What Are Your Best Treatment Options For Thinning Hair?
Whether you're male or female, dealing with hair loss can be embarrassing. You may find yourself spending more and more time each day attempting to fix your hair in a way that conceals thinning or bald spots. Fortunately, there are some treatment options available that can restore both your hair and your self-esteem. Read on to learn more about some effective treatment options for thinning hair or other types of hair loss.
Minoxidil
This drug began its life as a blood pressure medication; however, researchers quickly learned that, when applied topically, it could treat hair loss as well. Minoxidil is available in both a male and female formula, as men and women generally have different patterns of hair loss.
While minoxidil can keep you from losing more hair and, in some cases, spur regrowth of hair you've already lost, it can take up to two years of daily application to reach the drug's maximum effectiveness. If you're the type of person who has trouble remembering to take vitamins or other medication on a daily basis, you may have trouble using minoxidil regularly enough to achieve results.
Additionally, stopping the use of minoxidil will allow your hair to return to its pre-minoxidil state; and if you've been dealing with progressive hair loss and have taken minoxidil for several years, you may wind up losing far more hair than you lost before starting minoxidil. It's important to keep these treatment caveats in mind to ensure that, if you choose minoxidil as a hair loss treatment option, you'll achieve the best possible results.
Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Injections
Platelet-Rich Plasma hair therapy uses your body's own plasma to spur hair growth. During this process, your blood will be drawn and then put through a centrifuge to separate the platelet-rich plasma, platelet-poor plasma, and red blood cells. After this, your platelet-rich plasma will be placed into a syringe and injected into the parts of your scalp that need it.
Proponents of PRP therapy claim that the direct intravenous application of plasma to the scalp can improve hair growth, slow hair loss, and even spur regrowth. For those with thinning hair, PRP therapy can sometimes increase the diameter of the hair follicles, making the hair that remains look far thicker.
PRP therapy isn't a one-step process. Most patients achieve the best outcomes by having at least three PRP treatments, usually one to two months apart. After your initial three treatments, you may opt to return for a follow-up two to three times per year.
