Pattern baldness is a progressive, genetically influenced condition driven largely by dihydrotestosterone. While pattern baldness can’t be permanently cured, treatments such as finasteride, minoxidil, microneedling, and dutasteride can slow, stabilise, or partially reverse hair loss when used consistently.
In this article, you’ll learn how to slow or even stop pattern baldness using a variety of proven medical, natural, and surgical hair loss treatments. We compare the most effective options for men and women, outline the risks and side effects, and show how combining therapies and expert guidance can improve long-term hair restoration results.
Key takeaways
Pattern baldness is mainly caused by genetic sensitivity to DHT, which shrinks hair follicles over time. Other factors like stress and diet also play a part.
Hair loss progression varies between individuals and cannot be predicted with certainty, so many people choose to actively stabilise their hair loss with medical and natural therapies.
Finasteride and dutasteride are among the most effective ways to stop pattern baldness for men, while minoxidil is the leading treatment for women.
Natural therapies, scalp massage, microneedling, PRP, and low-level laser therapy may help stop pattern baldness from progressing, especially alongside medical treatments.
Most treatments require ongoing use to maintain results; stopping treatment usually leads to resumed hair loss.
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Unfortunately, no — once pattern baldness starts, it’s likely to progress, although some treatments can help you slow, stop, or even reverse the symptoms.
The extent to which you’re affected by pattern baldness varies from person to person. Some people lose all the hair from the top of the scalp, while others will just experience a receding hairline that stabilises by itself.
The extent of male pattern baldness is measured on the Norwood Scale. For women, female pattern hair loss is measured on the Ludwig Scale.
There’s no way of knowing how far your hair loss will extend before it happens (although the pattern of hair loss in close family members may give you some idea). That’s why many people who are losing their hair opt for medical treatments to stabilise their thinning. These treatments must be used continuously to maintain the effects.
Pattern hair loss is mostly down to a combination of genetic and hormonal factors. Dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a male sex hormone that is present in both men and women, is largely responsible for this type of hair loss. Women have naturally lower levels of DHT, which is why they’re less commonly affected by this type of hormonal hair loss.
DHT binds to androgen receptors in the hair follicle, leading to follicle miniaturisation that ultimately prevents hair growth.
Your sensitivity to DHT is genetically determined [1]. If you have high sensitivity or high levels of DHT, you’re more likely to experience pattern baldness.
Other factors, including stress, diet, and smoking, can also worsen symptoms of pattern baldness [2].
Several treatments are available to help stop pattern baldness and help reverse balding. Some of these are sex-specific due to their impact on hormones and evidence that they may be detrimental to people of the opposite sex.
In the context below, ‘men’ and ‘women’ refer to those who identify as the same sex as they did at birth. It’s important to make this qualification as there are risks to taking hormone-altering hair loss drugs, and they can interfere with certain medications (including some gender-affirming treatments) [3].
It’s always best to discuss your symptoms and desired results with a qualified trichologist before starting any medical hair loss therapy.
Here are 8 treatments that can help stop pattern baldness from progressing.
Suitable for men only
Finasteride is the most commonly recommended non-surgical hair loss treatment for men. It’s always or often recommended to patients by 72.3% of hair restoration surgeons [4]. That’s because finasteride is a licensed drug with a strong success rate for slowing or stopping pattern baldness [5-6].
Finasteride is a 5-alpha reductase (5AR) inhibitor. It suppresses activity of the 5AR enzyme which converts testosterone to DHT. This leads to lower systemic DHT levels, so less of this hormone can bind to receptors in the hair follicles. This prevents follicle miniaturisation and allows hair growth to continue as normal.
Finasteride tends to work best in the early stages of hair loss. Using it too late is a common reason why finasteride may not work for your hair loss. In rare cases, finasteride is also associated with psychological and sexual side effects, which you should be aware of before starting finasteride.
Dutasteride is also a 5AR inhibitor. It’s more powerful than finasteride, but may also lead to more significant dutasteride side effects. It hasn’t been licensed as a hair loss treatment in the UK yet, so you may only be prescribed it if finasteride hasn’t stopped your pattern baldness from progressing. It’s much less commonly prescribed than finasteride, with 36.7% of hair restoration surgeons routinely recommending it to patients [4].
Dutasteride limits the activity of both isoforms of the 5AR enzyme, while finasteride only suppresses one. That’s why it’s often considered one of the most effective treatments for stopping pattern baldness.
Suitable for women only
Spironolactone is an anti-androgenic drug that can help tackle female pattern baldness. It’s normally used to treat other unrelated conditions like swelling and heart failure, but may be prescribed off-label to help stop pattern baldness [7].
Spironolactone limits production of all androgens (male sex hormones), including (but not only) dihydrotestosterone. Because of this, it’s not generally suitable for men. It’s also sometimes used as a gender-affirming treatment for those transitioning from male to female. In these cases it may be suitable for those assigned male at birth.
Suitable for all genders
Minoxidil is often the first-line treatment for stopping or slowing pattern baldness. As a topical solution, it has a lower risk of significant side effects compared with the oral treatments above. Topical minoxidil is also available over-the-counter, so there’s no need for a prescription.
Minoxidil works by widening the blood vessels in the scalp, allowing more blood, oxygen, and nutrients to flow to the hair follicles. This can help them produce healthy hair for longer, although it won’t tackle the underlying cause of hormonal hair loss. Because minoxidil doesn’t impact your hormone levels, it’s safe for adults of all genders to use.
Oral minoxidil for hair loss can also be prescribed, though studies indicate this isn’t necessarily more effective than the topical formula, and it may present a higher risk of side effects [8].
Finasteride and dutasteride are available as topical solutions which can have a big impact on hair loss. While it’s not licensed like oral finasteride, topical finasteride is becoming increasingly popular because it lowers the risk of systemic side effects like finasteride-related erectile dysfunction and finasteride-related depression [9].
Studies have shown that switching to a combination of minoxidil and topical finasteride can help maintain the effects of oral finasteride on your hair, helping to stop pattern baldness while lowering the risk of side effects [10].
Newer topical DHT blockers are also starting to show promise. Recent studies have found that clascoterone may help with hair loss [11]. Clascoterone is a topical acne treatment that can stop DHT binding to receptors in the hair follicles without actually adjusting your DHT levels. However, more research is needed to determine the effectiveness and safety of this treatment.
You may be able to stop pattern baldness from progressing with natural treatments, though these tend to be less effective than pharmaceutical options. Here are some evidence-based natural pattern baldness treatments [11]:
These natural DHT blockers aren’t always suitable for women, though topical options tend to be safer than oral DHT blocking treatments like finasteride. Speak to a hair loss specialist about the potential risks and benefits of DHT blockers for women.
Black seed oil for hair may help reduce symptoms of androgenetic alopecia by fighting oxidative stress and inflammation that can make hair loss worse [12].
It’s possible to stimulate hair growth using manual methods like derma rolling (also known as microneedling) and regular scalp massage. When used often, these treatments can result in improved hair growth in those with pattern baldness.
Derma rolling for hair growth involves applying small needles to the balding areas of your scalp to create tiny surface-level wounds. The wound healing process then stimulates hair growth [13].
Scalp massage for hair growth works by stimulating blood flow to the hair follicles. Massaging your scalp for 11 to 20 minutes per day for five months can lead to visible increases in hair density [14].
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy uses platelets from your own blood to combat hair loss. By drawing a small blood sample, isolating the platelet-rich plasma, and injecting the concentrated platelets back into your scalp, this treatment can stimulate dormant follicles and promote thicker, healthier hair growth [15].
This minimally invasive, non-surgical approach is an option for both men and women experiencing mild-to-moderate hair thinning. You’ll normally be advised to have a series of PRP hair loss treatments (spaced four to six weeks apart) as well as regular maintenance appointments to sustain your results.
Low level laser therapy (LLLT) is a non-invasive treatment that uses red light wavelengths to stimulate hair follicles and support healthier hair growth. Often delivered through caps, combs, or in-clinic devices, LLLT can improve circulation and boost cellular activity in the scalp.
LLLT can help improve symptoms for men and women experiencing pattern hair loss, especially when used consistently over several months [16].
Dutasteride is arguably the most effective treatment for male pattern baldness. Several studies comparing dutasteride 0.5 mg to other treatments (including finasteride and minoxidil) have found dutasteride to be the most effective way to stop pattern baldness [17-18].
However, dutasteride also comes with a higher risk profile than most other treatments, so you should weigh the risks up against the potential benefits.
Female hair loss is generally more complex than male alopecia, so the evidence for the best treatment for female hair loss isn’t always so clear-cut. What works for one woman may not work for another, and may be completely contraindicated for a third. Many women require multiple different treatments to tackle the various root causes of their hair loss.
That said, minoxidil is the gold standard hair loss treatment for women. It’s well-tolerated by most female users (especially 2% minoxidil), and is proven to help slow or stop female pattern hair loss in the majority of cases [19].
If you’re serious about stopping pattern baldness, you need a vigilant, consistent approach. Here’s what you can do to increase the effectiveness of your selected pattern baldness treatments:
Regular, consistent treatment is needed to stop pattern baldness, so your symptoms will likely resume if you stop using a successful treatment.
However, if a specific treatment is no longer working for you (whether due to side effects or a lifestyle change, such as starting to try for a baby) you may be able to replace it with another effective therapy. For example, switching from oral to topical finasteride is becoming more popular, as it comes with a lower risk of side effects (although it’s not advisable to use it when trying to conceive).
The following treatments have been shown to help grow hair back after balding naturally, though they may not be effective for all users:
See more essential oils for hair growth if you’re interested in improving hair loss symptoms without medical therapy.
A hair transplant is a great way to top-up hair you’ve lost to pattern baldness, but it can’t actually stop your hair loss getting worse. That’s why it’s so important to stabilise your hair loss before opting for surgery. Wimpole Clinic surgeon Dr Peter Barron explains more:
“The benefit of complementary therapies is mainly to do with thickening up native hairs. Maximising and keeping native hairs, in combination with adding new transplanted follicles to regions where hairs have been lost, are going to give the best results post transplant.”
FUE and FUT hair transplants provide a surgical route to hair restoration if you’ve lost more hair than you’re happy with and the treatments above haven’t fully restored your hair.
At the Wimpole Clinic, our top trichology and surgical teams are dedicated to stopping pattern baldness and restoring lost hair for our patients. We’ll assess your hair loss, discuss solutions you’ve tried previously, and help you create a bespoke treatment plan to tackle pattern baldness.
Book a free consultation at our award-winning hair transplant clinic to learn more.
Find out more about how to stop pattern baldness in these frequently asked questions.
It’s normal to lose up to 100 hairs a day [22]. This is difficult to quantify, so keep an eye out for increased volumes of hair loss in the shower or on your pillow in the morning.
There’s no consensus, but most anecdotal discussions around the “big 3” treatments include finasteride, minoxidil, and ketoconazole for hair loss. That’s because these treatments can usually be safely used at the same time, and all have been proven to help treat pattern baldness.
No, balding isn’t 100% genetic, but genetics do play a significant role. People with relatives who have pattern baldness may be more likely to develop it themselves, as pattern baldness is hereditary. Find out more about so-called baldness genes and how they’re passed down through the generations.
Yes. Extreme or chronic stress has been linked to worsening pattern hair loss, so it’s important to try to manage your stress levels if you’re concerned about your hair [23].
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Born in Yorkshire, Dr Ismail Ughratdar (GMC: 6103427) attended the prestigious University of St Andrews and University of Manchester, where he qualified in Medicine with an Honours degrees in 2004. He then followed a surgical-based training pathway culminating in approved training in Neurosurgery at Nottingham, and sub-speciality fellowship training at King’s College Hospital, London.
Dr Ismail Ughratdar has been appointed as a fully accredited, UK-board certified Consultant Neurosurgeon in Birmingham. He was FRCS Neurosurgery Qualified in 2013 and so naturally, he is very familiar with procedures on the scalp, having performed thousands of brain operations. This, combined with his extensive experience of performing awake procedures for brain surgeries, naturally makes him very comfortable in performing hair transplant surgery. He is certified to perform advanced hair surgeries including both FUE and FUT and uniquely is also able to combine both techniques to cover very large areas of scalp if required. Dr Ughratdar also has experience of harvesting hair from other parts of the body when donor hair may not be sufficient.
Dr Ughratdar is a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons on Edinburgh and the British Medical Association. He has written a number of scientific publications and has run training courses in his speciality. He is one of the only handful of surgeons in Europe who successfully combines FUT and FUE in the same session to get very large and ethical number of grafts for each patient without overharvesting.
Dr. Ismail Ughratdar discusses his transition from brain surgery to hair restoration at the Wimpole Clinic and how hair transplants are changing people’s lives.
Dr Ughratdar is a leading UK neurosurgeon, as featured on the BBC.
