Family Physician: A Friend to Depend On

Posted on: 1 June 2019

Hair loss happens for a number of reasons, including genetics, getting older, taking certain medications, and stress. No matter what the reason, hair loss can be hard to cope with as it can drastically change your appearance, making you feel very self-conscious. While hair loss seems to be especially hard for men, women are also affected by it. In order to get your hair back, it's best to find out why you're losing it in the first place. Some types of hair loss can be easily remedied. However, in instances where it's more difficult, you may have to try some hair restoration techniques.

Here are three effective ways to get your hair back.

1. Hair Transplant

Hair transplant is a hair restoration procedure that takes hair you already have and moves it to another area on your head where hair is thin or missing. This surgical procedure is done in a doctor's office. The two types of hair transplant surgery include:

• Follicular unit strip surgery (FUSS)
• Follicular unit extraction (FUE)

There are advantages for each kind of procedure and your doctor can help you figure out which one is right for you.

2. Laser Treatment

If you want a much less invasive procedure than a surgical transplant, you may want to consider laser treatment. This type of treatment is also known as red light therapy or cold laser therapy. One of the reasons it is believed to work is that the laser treatment stimulates the hair follicles to grow hair.

Besides being noninvasive, laser treatment is also painless, plus there are no negative side effects. Unlike getting a hair transplant, there is no recovery required. Another benefit laser treatment has been known to provide is that it can improve the strength of your hair, which can minimize breakage and future hair loss.

3. Medications

If you want to avoid surgery and lasers, you may opt for medications. One of the most popular medications is an over-the-counter foam called Rogaine that gets massaged into the scalp. Both men and women can use this type of medication.

There is also a prescription medication called finasteride. This medication is for men only and gets taken as a pill. Many men take this in order to slow down the occurrence of hair loss. In some cases, it will also cause new hair to grow. Prescription hair restorations medications for women include oral contraceptives and spironolactone.