Many people considering treatment for AGA (androgenetic alopecia) are concerned about avoiding oral medications.
Many patients who actually come to our clinic for consultations fall into this category. While the reasons for wanting to avoid oral medication vary from person to person, they are all very real and relatable, including the difficulty of making it a daily habit, as well as concerns about health and side effects.

"I want to improve my thinning hair, but I'm hesitant to keep taking medication."
"I know it's effective, but if possible, I'd like to treat it without using medication."
"I tend to forget to take my medication every day, so oral medication treatment might not be right for me..."

This time, we will introduce specific approaches and treatment options for growing hair without using oral medication, aimed at those who are experiencing these kinds of problems.
Please use this as a reference to find a treatment method that suits your own values ​​and lifestyle without putting undue strain on yourself.

Various reasons why people can't continue taking their medication

There are various reasons why people want to avoid oral medication, but the main concerns are as follows:

1. Difficulty in forming habits and psychological resistance
- It's difficult to take it every day, and I often forget to take it.
I have reservations about continuously putting medication into my body every day, even though I'm not sick.

For people who don't usually take medication, it's not easy to take it every day without fail.
It's perfectly natural to want to heal naturally, without relying on medication if possible.

2. Concerns about effects on the body and side effects
We receive many inquiries from people who are particularly concerned about the burden on their bodies and potential side effects of oral medications such as finasteride.
- Burden on the liver: The patient already has a habit of drinking alcohol and wants to avoid taking medication because "the liver enzyme levels are a little high and they don't want to make them any worse" and "they don't want to put a strain on their liver."
- Impact on sexual function and vitality: There are concerns that "it might decrease libido."

For men, sexual function and libido are not simply matters of that sort.
This is a very important aspect that greatly affects one's mental state, including "overall motivation," "vitality," and "energy" in work and daily life.
It's understandable that you might be worried about wanting to avoid taking oral medication because you don't want to lose vitality.

For these reasons, it's not uncommon for patients to inquire about wanting to proceed with treatment without oral medication.
At our clinic, we understand your concerns and preferences regarding oral medications, and we offer a wide range of non-medication treatment and management options so that you can choose the method that best suits your lifestyle and values.

▼This section explains finasteride.
 

Measures you can take before taking medication

To put it simply, taking oral medication is not necessarily the only option for treating AGA (androgenetic alopecia).
More and more people are saying things like, "I don't want to start taking medication right away; I want to start with what I can do first," or "Before we even discuss whether or not to take medication, I want to know what kind of care I can do for myself."
In that case, the first thing I would recommend as a starting point is "care that prepares the scalp environment, which is the foundation for hair growth."
The foundation of hair growth is the scalp. Even if hair is trying to grow, if the scalp, which is the foundation, is rough or hardened, it becomes difficult for the hair to grow healthy and thick.

Therefore, it is very effective to start with the following measures before considering oral medication.
• Practice proper home care (daily hair washing, scalp moisturizing, massage, etc.)
• Intensive scalp care through regular "head spa" treatments

At our clinic, we not only provide personalized hair care instructions to each patient, but we also offer a "medical head spa" that uses a specialized approach to promote blood circulation in the scalp and reset clogged pores and environmental imbalances.
Medical head spa treatments are so beneficial to your scalp that, to put it extremely, you could even receive one every week.
It's not like medication that will make your hair grow back dramatically in a short period of time, but by regularly caring for your scalp and preparing the foundation, many patients find that, although it may take some time, in the long run, their hair regains its original thickness, firmness, and resilience.
Rather than your hair suddenly becoming thicker, the idea is that your hair quality improves, becoming shiny, manageable, and giving you a clean, polished look.

Starting by improving the condition of your scalp, which is the foundation of your health, is a perfectly valid option.
Then,Exploring advanced treatment options that don't rely on oral medications (such as topical medications, scalp injections, and regenerative medicine) will greatly expand your treatment choices to find the best fit for you.

▼Proof of the effectiveness of head spa!
 

Other treatment methods besides oral medication

If you want to take it a step further and experience significant hair growth and regeneration effects, there are treatment methods that directly target the problem area (scalp) while minimizing the impact on the entire body.

1. Topical medications (ointments)
For those who want to avoid oral medications, topical medications are an easy first-line option.
Unlike oral medications, it has very little systemic effect on the entire body, and by applying it directly to the scalp, it can stimulate hair growth locally.

2. Direct injection treatment into the scalp (mesotherapy)
Going a step further than topical medications, the most effective and recommended local treatment that doesn't involve oral medication is "direct injection therapy into the scalp."
This treatment involves directly injecting active ingredients that promote hair growth into the areas of the scalp that are causing concern.
For example, by directly injecting active ingredients such as "minoxidil," which is also known as an oral medication, into the scalp, it is possible to powerfully promote hair growth while reducing the risk of systemic side effects.

• Guidelines for the frequency of hospital visits
Considering the skin's turnover cycle (regeneration), the basic schedule for your visits is once a month (or once every two months).
Depending on the patient's wishes and symptoms, some patients came for treatment every week. There is no problem with receiving treatment frequently.

Key points for continuation
If treatment is carried out using only injections without concurrent oral medication, the effectiveness may decrease slightly if too much time passes between treatments.
Therefore, when you first start treatment, it is best to begin with regular sessions, such as once a month or once every two months.
Furthermore, there are several types of injection treatments for the scalp, and in recent years, it has become possible to choose an approach using cutting-edge "regenerative medicine."

▼The necessity of oral medication and non-drug-based AGA treatment
 

Regenerative medicine using iPS cell technology

To meet diverse needs, our clinic offers a wide range of non-oral injection therapies, particularly those utilizing cutting-edge "regenerative medicine technology."
Among these, the one attracting the most attention is regenerative medicine (treatment using iPS cell culture supernatant, etc.) that utilizes the technology of "iPS cells," which is known for winning the Nobel Prize.

There are various types of injection treatments for the scalp, but based on my own experience treating many patients, I strongly feel that this treatment utilizing iPS cells is by far the most effective among injection treatments.

This treatment revitalizes the scalp cells themselves, powerfully stimulating signals for hair growth. Therefore, it is a very reassuring option for those who want to avoid continuously taking medication but do not want to compromise on the effectiveness of hair growth.

▼【iPS Cell Therapy】Complete Guide from Clinic Visit to Treatment | A New Treatment Option for Hair Loss and Gray Hair

Even if you're hesitant to take medication but feel uneasy about doing nothing, or if you're reluctantly taking medication every day, there's absolutely no need to give up.
Besides oral medications, there are so many other diverse and effective options available, so why not take some time to reconsider which treatment method is least stressful for you?

Summary

When it comes to AGA treatment, many people may have a strong image of having to take medication every day.
However, there is absolutely no need to assume that "AGA treatment means having to take oral medication every day" and to endure taking it while feeling anxious or aversion, or to give up on treatment altogether because "you don't like taking medication."

・"Medical head spa" and home care to fundamentally improve scalp health.
• Topical medications (ointments) that minimize systemic effects.
• "Scalp injection treatment" that delivers active ingredients directly to the scalp.
• Cutting-edge "regenerative medicine utilizing iPS cell technology"

As you can see, there are many options for growing and increasing hair health without using oral medication. If you are hesitant to take medication but want to treat hair loss, it is most important to find a treatment method that you can truly be comfortable with, rather than forcing yourself to continue taking oral medication.

At our clinic, we carefully listen to each patient's requests, such as "I'd prefer not to take medication if possible" or "I'd like a gentle approach," and then thoroughly examine the actual condition of their hair and scalp before proposing the most suitable treatment plan that will satisfy them.
"I have doubts about how I'm currently taking my medication." "I want to review my treatment method and find out if there's a way to improve my condition without medication."
If you feel that way, please come to our clinic for a consultation. Let's work together to find the best solution for you.