Hair loss is a frustrating and emotional experience that can chip away at your confidence. Fortunately, multiple solutions are available for people who have grown tired of hiding their thinning hair under hats, scarves, and artificial hairpieces. Take control of your appearance and self-image by understanding what causes hair loss, exploring the available treatments, and learning what qualities may make you a good candidate.
Why Do People Lose Their Hair?
Hair loss results from various factors.
- Genetics: The leading cause of hair thinning and baldness in men and women is a hereditary condition called androgenetic alopecia, also known as pattern hair loss. Men usually lose hair on the top and front of their heads, while thinning in women often starts as a widening of the center part that leaves the front hairline unaffected.
- Hormonal changes: Pregnancy, menopause, and thyroid problems can lead to temporary hair loss.
- Alopecia areata: This autoimmune disease causes the immune system to mistakenly attack hair follicles, making them shrink and eventually stop producing hair. Alopecia areata can affect people of all ages, genders, and ethnicities, and its course can vary from person to person.
- Medical issues: Aside from androgenetic alopecia, which you inherit, scalp infections and specific illnesses can cause hair thinning.
- Medications: Some treatments for cancer, arthritis, depression, and heart problems can result in hair loss.
- Stress and lifestyle: High stress levels, poor diet, and inadequate hair care can also contribute to balding.
Hair Loss Remedies
Advancements in medicine and technology offer various ways to restore fuller, healthier hair. From topical medications to innovative surgical procedures and natural therapies, these four diverse treatments can help you look younger and more vibrant when performed by a qualified dermatologist.
1. Medications
Two medications are typically the first line of defense for people with less advanced hair loss.
- Minoxidil: Available without a prescription, minoxidil is a topical treatment you apply directly to your scalp. It stimulates dormant follicles, promoting hair growth in men and women. Be patient and consistent – it may take several months for you to notice your results.
- Finasteride: In men, a hormone called dihydrotestosterone contributes to baldness by shrinking hair follicles. Finasteride specifically targets the enzyme 5-alpha reductase, lowering DHT levels by up to 70% from baseline. This prescription medication has slowed hair loss and promoted regrowth in many men, though you should ask your provider about potential side effects.
2. Platelet-Rich Plasma
Platelet-rich plasma is an innovative treatment that uses growth factors extracted from your blood to address male and female pattern baldness more effectively than medications and supplements. PRP hair restoration involves injecting concentrated plasma directly into areas of your scalp experiencing alopecia. Every session begins with drawing a small amount of your blood, then placing it in a centrifuge to isolate the platelets. This process enriches the PRP, ensuring it contains three to five times the platelet concentration found in normal blood.
Injecting this concentrated PRP into targeted areas enhances blood supply to dormant hair follicles, promoting healthier, fuller hair over time. PRP treatments are natural and biocompatible, significantly reducing the chance of allergic reactions or rejection. Platelet-rich plasma harnesses your body’s innate healing mechanisms to improve hair density.
While PRP is not a cure and results can vary, many patients experience noticeable improvements in hair thickness and coverage after a series of sessions. It’s a minimally invasive option that offers a promising alternative for those seeking to address hair thinning and loss.
3. Scalp Reduction Surgery
Scalp reduction surgery involves stretching skin with healthy, growing hair over bald spots. This procedure is usually best for people who have sufficient skin elasticity and significant hair loss. While it can be effective for patients who meet the qualifications, it is a more invasive procedure that requires careful consideration and consultation with a specialist.
4. Hair Transplant Surgery
In the past, many hair transplants left patients with uneven coverage or unnatural-looking results. Fortunately, modern techniques have advanced significantly, eliminating these concerns. Today’s hair replacement methods use hair taken from other parts of your head to regrow and restore density in balding areas.
You may be an excellent candidate for one of these two techniques if you have sufficient donor hair and your hair loss has progressed to a stage where a skilled surgeon can accurately predict the pattern.
- Follicular unit transplantation: Also known as strip harvesting, FUT involves removing a donor area of scalp from the back of your head, removing healthy hair follicles, and transplanting them to the balding areas of your scalp. This approach allows a qualified surgeon to harvest many follicles in a single session, but will leave you with a linear scar.
- Follicular unit extraction: This advanced method entails extracting individual hair follicles from the donor area and transplanting them to the balding areas. It is minimally invasive, leaves nearly invisible scars, and does not necessitate stitches or downtime. FUE creates more natural-looking results by enabling your surgeon to place each hair graft, giving them a high degree of control over the placement and direction. The evidence that you had surgery will be virtually undetectable, even if you choose a short hairstyle. However, it can be more time-consuming and might require multiple sessions to achieve your desired coverage.
Who Is a Good Candidate for Hair Transplant Surgery?
Several myths surround the ideal age and timing for addressing hair loss. One common misconception is that it’s better to pursue hair transplant surgery as soon as you notice your hair beginning to thin or recede. However, it might surprise you to learn that slightly older transplant patients often have a better chance of a successful outcome. That’s because predicting the future hair loss pattern in younger patients can be challenging, even for experienced specialists.
Hair loss may progress as you age, potentially negating the results of an initial surgery. For example, if you receive a hair transplant to address a thinning crown in your early 20s, you may end up a decade or so later with an “island” of transplanted hair surrounded by areas where your natural hair has continued to fall out. This phenomenon can give you an unnatural appearance and lead you to pursue additional procedures to maintain a cohesive look.
Older patients typically have a more established hair loss pattern, making it easier for a knowledgeable dermatologist to create a long-term plan that addresses current and future hair thinning.
Cutting-Edge Hair Loss Treatments in San Francisco
Patience and realistic expectations are vital with any cosmetic procedure, and hair loss remedies are no exception. Results can take several months to become visible with medications like minoxidil and finasteride, and you must apply them consistently. While PRP is promising and has fewer side effects than OTC or prescription medicine, you will likely need a series of sessions to see an improvement.
Similarly, surgical techniques like scalp reduction, FUT, and FUE can reduce bald spots and give you more coverage, but they cannot give you a full head of hair overnight or prevent future thinning and balding. You’ll still need to allow time for recovery and the natural hair growth cycle. Each person’s hair loss experience is unique, and it may take a combination of solutions to find what works best for you. Schedule your consultation with the board-certified dermatologists at Dermatology Medical Group of San Francisco to determine the best course of action based on your specific needs and goals. Our collaborative treatment philosophy enables us to provide a high standard of care for every patient, assessing your situation and advising you on the ideal timing and approach.
