Dear Mr. Ant,

I have studied this perplexing question for many, many years and here is what we have to choose from now, Rogaine, which is the brand name for Menoxidil. This product not only has a very low effectiveness profile, but at approximately $500 a year in product that is very difficult to apply to the areas that need treatment, but don't help with the hair line and certainly not when the follicles are dead.

Propecia and Proscar seem to have some effectiveness where the little blue pill does as well and that is on the circulatory system. Improved blood flow also improves delivery of nutrients and cleaning away of toxins in the follicles and scalp like unwanted DHT build-up. If only the side effects like erectile dysfunction, headaches, fatigue, etc... weren't involved.

Certainly doing a hair graft has come a long way, but with the cost of about $12,000 for the thousands of grafts needed, you might just go for a toupee, which have come a long way since the old days of a "rug".

Ultimately, you should probably explore low light laser therapy which is a fast and non-invasive way to retard hair loss and regenerate hair where the follicles are still alive. Combined with a stimulating scalp wash with wheat germ extract, gingko biloba and other botanicals, your scalp should respond well, up to 1-2 inches of growth depending on the scalps health and condition of the follicles. I'm considering it to and at $80-100 a treatment with no side effects, it's tough to turn down. All the best, Lorne Caplan.