The hair on your head has been with you since the day you were born. Did you know you were born with approximately 100,000 hair follicles on your head?
You might have taken your hair for granted — until you’ve started losing it. By age 35, 40% of men experience hair loss. Hair loss can be hard to face and hard to talk about. But the sooner you come to terms with it, the sooner you can do something about it.
Hair restoration is increasing with various effective techniques for every lifestyle and income. At Hair Doc, located in Cow Hollow, San Francisco, we’re here to tell you about six hair restoration techniques to consider.
Your blood is one of the most powerful healing mechanisms of all. This idea is used in platelet-rich plasma (PRP), a therapy used to heal musculoskeletal disorders, improve skin concerns, and treat hair loss.
PRP contains a rich combination of cytokines and growth factors that not only revitalizes your hair’s health but encourages new hair growth. PRP’s benefits include its nonsurgical, safe, and all-natural way to improve your hairline.
PRP involves a three-step process:
Patients experience thicker, fuller hair shafts around two weeks after treatment. However, it often takes 3-6 months to experience noticeable results. Most patients need a series of three treatments spaced 4-6 weeks apart.
Follicular Unit Grafting began in 1992 after Dr. Limmer of Texas described dissecting out hair follicles with their attached oil glands as one, two or three hairs coming out of one opening. This has been the standard since that time. Over ten years later 1mm punch incisions - Follicular Unit Extraction- ( FUE ) -to take out the follicular grafts was the answer for patients who did not want to have sutures or did not want a linear donor scar to be visible with a buzz cut or shaved head.
Hair transplants aren’t new, but they’re becoming more popular than ever. You probably have a friend or co-worker who’s gotten one — 3.4 million hair transplants were performed globally in 2021. One of the ways hair transplants are performed is by a follicular unit extraction (FUE).
Follicular unit extraction is a safe, outpatient procedure and can be done in one day. Peter Panagotacos, MD, takes circular extractions from your scalp where hair growth is abundant and transplants them on areas you’ve experienced balding. He uses the ARTAS iX®, a precise robotic system, to select the best hair grafts to ensure up to a 100% succession rate.
Blood vessels nourish the bald spots, and new hair growth is formed for a thick, replenished hairline over the next few months. FUE is a great option for those looking for a natural, younger-looking appearance with minimal pain or scarring. It’s often referred to as a painless scarless procedure- that is close to being true. . It is the method of choice for those with very short hair as it will not show the linear scar which is the result a FUT procedure.
Follicular unit transplant (FUT) has existed since the 1992 and provides the most natural, dramatic results today. Many surgeons believe a FUT yields the most and highest quality hair grafts than any other treatment — approximately 3,000 hair grafts can be transplanted in one FUT.
During a FUT, Dr. Panagotacos injects a local anesthetic into your scalp to help keep you comfortable. Next, he removes a 6-10 inch strip of skin from the back of your scalp where you have healthy hair growth.
His surgical technicians dissect out the hair follicles a follicular unit grafts which are then inserted into tiny slits in balding areas. This surgery provides the best results for patients with a receding hairline caused by male pattern baldness. It is the method of choice for patients with long hair.
Safe, easy, and noninvasive are three ways to describe the laser cap. It may look like a regular baseball cap but underneath involves hundreds of low-level laser diodes that stimulate dormant hair follicles. Place it on your head for 30 minutes every other day and experience improved hair growth.
It can safely be integrated with other hair restoration methods like minoxidil, PRP, and/or finasteride. Results are not immediate, but many patients report noticing thicker hair after several months, with peak results at six months.
You probably know minoxidil, by its more common name, Rogaine™. FDA approved and backed by science, Rogaine is one of the most popular hair loss treatments used by four million people across the globe. But how does it work?
Rogaine is an over-the-counter solution that comes with an eyedropper application and should be applied directly to your scalp in places you’ve experienced blading. This impressive treatment penetrates your scalp to stimulate oxygen and improve blood supply to your scalp to increase hair growth. Within 3-4 months, you’ll experience visible results with hair you can run your fingers through.
Benefits of minoxidil include that it suits all hair types, is affordable, and provides impressive results — 84% of men who used to treatment deemed it as effective.
Are you looking for an easy and cost-effective solution? Look no further!
Finasteride, better known by the name Propecia®, is a prescription medication taken for hair loss. It works by inhibiting testosterone in your body from converting into dihydrotestosterone (DHT).
DHT blocks your body from consuming essential vitamins required for healthy hair growth and is affected by male pattern baldness. By lowering your body’s amount of DHT, Propecia leads to decreased hair loss and increased hair growth.
While the results are not immediate, they’re impressive —85% of men who took Propecia halted hair loss in 12 months, and 66% experienced hair regrowth.
Get started on a hair restoration treatment that works for you. Call 415-907-7354 or book online.
