So, after the news yesterday that a hair loss treatment that might actually work, how about one that can help the less hirsute amongst us grow a beard?
Well, the good news is that there is a treatment out there for you, and it’s the exact same one.
There’s even a dedicated community on Reddit for those who use the treatment Minoxidil to help them develop a more rugged style of facial hair.
Obviously, male pattern baldness is a pretty common thing.
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In fact, it affects more men than it doesn’t, and can leave people feeling self-conscious and have huge effects on people’s confidence.
However, there are those out there who can’t grow a beard and really want to, so much that they’re buying up hair loss treatment in order to grow their hair even more.
Those people all meet over on the subreddit r/MinoxBeards to discuss how they are treating themselves, as well as sharing pictures of how it’s going and getting advice from the wider community.
If by some massive fluke you’re a big fan of pictures of people’s chins – no shaming here – then this is the place for you.
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The good news is that there’s a decent chance that those seeking beard-growth through Minoxidil actually stand a chance, because apparently it really does work.
It was discovered as the result of a happy accident back in the late 1970s when a doctor observed that a treatment he’d been using for hypertension was actually causing hair growth in some patients.
That’s where the idea that it could be used to stimulate hair growth came from.
Now, it can be taken in pill form or rubbed into the scalp, although for the scalp method to work it has to be left for a while.
According to the doctors, the pill form is more effective anyway.
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Although it’s not been approved by the USA’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) there has been significant evidence that the drug, which can cost less than 50p per pill, is effective.
Dr Rodney Sinclair – the aforementioned doctor who made the connection with hair growth – presented results in 2015 after treating more than 10,000 patients.
There’s more good news for those who are balding or suffering from alopecia, as another drug has been created by American company Concert Pharmaceuticals that can combat or reverse hair loss.
In May, it was announced that trials had shown that the drug was effective in four out of 10 participants, who were able to regrow 80 of their hair within a year.
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That's great news for the sufferers of alopecia, as well as those who are simply losing their hair.
Tom Wood