November 19 2009, 2:31 pm PT | Posted in: Drugs + Hair Products
Hi Dr
I just want to check with you on treatments other than Propecia and Minoxidil. I am 28 this years and have tried Laser, herbal treatment, proscar, minoxidil and even acupuncture on the scalp. Currently i am on proscar, minoxidil and Nizoral cream and still i am losing hair, is there any other way i can try to get some of my hair back. I am desperate now and hair transplant is my last resort. What do you think of Avodart , i am worried of the side effect like sterility that might happen. Please advise.Thanks
Even drugs such as Propecia (finasteride) and minoxidil have limitations, as they will only slow the process down or grow some hair. Nizoral (ketoconazole) is an antifungal treatment and hasn’t been proven to my satisfaction to treat hair loss. I do not recommend Avodart (dutasteride) until more studies on safety are completed and can be reviewed.
I understand you are desperate, but you need to educate yourself and make intelligent choices. Remember, there is no cure for hair loss. You now belong to millions of men and women out there that have paid lots of money and time and effort to find such a cure with no luck, only to contribute to the economy of capitalism. I don’t know enough about your history (how long you’ve been taking the medications, your degree of hair loss, etc.) to provide much help here.

The Wall Street Journal really didn’t conduct any research on their own to determine efficacy, but just quotes the study provided by Lexington (makers of the LaserComb). I guess if you took a vote from experts in the field, you could count my vote as thumbs down towards these hair lasers. I conducted a study on some of my patients for over a year when I had the large hair laser machines in my office (and offered their use free of charge to my surgical patients). I did not see any value on those using the hair laser, and honestly, it seemed like a waste of time for patients that don’t have time to waste.
If you like the shampoo and it seems to be working for you, I’d keep using it. Claims on preventing hair loss may be in violation of permitted language from an FDA perspective if