2023-09-23 10:00:00
Bae Mo (30, male), an office worker, took oral hair loss treatment for 6 years. Since being diagnosed with male pattern baldness at the hospital, she has taken medication every day. Since treatment is started relatively early in hair loss, external changes are not severe. However, as the period of taking the drug increased, Mr. Bae’s secret worries grew. This is because of concerns regarding side effects that follow hair loss treatments, such as decreased sexual function, lethargy, and depression. Ms. Bae said, “I’m planning to get married and get pregnant, so I’m worried regarding whether or not I should stop taking the hair loss medication,” and “I don’t know if it’s okay to continue taking the medication like this.”
Hair loss is a disease that everyone wants to avoid. Although it is not life-threatening, it causes extreme stress and emotional problems due to noticeable external changes. This is why interest in hair loss treatments is high. The problem is that not many patients know accurate information and continue hair loss treatment. There are many cases where the right time for treatment is missed due to excessive concern regarding the side effects and adverse reactions caused by hair loss medication. Perhaps that is why hair loss treatments often become hotbeds of controversy.
If you have a family history, hair loss will occur faster.
There are various misunderstandings surrounding hair loss treatments. The first is decreased sexual function. This is the biggest reason why people are reluctant to take oral hair loss treatments. Many patients are concerned regarding developing sexual dysfunction such as erectile dysfunction before taking hair loss medication. To conclude, this is an excessive concern. Most types of hair loss in Korea are male pattern hair loss. It is characterized by hair loss in the front and crown areas and hair thinning.
The representative treatment for male pattern hair loss is medication. The oral medications ‘finasteride’ and ‘dutasteride’ (hereinfollowing referred to as ingredient names) are widely used, and the topically applied agent is minoxidil. Professor Choi Yu-seong of the Department of Dermatology at Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital said, “Oral medication is a drug that inhibits the formation of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which causes hair loss, by blocking the action of the active enzyme (5-alpha reductase) on male hormones,” and added, “It is responsible for sexual function.” “It prevents testosterone, a male hormone, from being converted into DHT,” he explained. Looking at the treatment principle, male pattern baldness treatment is a drug that can actually improve sexual function. In fact, if you take a blood test when taking a hair loss treatment, you can see that testosterone levels increase and DHT levels decrease. Some people may experience side effects related to sexual function, but this is not something to worry regarding. Not only is the frequency of side effects low at around 1-2%, but even if abnormal symptoms occur, they can be sufficiently controlled. Professor Choi advised, “If side effects appear, stop taking the medicine and the symptoms will disappear. Since there is no medicine without side effects, it is best to avoid being overly concerned regarding abnormal symptoms.”
In particular, sexual dysfunction is more often caused by psychological factors than side effects from medications. This is the so-called nocebo effect. This is a phenomenon that negatively affects the efficacy of the drug as the patient becomes suspicious of the drug because he or she thinks it is harmful. Cho Hyeon, a professor at the Department of Family Medicine at Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital, said, “Emotional problems that may arise due to hair loss, such as psychological withdrawal and depression, can have a greater impact on daily life than the side effects of medications. Don’t miss the golden time of hair loss treatment.” “It’s important,” he emphasized.
Pregnant women, even touching broken pills is dangerous
The second is fertility. Men who are preparing to have children often struggle with whether or not to take hair loss treatment. There are concerns that hair loss medication may have a negative effect on pregnancy and childbirth. Professor Cho explained, “To date, there have been no reports of cases where hair loss treatments taken by men cause infertility or birth defects,” adding, “Even if men are taking hair loss drugs, there is no need to worry too much regarding the effects on the fetus.”
However, women of childbearing age need special caution. This is because if a pregnant woman or woman of childbearing age takes male pattern baldness treatment, it will affect the fetus’ reproductive development. It doesn’t matter if it’s a female child, but if it’s a male child, the genitals may not be formed. It is especially dangerous for pregnant women to even touch split hair loss medicine. This is because the drug ingredients can be absorbed through the skin. Professor Choi said, “There is no problem with drugs that are coated on the surface. It is difficult for the ingredients to be absorbed immediately following contact, but there is no need for women of childbearing age to touch the male pattern baldness treatment with their hands.”
Third is how to take it. It is a misconception that alternating two drugs with different ingredients will result in better treatment effects. However, this is just an unproven myth. Professor Choi explained, “The oral drugs finasteride and dutasteride both treat hair loss by blocking the conversion of testosterone to DHT. There is no evidence that the two ingredients are more effective when taken together.” In some cases, in order to save on medication costs, patients split the benign prostatic hyperplasia medication that has the same active ingredient as the hair loss treatment. However, this behavior is not desirable. It is difficult to accurately measure the treatment dose, which inevitably reduces its effectiveness.
Hair loss is a progressive disease. If there is a family history, the progression may occur more quickly. Therefore, efforts should be made to improve symptoms through active treatment. The key to treatment is ‘accurate diagnosis.’ Symptoms may worsen if treatment is delayed due to arbitrary judgment or if medication is not taken properly. You should not change the dosage of the medicine just because you see a noticeable effect right away. In particular, it is important to remember that the hair loss inhibition effect disappears when you stop taking the oral medication. Several months following stopping hair loss medication, hair begins to fall out to the same level as before taking the medication. Professor Choi said, “Most patients neglect hair loss and visit the hospital late,” adding, “There is no need to take medication in advance for prevention, but it is better to continue taking medication from the beginning of hair loss. “Because the type and progress of hair loss is different for each patient, an accurate diagnosis must be made and the appropriate amount must be taken correctly,” he emphasized.
Shin Young-kyung (shin.youngkyung@joongang.co.kr)
1695499036
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