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The internet has been a great ally to the hair loss sufferer in the past several years. Caught off guard with a widespread genetically-determined condition with a nearly socially-crippling stigma, guys with thinning hair have been able to  go onlline to  exchange information, ask advice, and voice their opinions in totally anonymity. The Hair Restoration Research Forums have provided a safe harbor for hair loss sufferers for years.

However, the internet is not without its dangers. Thousands of online prescription drug distributors dot the web with flashy sites that tout low prices for generic Propecia, Proscar, Avodart, and Rogaine. With prices of prescription drugs escalating in the U.S., the U.K. and everywhere else, it’s very tempting to buy from these merchants. But how is the consumer supposed to know that the drugs he is getting legitimate?

Many generic forms of finasteride and dutasteride (medicinal names for Propecia and Avodart, respectively) are manufactured in India by pharmaceutical drug companies Cipla and Dr. Reddy’s. Both are reputable medication giants that are approved in one form or another by the FDA for the manufacture of prescription grade and over-the-counter medication. There is no question that the products generated by these two companies are of superior quality.

There are thousands of products available to treat hair loss and every single one of them claim to be the best. It can be a daunting task for anyone suffering from male-pattern baldness to research what will work best for them to keep the hair they have and regrow hair they have lost. With this list, I’m going to cut through the hype and lies to present the 5 proven methods that regrow hair.

1. Block DHT -

DHT (Dihydrotestosterone) is the root cause of male-pattern baldness. This potent derivative of testosterone binds to the receptor sites in hair follicles. Over time the DHT binding with these vulnerable receptors in the follicle slowly choke the follicle’s ability to produces healthy hairs.

To effectively combat hair loss you have to attack it at its source. There is currently only one DHT-inhibitor that is FDA-approved for the treatment of male-pattern baldness: Propecia. Avodart is another, more potent, DHT inhibitor that is available, however it is not approved for the treatment of MPB.

To find out which DHT inhibitor is right for you see the article, “Propecia vs. Avodart: Which Internal DHT Inhibitor Should You Choose?”

View charts that illustrate the efficacy of Propecia.

View charts that illustrate the efficacy of Avodart.

2. Stimulate Hair Growth -

The only other medication FDA-approved for the treatment of male-pattern baldness other than Propecia is minoxidil (Rogaine).

For anyone considering using Avodart (Dutasteride) to combat their male-pattern baldness, these charts should come in handy. The first one shows the amount of DHT inhibited by Avodart in concentrations of .1mg per day, .5 mg per day, and 2.5 mg per day. .5 mg per day is the dose prescribed to BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia) sufferers and is often the dose taken by hair loss sufferers. View larger chart.

The next chart shows the amount of DHT inhibited by Avodart on different dosing schedules. The lines are kind of hard to see so I’ll list them here:

• Purple line: 1.5 mg per day (3 Avodart pills) for 10 days and then .5 mg per day thereafter
• Blue line: .5 mg per day
• Green line: .5 mg per day for 2 days, then take one day off, then repeat
• Red line: .5 mg every other day
• Black line: Finasteride (Propecia/Proscar 1 mg per day) equivalent.

View larger chart.

As you can see, loading with 1.5 mg per day and then taking .5 mg per day thereafter inhibits the largest amount of DHT the fastest. You can achieve the same rate of inhibition with taking .5 mg per day from the start but it will take time to build in your system to its maximum levels of inhibition.When I started Avodart (and discontinued Propecia) I went ahead and took the loading method. I have been lucky enough to not have any side effects with Avodart thus far other than a brief shedding period that lasted about a month-and-a-half starting at around the two month mark. I have been using Avodart for about a year-and-a-half now with great results.

This is Part 2 in a two part series. Before reading on you will want to read Part 1.

Avodart – an even stronger DHT inhibiting drug

Since the FDA approval of Propecia another DHT-inhibiting drug with great potential for inhibiting hair loss has come on the scene. This drug is called Dutasteride.
Dutasteride was developed by Glaxo-Smith Kline (GSK) and is marketed under the brand name Avodart. Like Finasteride, Dutasteride is a 5AR-inhibitor. However, unlike Finasteride, Dutasteride inhibits both Type I AR and Type II AR. Dutasteride also has a much longer half-life than Finasteride (Propecia) so any side effects that occur from use of the medication will be sustained for a much longer period of time.

Also like Propecia or Proscar, Avodart is available for prescription for treatment of BPH and has FDA approval for that application. However, testing of Dutasteride for the treatment of male-pattern baldness was discontinued by GSK for unknown reasons, though it is not thought to have been a safety issue since the drug is still available for BPH. This means that Avodart has not yet been FDA approved for the treatment of male pattern baldness.

Since Avodart is a dual 5AR inhibitor and is much stronger than Propecia, it is generally accepted that it is possible that it can be a more effective treatment for male pattern baldness. However, without sufficient testing this is speculative.

Hereditary hair loss will affect about half of the American male population. Luckily, in the past few years there have been drug hair loss treatments developed that can slow down, completely stop, or even reverse hair loss in some men. While there is still no hair loss cure, pills such as Propecia or Avodart have given many men hope for holding on to the hair they have and maybe even regaining some of what they lost. When considering a medicinal regimen, many hair loss sufferers find themselves asking which medication is right for them.

DHT’s role in producing hair loss

First, it is important to review what causes male pattern baldness. The culprit to male-pattern baldness is in the genes. Male-pattern baldness is hereditary. Myth indicates that the mothers’ side is to blame for a son’s thinning locks. But studies have shown that the genetic trait for hair loss is passed down through the genes from either parent.

Here is how hair loss actually works: The body produces an enzyme known as 5 alpha-reductase. The androgen hormone in the scalp produces testosterone. The testosterone mixes with the 5alpha-reductase producing Dihydrotestosterone or DHT for short. DHT is a more potent derivative of testosterone and is believed to cause male pattern baldness and when it binds to the receptor sites in hair follicles, which are genetically vulnerable to this process. Over time the DHT binding with these vulnerable receptors in the follicle slowly choke the follicles’ ability to produces healthy hairs.

Propecia the current FDA approved treatments for inhibiting DHT