Treatment Plan – Men

The reasons behind male pattern hair loss

Genetic susceptibility affects both the rate of hair loss and the age at which thinning hair develops, but generally speaking, most men—especially in Israel—experience hair loss processes.

The most frequent hormonal mechanism behind male pattern baldness is 5-alpha-reductase, an enzyme found in the scalp that changes testosterone (produced in the testicles) into its active derivative, DHT. In males who are genetically predisposed to baldness, the DHT hormone continuously destroys the hair follicles at the top of the scalp, resulting in the loss of the ability to generate terminal hair and the development of thin, nearly undetectable hair.

The improvement in treatment

Dr. Udi Barr was the first person in the world to find that the saw palmetto plant, also known as the Nancy palm, effectively inhibits the activity of the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase. Dr. Barr focused his doctoral thesis on the patterns of male balding and was one of the researchers that led to the development of the drug Propecia. This discovery was made in the 1990s. Even now, the treatment for male hair loss aims to lower the amount of DHT hormone in the scalp by blocking the action of the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase. 

It is currently accepted knowledge that hair follicles can usually be returned to full physiological activity up to ten years after the balding process first started.

Over the course of the men’s treatment plan, which consists of multiple sessions, we create an ongoing, documented monitoring of close-up images showing hair thickening. Dr. Barr personally modifies dietary supplements and herbal extracts that have all been identified in recent years as mechanisms-based inhibitors of the DHT hormone’s production. Neither Propecia nor the amount of free testosterone in the blood are impacted by the medication. Thorough blood tests are also performed throughout the course of treatment to identify any secondary causes of hair thinning.