now, we do not have access to any topical or oral cure for alopecia, aka baldness. There are a few compounds such as minoxidil and finasteride that have shown some promise though, and they do help in slowing down baldness to a degree. However, they are not effective enough to be considered as a cure for baldness.

We will discuss minoxidil later on in more detail, but take it to heart that short of getting hair transplant surgery, no real topical or oral solution for baldness has been found or proven to be effective enough. Any company claiming to sell a revolutionary product that can cure male pattern alopecia is likely trying to scam people.

Minoxidil: Does It Really Work?

There is scientific evidence of the fact that topical usage of minoxidil on male scalps can stimulate hair regrowth. If you want your thinning hair to gain some volume again, there is a possibility that minoxidil could help.

Before you spend money on the expensive but easily available OTC product though, here are a few key facts that every man should be aware of beforehand:

• Minoxidil doesn’t work on everyone, as every 1 out of 3 men remain unaffected by its hair stimulating properties
• If you are over the age of 40, the chances of minoxidil being effective are very low
• In the advanced stages of hair loss, the effects of minoxidil are minimum or absent
• Even in best-case scenarios, it cannot help people with receding hairlines
• Minoxidil can help increase hair volume, but on stopping usage, your hair may thin out again
• 2% minoxidil is ideal when you start out, as a 5% solution can cause scalp irritation, itching, redness, etc.

What About Finasteride?

Finasteride is used in pill form and has been proven to be highly effective in preventing hair loss. In combination with minoxidil, finasteride can produce some very encouraging results in men who have only started showing signs of baldness. Before you spend money on it though, go through the following points to be aware of the essential facts:

• Dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, is the hormone which causes male alopecia, and finasteride prevents DHT production
• While being very effective in preventing hair loss, it cannot induce hair regrowth
• Finasteride is sometimes associated with temporary erectile dysfunction
• As soon as you stop taking finasteride, DHT production will resume as always

Unfortunate as it is, there is no permanent or definitive, reliable cure for alopecia via oral or topical means. Hair transplant surgery is the only reliable option we have today, and it does work even in advanced stages.