Hair Loss
This category covers the main medicines for male-pattern hair loss. They slow further loss and can support regrowth, but the benefit only lasts while treatment continues. Treatment is long term by nature, and the realistic aim is usually to slow further loss rather than to restore hair that has already gone.
Key points
- Benefit continues only while treatment continues, and loss resumes when it stops.
- Oral 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors and topical minoxidil work by different routes and are sometimes combined.
- Results build over months, so these are judged at six to twelve months rather than in weeks.
Classes and ingredients in this category
- 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors such as finasteride and dutasteride reduce the hormone that shrinks hair follicles.
- Topical minoxidil prolongs the growth phase and can be combined with the tablets.
Conditions it covers
These medicines are used for androgenetic alopecia. Pattern hair loss is diagnosed clinically, and other causes of shedding need a different approach entirely.
Further reading
Related articles
5 Jul 2026 ⋅ 7 min read
Hair Loss Treatment in Hong Kong: Minoxidil, Finasteride & How to Buy Safely
Hair loss treatment in Hong Kong for expats: what actually works (minoxidil, finasteride, dutasteride), how each is accessed here, an honest word on side effects, finding it by active ingredient, and avoiding the grey market.
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