While losing your hair is not the end of the world, most people do not like it and go to great lengths to try to avoid it. The question that makes up our headline is a very common one in our office.
According to medical studies performed at New York University, as many is 80% of men and 50% of women will experience some form of hair loss in their lifetime. When a person starts to notice thinning or shedding of hair, it is important to get on some sort of effective regimen as soon as possible.
The key to preventing baldness is to seek treatment early. Hair thinning and hair loss only get worse with time, and there does come a time where it is no longer treatable.
As people age, the rate of hair growth actually slows. Also, genetic and underlying medical conditions can hasten hair loss. Again, we emphasize that early action is important to prevent hair loss.
The most common form of baldness is caused by genetics and is known as male pattern baldness, or androgenic alopecia. If treated early enough, the progression can definitely be slowed. This form of genetic hair loss can also be worsened by other issues such as stress, menopause, other hormone fluctuations, smoking, or other lifestyle disruptions.
There is definitely some benefit from a diet high in healthy proteins and omega-3 fatty acids. Vitamin supplementation with biotin and vitamin D can definitely help as well. Topical solutions such as Rogaine can also be of benefit.
When most patients come to our offices for hair thinning complaints, they say they have already tried the supplementation and Rogaine pathways. Fortunately, we offer several different modalities which have been very helpful over the years.
The use of vampire hair regrowth, which involves injecting platelet rich plasma (PRP) into the scalp, has been very successful. However, many people do not choose that treatment due to the concern about pain from injections.
We are thrilled at Maine Laser Skin Care to offer another modality that is new to the state of Maine called Alma TED. This new hair treatment for both men and women uses ultrasound and a topical hair stimulant to promote hair growth, thickening of existing hair, and prevention of hair loss without the discomfort or trauma of injections.
This FDA-approved treatment has been very successful in initial studies. We have found that our patients also find it very comfortable, especially compared to PRP injections.
If you have been dealing with hair thinning or loss and have been seen few to no results with over-the-counter options, the TED delivery system may be your answer. We definitely advise a free initial consultation to assure that you are a good candidate for this treatment.
We can discuss more details of the actual treatment process at that time. Call us at either (207) 873-2158 in Augusta, or (207) 303-0125 in Scarborough to schedule your confidential consultation.