The three main causes of hair loss in males are ageing, hormonal change and genetic baldness. Often the earlier the hair loss occurs the more acute the balding will be. There are many options available to hair loss sufferers, ranging from ointments, drugs and surgery. Balding is sometimes blamed on bad circulation in the scalp, vitamin deficiencies and dandruff, but these are not absolutes. The fact that you get your hair genes from your maternal grandfather or the theory that if you get to forty without hair loss you are ok, are both rubbish.

For men one of the most popular treatments is Propecia. This drug known as finasteride in medical circles prevents the testosterone in the blood stream from turning into DHT which kills hair follicles on the head. Propecia is available for men only and it is not safe to give it to women as it can cause pregnancy complications. Propecia is administered by one pill a day.

For women hair loss is different. Doctors reckon that 1 in 5 females will get some form of hair loss in their life, caused by ageing, sickness or hormone change after menopause. Females often get a thinning of hair uniformly on the scalp, unlike men who lose here in specific places. Propecia has no effect on hair loss in women as in women the hair loss is not because of high testosterone levels.

Propecia is made by Merck, the pharmaceutical giant and can obtained with prescription only.