Norwood Hairloss Type 3

This type describes a small to moderate amount of loss, so you have a fair chance of regaining most or all lost hair.

You should see a doctor to determine that your hairloss is caused by male pattern baldness. If you are sure you have male pattern loss, there are two treatments that should help. The cheapest and safest is Minoxidil (Rogaine) 2%. Minoxidil has been shown to prevent further loss in about 80% of men and regrows lost hair in 25-40% of men. At this stage, you are the most likely to benefit from Minoxidil. With generic minoxidil prices as low as $8-9 per month, there is no reason not to give this treatment a try. Side effects are very infrequent.

If Minoxidil alone is not effective enough to completely regrow all the lost hair or completely halt loss, you may wish to try a combination of Minoxidil 2%+Retin-A 0.025%. Retin-A greatly increases the effectiveness of 2% Minoxidil. Your doctor can prescribe this well known combination which can be made by a pharmacy. Many men can almost completely restore this amount of loss with 2%/Retin-A, especially at the crown if your type is 3 Vertex.

If you do not feel comfortable with Minoxidil, there is a prescription treatment that has been shown to prevent further loss in almost all men and regrow hair in a good percentage. This treatment is called Proscar (soon to be released for hairloss in 1mg form as Propecia - still prescription). It is not easy to get since it is a prescription treatment not yet approved for hairloss and is not as cheap as minoxidil. Also, there is a small chance (1-5%) that you could experience side effects including some loss of sexual desire, some loss of sexual sensation, or some loss of hardness of erections. These side effects generally go away after 1-3 months of treatment (Proscar takes 6-8 weeks or so to build up in your system) and go away if you stop treatment. At the dosage suggested for hairloss (1/5 of the normal 5 mg dosage), these side effects are even less frequent or severe. Most men experience no side effects. Proscar is almost guaranteed to halt your hairloss, which makes it a great tool when you are just beginning to lose your hair. It also may work better at restoring loss along the frontal line.

A combination is more effective, so if your frontal hair line is being stubborn in growing back, a combination may be necessary.

A return to type 2 or 1 is possible if you respond well to these treatments.

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