Saw Palmetto is a kind of palm tree thatgrows in the southern United States. Its berries have been used by NativeAmericans to treat a variety of ailments for centuries. In the last few years,it has become more widely available in the form of tablets, liquid and tea totreat a variety of conditions. Among other treatments, some people havereported success using SawPalmetto for hair loss.
But what is the science behind theseclaims and is Saw Palmetto the most effective way to treat hair loss?
Saw Palmettofor hair loss: how it’s supposed to work
The theory behind Saw Palmetto as a hairloss treatment is that it is believed to prevent theconversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is a hormonethat plays a role in male hair loss because it shrinks hair follicles,preventing them growing. The key word here is “believed” – until now, this hasnot been definitively proven.
The idea is that it behaves in much thesame way as finasteride, a widely-usedand well-tested treatment for hair loss. However, until more scientific studiesare done that prove a link, we can’t say for sure whether Saw Palmetto has anyeffect at all on hair loss and regrowth.
SawPalmetto and hair regrowth – does it work?
There have been various claims about Saw Palmetto’s hair lossprevention qualities. Supplements of the plant are reported to prevent or slowdown the process of male pattern baldness and even improve the amount andquality of hair on the head.
Although inconclusive, various studies have reportedthat taking the plant seems to have some impact on hair loss and hair regrowth:
- One small study of 10 men saw animprovement for six of the men
- A different study of 34 men and womenused a topical lotion over three months and led to a 35% increase in hairdensity for two thirds of participants
There are a handful of other studieswhich seem to find a link between hair loss prevention and Saw Palmetto too.
However, these studies are fairly smalland unrepresentative, with no definitive studies which have found a convincinglink between taking Saw Palmetto and a slowing or reversal of hair loss.
Are there any risks of using Saw Palmetto for hair regrowth?
Generally speaking, there appear to bevery few serious side effects to taking Saw Palmetto in the quantities prescribedby the companies that produce it. The website Medical News Today reportsthe following kinds of potential side effects of taking Saw Palmetto:
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
However, most people experience no sideeffects when taking Saw Palmetto. The question, of course, is whether it ishaving its intended effects either. Given the lack of comprehensive studiesproving a link between Saw Palmetto and hair loss reduction, there’s always arisk that you might be spending money on a treatment that does nothing for youat all.
Questioning Saw Palmetto hair loss reviews
Browse online and you may well comeacross ‘rave’ Saw Palmettohair loss reviews. While these may well be genuine, it’s always sensibleto take online reviews with a pinch of salt.
There’s no doubt that some people doperceive that they have had an improvement in hair thickness and quality whileusing Saw Palmetto. Nevertheless, these self-reported improvements arequestionable – many people hope to see an improvement and may believe they areindeed seeing a change. The problem is that it’s difficult for individuals toobjectively report that they have increased hair density and quality, unlessthose metrics have scientifically measured before and after taking SawPalmetto.
By contrast, an academic review of severalclinical trials concluded that Saw Palmetto is no more successful in treating avariety of ailments than simply taking a placebo.
Alternatives to Saw Palmetto for hair loss
Although some people have had successusing Saw Palmetto for hairregrowth, the evidence that this treatment does genuinely work iscurrently questionable. Until larger, longer and more comprehensive clinicaltrials have been carried out, there’s simply not enough evidence to say whetherSaw Palmetto really does counteract male pattern balding – or if it’s simply awaste of money.
The good news, however, is that there areseveral hair loss treatments that have been proven to work in large, objectiveclinical trials. These include:
Propecia
Propecia is one of thebest known and trusted hair loss treatments. The treatment is taken as a dailypill and contains the active ingredient finasteride. Evidence that Propeciaworks include:
- One 2-year study with 535 men. 99% ofparticipants experienced visible results, according to photographic assessmentby dermatologists.
- One 5-year study with 279 men found that99% had visible results, according to the same kind of photographic assessmentsby dermatologists.
Finasteride
Finasteride is a non-brandhair loss treatment which contains the same active ingredient as Propecia(which essentially means it offers the same benefits at a lower price point).It is also taken as a daily pill. Since it is effectively the same treatment asPropecia, all the clinical trials which support Propecia’s effectiveness alsoapply to Finasteride.
Regaine
Regaine is an effectivetopical hair loss treatment which is massaged into the scalp twice per day. Thetreatment stimulates hair follicles to move to their growth phase and to growfor longer when they are in this phase. Evidence that Regaine works include:
- A clinical trial which revealedthat 60% of Regaine users saw an increase in hair coverage.
Hair loss treatment you can trust
Some people have reported success usingSaw Palmetto for hair regrowth and, while clinical trials have not definitelyproved it can help with this condition, it appears to have no serious sideeffects. At the worst, it is basically a harmless treatment. That said, the evidencethat Saw Palmetto seriously counterracts hair loss is pretty shaky – andso there’s a good chance you may bethrowing hard-earned money away on a product which doesn’t do anything for you.With plenty of hair loss treatments that are proven to work in clinical trials, why waste your time on anapproach that may not even work?
