TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR HAIR LOSS
Medications:
Using a gardening analogy, DHT is like a poison that kills your plants. There are multiple treatment options to reduce the effects of DHT. These are divided into medications that reduce DHT levels via inhibiting the conversion of Testosterone to DHT (Finasteride and Dutasteride). This class of medications targets the Alpha 5-reductase enzymes (class I and II). Some patients have significant success with the proper medicinal prescriptions and dosing.
LOW-LEVEL LIGHT LASER THERAPY:
Laser hair caps, also known as low-level laser treatment (LLLT) devices, are designed to prevent or reverse hair loss. They work by emitting red light that is thought to stimulate hair growth by speeding up cell division. LLLT may also encourage hair follicle stem cells to produce new strands. The treatment is FDA-approved for both men and women who are experiencing thinning. However, the specific mechanism of how it works is not fully understood. It’s believed that the light therapy has anti-inflammatory properties that reduce the number of damaged cells in the scalp, which could prevent those harmful cells from causing hair loss.
Research has shown that laser caps can be effective in treating male pattern hair loss and female pattern hair loss, especially when other forms of therapy have proved unsuccessful. However, they do not directly help you grow hair in advanced balding areas.
dE|RIVE TREATMENTS with aquafirme
Platelet-Rich Plasma or PRP has been used for decades to stimulate hair growth. This procedure uses the patient's own stem cells and growth factors already produced by platelets. A needle is inserted into a vein to obtain blood which is then spun down in a centrifuge to separate blood cells and plasma. The platelet-rich plasma is then re-injected into the scalp, delivering the stem cells and growth factors to the hair follicle and stimulating growth. While there has been a lot of hype regarding PRP, there are many factors that can affect the success of such treatments such as the quality of platelets harvested (which is generally unknown), caffeine consumption, acute infections, and medical conditions.
More recently, there has been a lot of research and development of bio-identical growth factors from different natural sources with consistent quality for the same purpose. DE|RIVE has been FDA approved for the treatment of hair loss. We utilize this serum with our Aquafirme XS device to exfoliate the scalp, improve blood flow to the hair follicles, and deliver the growth factors to the hair follicles then ultrasound and low-level laser therapy is applied to push the growth factors deeper into the hair follicles.
Surgical Treatments (FUE/FUT/LSE):
The surgical treatments for male and female pattern hair loss have significantly advanced over time, offering excellent short- and long-term results when the most suitable method is applied to the right individual. The two procedures are the Linear Strip Excision (LSE), also known as Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT), and Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). Dr. Fernandez-Tatum will thoroughly discuss both techniques during the consultation, outlining the advantages and disadvantages of each, and explaining the reasons behind selecting the most appropriate technique for each individual