Many patients concerned with thinning hair or hair loss visit with Dr. Thompson to determine which treatment will best help them restore fullness and regain confidence. Patients are often surprised to learn that the best approach typically includes a myriad of treatments, non-invasive and invasive, to fully tackle the problem.
Often the first approach is with over-the-counter and prescription medication. For men, and some women, with male or female pattern baldness (androgenic alopecia), Dr. Thompson will recommend Rogaine for daily use and may prescribe Propecia as well. Propecia is an FDA-approved prescription medication used to treat hair loss. It works by blocking the production of DHT – the male hormone that causes hair follicles to miniaturize (shrink). Propecia is a long-term commitment and must be taken regularly. Once discontinued, further hair loss will result within 3-8 months.
Low level laser therapy may also be recommended to strengthen the scalp and stimulate the follicles. Popular products include the HairMax LaserComb and Capillus272. Both are FDA approved though Capillus272 is easier to use as it’s a cap that can be worn under your favorite hat at home or on the go. The lasercomb requires 10-15 minutes per treatment of combing through your hair. It’s recommended that treatments are done three days per week on non-consecutive days.
For patients that have already experienced a considerable amount of hair loss, hair transplant surgery is the only option that will add volume to bald areas and restore your hairline. Dr. Thompson offers two methods to extract your own follicles from the back of your head and then grafts those follicles in a completely natural pattern to bald or thinning areas. The strip-method (or FUT) involves removing a dense strip of hair from the back of the head to obtain grafts. Though minimal, there will always be a linear scar on the back of the head that results from this procedure. For patients who wear their hair longer, this is typically not a problem.
We have found that more and more patients are turning to FUE, in which the follicles are extracted one by one so there is not need to remove a strip of hair from the back of the head. This results in no linear scar. Manual FUE techniques can be tedious, time consuming, and typically result in a high rate of damaged follicles that will not produce hair growth. Dr. Thompson uses NeoGraft, the first automated hair restoration system that suctions the grafts out with an average survival rate of 98%.
To determine what combination therapy for hair loss will be right for you, call (801)776-2220 or learn more at UtahHairMD.com.