A new report for a consumer magazine has shown that the hair loss treatment Propecia is one of the few remedies for the condition that consumers find actually works.
Consumer Reports surveyed over 8,000 men and women struggling with hair loss to ask them about how they dealt with the condition, whether they used any products to slow down the process and whether they found those products to be effective.
Nearly 40% of women and 27% of men said that they had tried some kind of treatment to reverse their hairloss. A large section of the men, over half, said that they believed that many remedies for baldness overstated how effective they are. Most opted for remedies available over the counter, but 20% got prescriptions from their doctor for Propecia.
27% of the men who used the medication described it as ‘very’ effective. Minoxidil, sold as Rogaine over the counter, was deemed considerably less successful, with only 4% of the men who used it describing it as very effective. 43% of those who tried it said it made no difference to their hair loss. 6% of those polled thought taking herbal and dietary supplements made a big difference to their hair loss.
Only 2% of the men opted for the fairly expensive option of hair transplant surgery, but nearly half of those were either very or totally satisfied with the results.
A spokesperson for Merke, who manufacture Propecia, said that the survey supported the findings of clinical trials indicating the medication is the most effective treatment on the market. She added that those suffering from hairloss should speak to their doctor, so they can get reputable advice as to how they can separate fact from fiction.