There are many causes of hair loss, but the 5-alpha reductase enzyme is one of the main reasons behind the annoying condition for many around the world.
This enzyme combines with dihydrotestosterone (DHT) to cause male pattern hair loss, also known as male pattern baldness. Aborting this process is extremely difficult, but pumpkin seed oil appears to do the job.
Pumpkin seed oil has been shown to inhibit the action of the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme, and has anti-androgenic effects in mice.
A study published in the journal Hindawi sought to reproduce these effects in humans.
The researchers recruited male patients with mild to moderate androgenetic alopecia. And 76 male patients with androgenic alopecia received 400 mg of pumpkin seed oil daily, or a placebo, for 24 weeks.
Change over time in scalp hair growth was assessed through four outcomes: assessment of standardized clinical pictures by a blinded investigator, and patient self-assessment scores; Thickening of scalp hair and scalp hair.
After 24 weeks of treatment, the self-rated improvement scores and self-rated satisfaction scores in the pumpkin seed oil-treated group were higher than in the placebo group.
And the pumpkin seed oil-treated group had more hair after treatment than at the start of the study, compared to the placebo group.
An average increase in hair counts of 40% was observed in men treated with pumpkin oil at 24 weeks, while increases of 10% were observed in men treated with placebo.
Moreover, no adverse effects were reported in the pumpkin seed oil group.
Other hair loss treatments include:
Steroid injections – injections given into bald patches.
Immunotherapy – a chemical applied to bald patches.
• Phototherapy – Ultraviolet shine a light on bald patches.
Tattoos – Tattoos are used to look like short hair and eyebrows.
• Hair transplantation – hair is removed from the back of the head and transferred to hair thinning areas.
• Scalp Reduction Surgery – Parts of the scalp are pulled together with the hair and stitched together.
• Artificial hair transplantation.
Source: Express