The only 4 things that can actually prevent hair loss

ShutterstockThere are ways to slow hair loss.

There’s a lot of noise out there when it comes to preventative measures for hair loss.

Some products talk a big game, but when it comes down to it, they cannot back it up. In fact, according to hair restoration specialist Dr. William Yates of Dr. Yates Hair Science, there are only four real ways to slow down or prevent hair loss (and only one way to really regrow hair).

Propecia, or: Finasteride A prescription pill that can prevent hair loss by blocking the balding hormone.

Rogaine, or Minoxidil: A topical application of liquid or a foam that’s used to thicken the hair and slow its shedding.

Laser light treatment: A red light is used to stimulate growth in the hair follicle, reducing inflammation and keeping it healthy.

PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injections: Take a bit of your blood, which is then enriched with platelets, and re-injected into you at the scalp. According to Dr. Yates, “that goes to the hair follicle to keep it from shedding and stimulates growth.”

“If you turn on the TV or look in a magazine, there are a bazillion products out there that will supposedly grow your hair,” Dr. Yates told Business Insider. “But the fact remains those are probably the only four things that I know of that have some scientific basis.”

He also advises not to put much faith in vitamin supplements like Biotin purport to solve that hair loss cause.

“If you live in the United States, there’s hardly anyone that’s really vitamin deficient enough to lose hair,” Dr. Yates told us. “Will they help you? Probably not. Will they hurt you? Probably not, so it’s a wash.”

“I don’t put too much faith in those things.”