From prescription medications to transplants, the treatment of thinning hair has made great strides.
If your once shiny locks now look limp and thinning, take comfort in the fact that you are not alone.
For about 80 percent of men and 50 percent of women, hair loss is a part of life. Blame it on genetics, hormones, medications, overuse of hair dye, diet or stress. Call it androgenetic alopecia, also known as male or female pattern baldness, but thinning and disappearing hair is a reality for many.
It often starts without much pomp and circumstance. A few more hairs than usual in the bath. On closer inspection, they appear thinner than you remember.
“Hair loss is generally a gradual process and most people lose about 50 to 75 percent of their hair before they realize they are going bald,” said Dr. Emran Imami of Imami Hair Restoration in Melbourne. “During this time, the hair follicles shrink or become smaller, and over time the hair follicle will permanently die.”
When hair loss becomes visible, it’s time to act. Once the hair is gone, it’s gone forever.
“Early intervention is key to preventing hair loss in both men and women,” said Imami. “Early intervention with aggressive medical and regenerative treatments can reverse miniaturization and promote hair retention. Once the hair follicle shrinks and shuts down, hair stops growing.”
Those who choose to do nothing accept their baldness and opt for hats, wigs, hair powder or scalp micropigmentation (SMP), which involves artfully tattooing the scalp to deceive the eye into thinking it is real hair.
Ultimately, a person may simply accept a bald head, perhaps even going so far as to shave off the remaining hair. According to a study from the University of Pennsylvania, a shaved head can signal dominance in men, even over a completely shaved head, so that’s something to consider.
Instead of doing nothing, Aubrey Blaire decided to take action.
“I don’t want to look like my age,” said the Merritt Island resident.
Blaire, who suffers from androgenetic alopecia, noticed her hair thinning in her twenties.
“I had hair, but it was noticeably thinning,” she said.
She fought back, initially with minoxidil at a time when this drug was just being used for the first time to treat hair loss, and later moved on to protein-rich platelets (PRP) and PDO (polydioxonone) threads.
PRP separates the patient’s platelets in a centrifuge and injects them into bald areas. The theory is that the excess growth factors contained in these platelets will return hair follicles to their original fullness. PDO threads, often used in cosmetic procedures, promote cell division and stimulate dormant follicles to produce hair again.
For a while, Blaire was happy with PRP/PDO, enhanced by additional treatment such as biotin supplements, which are said to help restore hair growth in people with biotin deficiency.
Eventually, however, she felt her hair was starting to go limp again. She decided it was time to take a big step: a hair transplant, which is still the best option in the roughly $4 billion hair loss treatment industry.
“Hair transplantation remains the gold standard for hair restoration,” said Imami.
The procedure has changed significantly since it was introduced in the 1930s to help burn victims.
“The technology has improved to the point where we can now transfer individual hair follicles to achieve an artistic, natural result,” said Imami. “By transplanting individual hair follicles, the results are more natural and very effective.”
The procedure, which is performed outpatients, is much faster than it was years ago. Pretreatment with PRP, exosomes and other medications helps optimize results. Exosomes, or stem cell building blocks, have attracted interest due to their ability to transmit signals that initiate cell regeneration.
Donor hair is taken from the back of the head, where hair tends to grow thicker. In men, it can also be taken from beard hair. Imami uses NeoGraft to precisely harvest hair follicles, with a 99 percent success rate.
NeoGraft, the next generation of follicular unit excision procedures, safely extracts and transplants individual hair follicles. Since it is semi-automated, many potential human errors are eliminated. Hair follicles are extracted using a wand that pulls them out using suction. Another tool makes the incision and simultaneously implants the follicles. Since it is minimally invasive, complications and scarring are reduced.
Blaire got through the procedure in a flash. “It was like sleeping in a massage chair,” she said.
She admitted that she got worse before she got better. She had some hair loss at first as her scalp adjusted to the treatment, and there was minimal swelling. But after a day off, Blaire was back at work, and not long after, she was on vacation. She didn’t tell her family members about the transplant, and no one at work or home seemed to notice or ask her about it.
As the new hair began to grow, her head underwent a transformation. Her hair seemed thicker, because it actually was thicker.
“It’s a dramatic change,” she said. “It feels much fuller, but in a very natural way. Several people have told me they’re thrilled with what I’ve done with my hair.”
Since transplants are permanent, Blaire doesn’t expect to have to repeat them, especially since she’s gaining benefits by continuing PRP treatments and using over-the-counter hair loss prevention remedies like those recommended by Dr. Imami. These include products like organic shampoos and supplements rich in vitamins A to E, iron and trace minerals, as well as minoxidil, finasteride or Aldactone, all FDA-approved medications. Low-light laser caps, which look like a baseball cap and are worn for a set amount of time every day, can also prove useful.
Imami notes that more and more women like Blaire are opting for a transplant.
“Ten years ago, there were few medical treatment options for thinning hair, so I could only offer hair transplants to my patients,” he said. “95 percent of my patients then were men with severe hair loss or baldness, and 5 percent were women seeking the same treatment. With the recent development of new and effective regenerative medical therapies for hair loss, today 50 percent of my patients are women. Not only has the proportion of women in my practice changed, but both women and men are dealing with their thinning hair or hair loss at a much younger age.”
For more information, visit imamihair.com or call 321-312-4168.
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