What Is The Outcome For Someone Who Has Hair Loss
With an accurate diagnosis, many people who have hair loss can see hair regrowth. If you need treatment for regrowth, the earlier you start, the more likely you are to see regrowth.
Its important to understand that:
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Not every type of hair loss can be treated, but a dermatologist may be able to prevent further hair loss.
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It can take months before you see results from treatment.
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No one treatment works for everyone, even two people with the same type of hair loss.
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Sometimes, hair loss is stubborn and requires trying different treatments before finding one that works.
Self-care also plays an essential role in preventing and treating hair loss. To find out what dermatologists recommend, go to Hair loss: Self-care.
Images1,2: Getty Images
3: Property of the American Academy of Dermatology, A to Z Video Series
4: Image used with permission of Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology: J Am Acad Dermatol. 1998 39:578-89.
ReferencesAdil A, Godwin M. The effectiveness of treatments for androgenetic alopecia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2017 77:136-141.
American Academy of Dermatology:
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Research demonstrates potential of platelet-rich plasma therapy for hair loss News release issued March 1, 2019. Last accessed May 22, 2019.
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New generation of laser and light therapies could provide future treatment options for skin, hair and nail conditions, News release issued March 16, 2012. Last accessed May 22, 2019.
Is There A Cure For Alopecia Areata
There is currently no cure for alopecia aerata. However, there are many treatments available to keep alopecia areata under control, help restore your hair loss, and prevent its spread.
- Intralesional cortisone injections The most common treatment used are intralesional cortisone injections directly into the areas of hair loss. If these patches of hair loss are treated early, they seem to be more responsive to the positive effects of the injections.
- PRP injections Injections of Platelet Rich Plasma, encourage hair growth since they are replete with all of the growth factors which occur naturally in the body.
- Topical Minoxidil – Minoxidil both stimulates new hair growth and helps maintain the current hair thinning or shedding.
- Anthralin is a topical medication that is used to control inflammation at the base of hair follicles. It is a man-made version of a natural substance found in goa powder, which is from the araroba tree.
Your Hair Is Falling Out Rapidly And Suddenly
More often than not, male pattern baldness is something that happens gradually. While the rate at which men lose their hair varies from person to person and is usually determined by genetics, rarely does it cause large clumps of hair to fall out.
However, for some guys, male pattern baldness is an obvious problem thats defined by lots and lots of hair shedding.
If youve developed a large bald spot seemingly overnight, or if youve started to notice your hair falling out in large amounts , its usually a sign that youre experiencing significant hair loss.
This could be due to male pattern baldness, or it could be hair shedding caused by an illness or other health issue. In any case, its best to make an appointment with a hair loss doctor to learn about whats causing your hair loss, as well as what you can do to stop it.
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How Do Women Experience Hair Loss
Somewhat like men, most hair loss in women occurs as female-pattern hair loss. That is, hair is lost in specific areas of the scalp and the hair that remains is more like the hair on a persons arms or legs. The pattern of hair loss in women is different than men, however.
While most men experience baldness as a receding hair line and bald spots, women typically experience a visible thinning across the crown. Both women and men experienced the shortened growth cycle in the areas of hair loss that create small and sparse remaining hairs.
Thinning Hair And Hair Loss: Could It Be Female Pattern Hair Loss
For most women, FPHL begins in midlife, when a woman is in her 40s, 50s, or 60s. It can begin earlier for some women.
FPHL is a progressive condition. This means women tend to continue losing hair. But women do not lose all of their hair, as do some men. Instead, your part often gets wider. Hair near your temples may recede. Without treatment, some women eventually develop widespread thinning.
Treatment can prevent hair loss from worsening and help women regrow their hair. Treatment delivers the best results when started at the first sign of hair loss.
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Where To Find A Hair Dermatologist
One of the best places to search for a dermatologist is actually through the American Academy of Dermatology Association website.
They allow you to search by zip code and name, as well as to filter for things like conditions to be treated , the focus of their practice , and procedure including hair transplants.
There are some things you may want to try and decipher about your hair issues beforehand, like what kind of hair loss youre dealing with.
While its a healthcare professionals job to diagnose your issues, knowing more about the kind of hair loss you may be experiencing can help you find the right professional, so lets look at a few common hair loss types.
If you need some help, you can always reach out to your primary healthcare provider and tell them whats going on.
They should be able to recommend a specialist that makes sense with your location, your insurance, who theyve worked with and can vet, etc.
Hydrafacial Keravive Scalp Treatment Nyc
Dr. Green has been using the Hydrafacial technology to help rejuvenate the skin. Now, the Hydrafacial technology has created Keravive, which is a unique office 3-step office procedure to cleanse, stimulate, and hydrate the scalp. Keravive removes impurities and dead skin cells from the hair follicles and replaces vitals nutrients, such as antioxidants, peptides, and hyaluronic acid, into the scalp. This 3-step process consists of:
- Step 1: Cleansing and Exfoliating which uses Hydrafacial Vortex Technology to clean the oils and impurities from the scalp and the hair follicles, and stimulating circulation.
- Step 2: Stimulating and Nourishing the scalp utilizing a unique Peptide Complex Solution. This advanced solution stimulates and nourishes the scalp and its hair follicles with proteins and growth factors.
- Step 3: Extend and Enhance the results at home with the Hydrafacial Keravive Complex Spray, which nourishes and scalp and hair follicles on a daily basis.
Hydrafacial Keravive in-office treatment is recommended once a month for three months in conjunction with the Keravive Complex spray for healthier-looking, fuller, hair. The effects of Hydrafacial Keravive are both immediate and long lasting.
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Procedures To Help Regrow Hair
While at-home treatments offer convenience, a procedure performed by a board-certified dermatologist tends to be more effective. For this reason, your dermatologist may include one of the following in your treatment plan.
Injections of corticosteroids: To help your hair regrow, your dermatologist injects this medication into the bald areas. These injections are usually given every 4 to 8 weeks as needed, so you will need to return to your dermatologists office for treatment.
This is considered the most effective treatment for people who have a few patches of alopecia areata, a condition that causes hair loss. In one study of 127 patients with patchy alopecia areata, more than 80% who were treated with these injections had at least half of their hair regrow within 12 weeks.
Hair transplant: If you have an area of thinning or balding due to male pattern baldness, your dermatologist may mention a hair transplant as an option. This can be an effective and permanent solution.
Laser therapy: If using minoxidil every day or taking medication to treat hair loss seems unappealing to you, laser therapy may be an option. Also called low-level laser therapy, a few studies suggest that this may help:
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Hereditary hair loss
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Hair loss due to chemotherapy
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Stimulate healing and hair growth after a hair transplant
Studies indicate that laser therapy is safe and painless but requires many treatment sessions. To see a bit of hair growth, you may need several treatments a week for many months.
Prp Treatment For Male And Female Patients
PRP is a non-invasive injectable treatment for hair loss which uses the patients own blood. A small blood sample is taken from the patient in a special tube which is then placed in a centrifuge and spun for ten minutes to separate the plasma from red blood cells. The separated plasma contains the PRP which is injected into the scalp to treat hair loss. The plasma that is separated during this process contains growth factors which are a mixture of proteins and cytokines. The proteins and cytokines both play an important role in stimulating the hair follicles to generate hair growth. The growth factors found in PRP are known to produce the following effects.
PRP is the only non-invasive procedure available at this time for hair loss. Before PRP, surgical hair transplantation was the only available treatment option for those suffering from hair loss. Hair transplantation is an expensive and painful process which removes hair follicles from the back of your scalp and transplants them in areas of the scalp with hair loss. Although today there are several other hair transplantation options, PRP injections are a holistic, non-invasive treatment for hair growth and regrowth.
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Platelet Rich Plasma For Hair Loss
Dr. Michele Green was one of the first dermatologists in NYC to treat hair loss with Platelet Rich Plasma injections. PRP is a holistic, straightforward and highly effective treatment. After a simple blood draw, your blood is spun in a special PRP separating tube, extracting the platelet rich plasma. The PRP has all of the important growth factors, which are injected into your scalp, to re-grow your hair. PRP has been used for years by professional athletes, in conjunction with injections into their joints, to naturally speed up healing. Patients typically benefit from 5 treatments of PRP, spaced one month apart, and annual maintenance treatments to sustain your hair and prevent future hair loss.
How Do Dermatologists Examine Hair Loss
Once one has decided to visit their dermatologist to check their hair, what goes on, exactly? A dermatologist will often begin by checking the patients hair overall and honing in on specific areas of hair loss. They will also examine the patients nails, as the condition of these features may signal problems elsewhere. All the while, your dermatologist will ask questions related to your lifestyle, nutrition, skincare, and haircare in particular .
If, after these steps, your dermatologist cant make a determination regarding alopecia causes, they might perform a blood test to further examine your bodys health and look for other diseases related to the immune system. They might also conduct a scalp biopsy to check for infection.
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What Is A Hair Loss Specialist
A hair loss specialist is generally a dermatologist. Dermatologists are physicians who specialize in treating conditions of the hair, skin, and nails. Dermatologists complete medical school, a residency in dermatology and many go on to complete further specializations.
A dermatologist hair loss specialist near me can be extremely helpful in understanding the underlying cause of your hair loss. If he/she suspects that your hair loss is due to malnutrition, hormonal imbalance, or stress, you may be referred to other specialists for more treatment.
How Seeing A Hair Loss Doctor Can Help You
The sooner the topic of your hair loss is discussed with a doctor and a treatment is started, the better chance you have at maintaining a thicker head of hair long term. Time wasted ignoring your hair issues, or trying out questionable over the counter or gimmicky hair loss treatments likely wonât get you far.
A hair loss doctor can perform tests and observe your hair to help you figure out if your hair loss is genetic , nutritional, stress or illness related, or due to a scalp or skin condition. And, ultimately, prescription hair loss treatments can only be obtained through a prescription from a doctor.
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Can A Dermatologist Help Women With Hair Loss
While hair loss can be hard for men, hair loss in women can pose a significant psychological strain due to societys expectations on how they appear. These days, however, a visit to a dermatologist can lead to a diagnosis that can help to treat and even reverse the condition.
Because of the importance placed on long, thick hair in women, some who experience hair loss can experience severe problems with self-esteem that affects their quality of life. Although hair loss in women doesnt typically pose a risk to their physical health, many still find it worthwhile to visit a doctor that specializes in skin, hair and nails for help.
What’s The Best Doctor To See For Hair Loss
If you’ve started to notice your hairline receding or the hair on the crown of your head slipping away, you may be experiencing male pattern hair loss.
It’s a genuine medical condition that affects millions of men globally, and this type of hair loss is actually the most common cause of hair loss among men. Nearly 80% of men will experience significant hair loss in their lifetime because of it.
For most men, the process of losing their hair will start sometimes in their 30s, but it can start later or much earlier depending on genetic traits. In fact, genetics and heredity are key factors in whether you’ll be affected by male pattern baldness, also known as androgenic alopecia.
While male pattern hair loss is a progressive condition that results in continual hair loss over time, there are hair loss treatments that can delay loss and even stimulate new growth. The first step to treatment may involve seeing a medical professional.
But which is the best medical professional for hair loss?
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Vitamins Minerals And Other Supplements
If your blood test reveals that youre not getting enough biotin, iron, or zinc, your dermatologist may recommend taking a supplement. If youre not getting enough protein, your dermatologist can tell you how to boost your intake.
You should only take biotin, iron, or zinc when your blood test shows that you have a deficiency. If your levels are normal, taking a supplement can be harmful. For example, if you take too much iron, you can develop iron poisoning. Early signs of this include stomach pain and vomiting.
Other supplements meant to help with hair loss tend to contain a lot of one nutrient. Because this can cause you to get too much of the nutrient, many dermatologists recommend taking a multivitamin instead.