There comes a time in every man’s life when he starts to lose his hair. For some, it can be as early as their twenties or even their teens, while others don’t start to lose any hair at all until their forties or fifties. As it is so widely seen as a sign of old age, however, there is a big social stigma attached to hair loss, which leads people to seek various treatments to get their hair back again.

Hair loss is not always caused by old age, however, as many diseases can also cause people to lose their hair. Although cancer is the most well-known, it is not uncommon to lose some hair after quite minor diseases, or after having surgery. Hair loss is also a side effect of some medicines, such as antidepressants.

So is there a miracle cure for hair loss? Well, not really.

The most common treatments that people try are the creams available in most pharmacies, such as Rogaine. They do cause some extra hair growth, but also tend to make your head very itchy in the process. However, as soon as you stop using it, the hair loss will resume, so keeping your hair could turn out to be very expensive for you.

A cheaper option could be pills like propecia, which has also been proven to work, although only in about half of patients. It must, however, also be taken for the rest of your life if you want to keep your hair until you die.

Hair loss can often also be stopped by simply making some changes in your lifestyle, like eating less fat and trying to avoid stressful situations. In many cases, this is the most effective treatment of all, as so much hair loss is brought on entirely by work-related stress: it’s well worth taking a week off and seeing if you still have the problem after that.

Above all, if you’re trying to treat your baldness, remember the three Ps: patience, proven treatments, and taking pictures.