Dermatologists Secrets to Thinning Hair for Men and Women

Dermatologists Secrets to Thinning Hair for Men and Women

Believe it or not hair loss or thinning hair affects both men and women.  There is a huge market for lotions, potions, and vitamins to regrow hair.  There are some things that actually work to slow down hair loss or even regrow hair.  There are others that are pure snake oil.  Hopefully, by reading this you will know the difference.

Understanding Hair Loss: Separating Fact from Fiction

Alopecia is a very generic term that refers to hair loss.  The most common type of hair loss we see in both men and women is genetically preprogramed hair loss.  The hair on your head has both active growth and resting phases just like the seasons.  On any given day about 100 hairs will enter a resting phase called telogen.  At the same time about 100 hairs will wake up and enter a growth phase known as anagen.  About 15% of our follicles are resting.  As time goes by an individual hair follicle goes through many growth/rest/growth cycles.  In people with genetically programed hair loss known as androgenetic or male patterned baldness in men and Female pattern baldness in women certain hair follicles will get smaller and smaller with each successive cycle.  These follicles miniaturize to the point that they are so small that they are barely visible.  That’s the bad news.  The good news is that there is effective treatment.

Effective Hair Loss Treatments: What Really Works

The first medicine that was shown to be effective and approved by the FDA in treating hair loss was Rogaine.  This medicine initially required a prescription but now is available over the counter.  Rogaine is the brand name for minoxidil in a topically applied formulation.  Minoxidil was originally used as an oral medication to treat high blood pressure.  Rogaine comes in both an alcohol-based liquid as well as a foam.  I recommend the liquid as the foam can matte down your hair.  Most people that use Rogaine will find it slows down hair loss.  Some lucky people will find they grow new hair.  The downside of Rogaine is that you need to apply it two times a day and keep using it to maintain the results, a small percent of people will find it irritates the scalp and about 10% of people see no benefit.  You need to use it for 9-12 months to assess if it is working.

Propecia (finasteride) is a once a day oral medication FDA approved to treat male patterned hairloss.  At higher doses the medicine was originally used to treat enlarged prostates.  A prescription is required.  The medicine is not approved for use by women.  Propecia offers the convenience of a once daily oral medication that is more effective than Rogaine.  There have been side effects reported in some such as decreased sex drive and depression.  It is not clear if there is a “cause and effect” of these side effects.  The advantage of this medication is convenience and efficacy.

Latisse is a topically applied medication that can regrow hair.  It is used mostly to help with thinning lashes for which it is FDA approved.  It can also be used “off-label” for thinning eyebrows.  It would not be practical to use it for thinning hair on the scalp because of how expensive that would be.

In our office we have had great success with PRP treatments.  PRP stands for platelet rich plasma where a tube of your blood is taken.  The blood is centrifuged (spun) at high speeds.  This separates the blood cells from the PRP.  The PRP containing growth factors that stimulate the follicle is injected into the areas of thinning hair.  Since we are injecting your natural tissue there is no concern about a reaction or allergy to the injection.  Most people require 4 treatments spaced one month apart.  Maintenance injections are scheduled at 6 months intervals.  Most people combine PRP with Rogain or Propecia.  There is some evidence that low level Lasers can help stimulate the follicles.  Some of our patients combine using the Theradome laser with PRP.  Theradome is a home use device that one wears for two 20 minute sessions per week.  None of these treatments are covered by insurance.

Thinning hair is a problem that plagues both men and women.  There are many things promoted to help with thinning hair.  Unfortunately, many don’t work.  I have included treatments for which there is scientific evidence of their effectiveness.  One thing we do know is that time is of the essence.  If you are concerned about hair loss call us now as the longer you delay treatment the less likely treatment will be effective for you.

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