Hair loss
Two ingredients with an approval, and a shelf full of products without one
For pattern hair loss, exactly two ingredients hold an approval: finasteride, taken as a tablet, and minoxidil, applied to the scalp. Dutasteride is approved for the prostate and prescribed for hair in some countries, which is a different legal situation and is marked as such on its page.
Both approved options share one property the advertising tends to skip: the effect lasts while the treatment does. The labels state this plainly, and so do the pages below.
Medicines
Hair loss
- FinasteridePropecia, ProscarA daily tablet approved for male pattern hair loss at 1 mg, and for the prostate at 5 mg, which is the same substance in a five times larger dose.Prescription only
- Minoxidil, topicalRogaine, RegaineThe only hair loss treatment sold without a prescription, applied to the scalp, and the only one approved for women as well as men.Over the counter
- DutasterideAvodartA stronger relative of finasteride, approved for the prostate and prescribed off-label for hair in most countries.Prescription onlyNot approved for this use
Written by us
How to get it legally
Minoxidil is sold over the counter in the US, the UK and most of Europe: no prescription, no consultation, available in any pharmacy. Finasteride and dutasteride are prescription-only everywhere, because both act on hormones and both carry warnings about pregnancy exposure that no shop assistant can assess.
For finasteride, an online clinic is the usual legal route in Europe, and the consultation is short because the questions are few. Which is also why sites selling it without any consultation at all are worth avoiding: the questions they skip are the ones the prescription exists for.