Hair loss can be a frustrating and emotional experience for anyone who goes through it. Whether it’s a receding hairline, thinning at the crown, or just noticing more strands in the shower drain, it’s no surprise that many people search for solutions to slow or reverse the process.

In recent years, brands like Hims have gained popularity by offering treatments that claim to help tackle hair loss in a convenient and accessible way.

Hims is one of the most recognizable names in the telehealth space right now, offering online consultations and delivering hair loss treatments directly to your door. They promise a simple, stress-free approach to regrowing hair.

But how different is Hims from what’s already available through a doctor’s office or other brands? Are their products truly unique, or is this just clever marketing wrapped around traditional treatments?

What is Hims Hair Loss?

Hims is a telehealth company that attempts to make it easy to access hair loss treatments and other health products. Their platform facilitates consultations with licensed healthcare professionals online. The goal is to provide quick, discreet, and affordable solutions to people dealing with common but potentially embarrassing issues like hair loss, erectile dysfunction, herpes, and acne.

When it comes to hair loss, Hims offers a variety of products designed to help slow down hair thinning and even encourage regrowth. These include prescription medications like finasteride, over-the-counter topical treatments like minoxidil, and supplements like biotin gummies. They also bundle their offerings with shampoos and conditioners that claim to improve scalp health.

Telehealth is a modern approach to hair care, but the question remains: is it really any different from traditional treatments?

How is Hims Different From (or Similar To) Other Brands and Medications?

Hims has positioned itself as a frontrunner in the crowded world of hair loss treatments, but much of its appeal lies in its convenience and branding rather than unique or innovative offerings.

Through its telehealth platform, Hims allows customers to send in their photos and concerns and receive their treatments through a subscription model. This service eliminates the need to visit a doctor’s office, which may sound like a way to save time and money, but there are a lot of things that can go wrong.

Competitors like Keeps, Ro (formerly Roman), and Happy Head operate in a similar space, each with slightly different approaches.

Keeps focuses exclusively on hair loss treatments, offering bundles of finasteride and minoxidil at competitive prices. Ro casts a wider net, providing a variety of men’s health solutions but with similar hair loss options. Happy Head stands out by offering customized formulations and stronger doses tailored to individual needs, often with input from dermatologists.

What ties all of these brands together is that the active ingredients, finasteride and minoxidil, remain the same across the board.

What is the Active Ingredient in Hims Treatments?

The key ingredients behind Hims hair loss treatments are finasteride and minoxidil, two widely used and FDA-approved solutions for combating male pattern hair loss. These ingredients have been staples in the world of hair restoration for decades, and they remain the gold standard for treating male pattern baldness, also known as androgenetic alopecia.

Together, these ingredients form the backbone of Hims hair loss treatments, but they’re not unique to the brand. Finasteride and minoxidil are the same active ingredients you’d find in generic or brand-name products like Propecia (finasteride) or Rogaine (minoxidil). These are the same medications that Drs. Krejci and Limmer counsel their patients on a daily basis. We have tens of thousands of men and women growing hair by using these drugs under the supervision of board-certified dermatologists since they were first on the market in the late 80s, early 90s. Newfangled marketing from an online pharmacy underscores that the effectiveness of Hims treatments depends on the ingredients themselves rather than any unique formulation.

These online platforms tout convenience and sleek packaging; however, the science behind these treatments is long-established. Furthermore, undergoing treatment for hair loss without a dermatologist to monitor for efficacy, appropriate dosing, side effects, etc. could delay your progress or contribute to unnecessary complications.

Types of Hair Loss Finasteride and Minoxidil Products Might Address

For male pattern baldness, also known as androgenetic alopecia, finasteride helps by lowering DHT levels, which slows the shrinking of hair follicles and prevents further hair loss. Minoxidil, used alongside finasteride, can enhance results by stimulating blood flow and encouraging hair regrowth.

It’s important to note that these treatments may not be effective for all types of hair loss. For conditions like telogen effluvium, which is temporary shedding often caused by stress or illness, finasteride and minoxidil might not be necessary. The hair typically grows back on its own once the underlying issue is resolved. Similarly, alopecia areata, an autoimmune condition that causes patchy hair loss, often requires specialized treatments beyond what these medications offer.

Understanding the type of hair loss you’re experiencing is crucial to choosing the right treatment.

Consulting with an actual hair loss specialist can help ensure you’re addressing the specific cause of your hair loss.

How Do These Medicinal Hair Loss Treatments Work?

The hair loss treatments offered by Hims rely on proven medications and products to address common forms of hair thinning and balding. The two main active ingredients in their lineup are finasteride and minoxidil, both of which are widely recognized as effective solutions for hair loss when used consistently.

The success of these medicinal hair growth treatments largely depends on the individual’s type of hair loss and their commitment to using the products consistently. While some brands simplify access to these medications, the science behind how they work is the same as with traditional options prescribed by dermatologists or hair specialists.

It’s also important to understand that with these telehealth services, you may never talk with an actual doctor. The guidance you receive may not be tailored to your specific hair loss issues and could lead to less effective treatments.

Limmer Hair Transplant Center prides itself in having board-certified dermatologists creating appropriate treatment plans for all of our patients. We want to see our patients thrive and gain their self-confidence back, as well as their hair. With a telehealth service you won’t get this sort of experience.

Oftentimes telehealth services, like the ones mentioned above, rely on photographs and explanations to determine the right treatment, but photos can be misleading and can often lead to incorrect diagnoses.

Why Choose a Hair Loss Specialist Over a Telehealth Company

A lot of the reasons we’ve listed above may make you think that Hims and other telehealth hair loss options are a great way to save money and prevent you from having to go into an office to see an actual doctor, but do you really want to trust your health to someone behind a computer screen that you’ve never even met?

Hair loss is a very personal problem, and having a trained professional who is board-certified and has been practicing in this field for years can make all the difference in a successful plan versus a misdiagnosis or ineffective treatment.

There is no true patient/doctor relationship when it comes to telehealth screenings; in-fact, they typically rely on photos in order to “diagnose” and treat hair loss. Diagnosing hair loss strictly from photos can be complicated and often leads to incorrect treatment.

Photos can’t really show your doctor scarring alopecia, nutrient deficiency, or hormonal issues, not to mention it’s impossible to take a biopsy from a photograph. In a lot of cases it’s just a mid-level provider who looks at the photos and writes out a prescription for minoxidil or finasteride treatments. And these treatments aren’t always the best solution for all patients.

In our opinion, there is a lot of added benefits to seeing an actual board-certified dermatologist when it comes to hair loss and hair growth treatment. Having that personal relationship and being able to perform specific procedures, when necessary, is essential to fully treating hair loss and prescribing hair growth medications.

Does Hims for Hair Loss Work?

The effectiveness of Hims treatments depends on the same principles as any hair loss solution: the consistent and correct use of proven active ingredients like finasteride and minoxidil. These medications have been extensively studied and are widely recognized as the most effective options for addressing androgenetic alopecia, or male pattern baldness.

Ultimately, Hims treatments are as effective as the ingredients they use. The convenience of the subscription service and sleek branding doesn’t change the science behind the medications. However, engaging with an actual doctor and being able to undergo certain tests and examinations are essential in any hair growth treatment plan. And unfortunately, these things just aren’t possible with Hims or other telehealth providers.

If you really want to get the best treatment and help with your hair loss, a board-certified dermatologist is the recommended way to go.