Hair loss, even just a little, can hit people hard. We usually think of men as the ones losing their hair, but it happens to women too. Losing a little hair every day is normal, if you’re losing more than about 200 hairs a day, you may want to look into what could be behind it.
Stress, thyroid levels, autoimmune conditions such as psoriasis or alopecia, fungal infections, and changes in diet or medication can all affect your hair. Whether you’ve lost some hair in a patch or all over, your doctor or one of our providers can in most cases help diagnose the underlying cause and find the proper treatment to help combat it.
To treat more stubborn cases of hair loss, such as male pattern baldness, or to boost healthy hair growth dermatologists are excited about a procedure known as PRP, or platelet-rich plasma for hair loss. It works with the body’s natural wound-healing defense to stimulate healing of damaged hair follicles, helping to prevent hair loss.
PRP has been used as a treatment to heal wounds and skin for more than two decades*, and medical literature from both Europe and the United States confirms its safety. Now, there is evidence of promise in support of hair growth.
We draw your blood in our office and spin it in a centrifuge to separate out the PRP into a high concentration. Then, we inject the highly concentrated platelet-rich plasma into the scalp. No sedation or medication of any kind other than your body’s own material is used, making it an extremely safe procedure. PRP contains many natural growth factors that get right to work stimulating your hair follicles. Some patients are choosing to be treated with PRP every three to four months as early data suggests this as a good interval. Other patients use PRP as part of scalp grafting surgery to encourage survival of the grafts.
New to our office is a great product line by ISDIN. The Lambdapil Anti-Hair Loss series contains a lotion, capsules, and shampoo for comprehensive at-home treatment of hair loss. The lotion uses melatonin as an antioxidant to protect the hair follicle and revitalize the hair bulb. The capsules contain L-cysteine, taurine, silicon, zinc, biotin, serenoa, and vitamin B6 to regulate hormonal activity and prevent hair loss. The shampoo stimulates the hair follicle and normalizes the sebaceous secretion.
Call our office today at 512.379.6090 to find out more about PRP or Lambdapil. We’re always happy to give you any information you need or to schedule an appointment.
* Extensive clinical trials are not complete and medical data is not yet published to establish the absolute effectiveness of PRP therapy in hair restoration. PRP should not be considered a “cure” for hair loss and no guarantee can be made about its individual effectiveness. No claim of PRP efficacy in promoting hair growth can be made because there is no FDA approval that would allow such claims to be made.