None — HAIR LOSS: Hair loss may begin with a few extra strands in the sink of your comb and later progress to a bare scalp. Baldness, which refers to excessive hair loss, may occur. Hair loss can be on your scalp or other parts of your body and may be caused by hormones, underlying medical conditions, poor nutrition, hair treatments, or certain medications. Hair loss can also just be inherited. The most common type of patterned baldness is alopecia. It affects one-third of men and women and is typically permanent. For men, patterned baldness may begin in their 20's and may start as a receding hairline at the temples. Women with permanent hair loss usually have thinning of the hair up front and rarely experience complete baldness. Some people prefer to let their hair loss run its course and leave it untreated. Others may cover it up with hats, makeup or scarves. Others choose to go under surgical procedures. (Source: Mayo Clinic)
HAIR RESTORATION OPTIONS: Medication: Medication can be effective if the hair loss is not extensive. The Food and Drug Administration approves minoxidil (Rogaine), a liquid or foam that is rubbed into the scalp twice daily to re-grow hair or prevent hair loss. Finasteride is a prescription medication that is taken daily as a pill and is used to slow down hair loss. Corticosteroids are monthly cortisone injections into the scalp that treat hair loss, and new hair may be visible within weeks. Anthralin is a cream that is applied to the scalp and washed off daily. It is normally used to treat psoriasis. Surgery: Surgery options include hair transplant and scalp reduction. A hair transplant procedure involves a dermatologist or cosmetic surgeon taking tiny plugs of skin that have a couple strands of hair connected to it from the back of the scalp. The plugs are then implanted in the bald areas of the scalp. Scalp reduction is used when the skin becomes flexible and is stretched enough, so some of the baldness may be removed. Once removed, the space is closed with hair. Surgeons are also able to fold hair-bearing skin on top of an area of bald skin to enhance scalp reduction. Wigs and Hairpieces: Wigs and hairpieces are alternatives to medication and surgery. (Source: Mayo Clinic)
FOLLICULAR UNIT EXTRACTION (FUE): FUE is a minimally-invasive hair transplantation procedure that leaves no strip scars and no linear scars. FUE extracts single, follicular units individually from the donor area without a scalpel. This allows the patient to have no stitches and no scars. FUE also allows for the scalp to heal more quickly. The procedure requires significantly more time than traditional surgeries to have the same results. With FUE, 500 to 700 grafts may be harvested per day. The procedure allows the patient to have fewer activity restrictions, a shorter recovery time, back-to-back procedures and very short haircuts. On the other hand, FUE has a smaller plug yield per day and is more labor-intensive and expensive than traditional options. A new device called the NeoGraft helps make FUE easier. It uses slight rotation to loosen follicles then acts as a punch with suction to quickly remove them. The NeoGraft can get up to 1,600 follicles in one day.
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