Hair loss. Many think of it as an older man’s problem and also that if your father or grandfather on your mother’s side was bald, you were on the fast track to a shiny dome at some point in midlife. Both are incorrect. The gene can come from either side of your family and the reality is that close to 50% of men and 40% of women will experience hair loss at some point in their lives. The even grimmer reality is that there remain few effective ways to combat the problem other than hair transplant surgery and the topical drug Rogaine®. If you don’t have the time and money for a hair transplant and/or don’t want the hassle or unknown risks of putting a chemical on your head twice daily for the rest of your life, what options are there? Read on to hear my top suggestion and one I’ve tested on myself!
First, I always recommend that anyone experiencing hair loss, especially if it’s sudden or dramatic (i.e. falling out in patches or clumps) should first visit their primary care doctor to see if there are any underlying issues that could be causing it. For women, hair loss is often due to a hormone imbalance – decline of estrogen, higher concentration of testosterone and another hormone, DHT, which shrinks hair follicles. DHT is also the contributing factor in male hair loss as it has the same effect on their follicles. Hormone imbalances can sometimes be corrected in younger individuals, but for those of us at a certain (ahem!) age, it’s time to take a different approach.
Platelet Rich Plasma for Hair Restoration
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) has shown great promise for restoring hair with a natural process, using your body’s own blood platelets to stimulate hair regrowth. There is no surgery, no anesthesia and no additional medications to apply. And it’s done in our offices in about an hour!
I am a big believer in this regenerative procedure using your body’s own biologic materials because I have had great results with it myself. A few years ago, I experienced very concerning hair loss at my temples due to a serious, low grade infection that went undetected for some time. I noticed rapid thinning of my hair and decided to try the “medicine” I was using on my patients on myself – PRP! I wrote about the process here. I am so happy with the results and regrowth both for me and the numerous patients, both male and female, I’ve used it on. I’ve seen great results in my female patients experiencing thinning hair at the temple and frontal hair line and also thinning eyebrows, all areas that show up in peri-menopause and menopause. Hair loss happens to men and women and no one is happy when it does! It’s time to take control of our locks and fight the battle, naturally, with PRP.
