Dealing with hair loss can be difficult. It affects many people’s confidence, self identity, social interactions, relationships, and in some cases even professional performance. Fortunately, there are many treatment options to help decrease further loss, thicken existing hair, and regrow hair.
Root Hair Institute is a comprehensive hair restoration center in the greater Seattle area that offers multiple treatments for hair loss including both surgical and non-surgical options. Non-surgical treatment options include both topical medications (a topical solution or foam is applied on top of the scalp in areas of loss) and oral medications (a pill is taken by mouth).
Our doctors offer comprehensive treatments including medical therapies and customized treatment plans to help you achieve your long-term goals. They will educate you on multiple options so that you can determine what options fit your lifestyle and priorities. They help patients to regain control of their hair and regain their confidence.
Your medical treatment therapy starts with a thorough assessment from our hair restoration physicians.
They will consult with you on your history, carry out a thorough examination of your scalp and hair follicles including dermatoscopic exam, and discuss your concerns and overall goals.
In some cases additional testing such as scalp biopsy or laboratory blood tests may be recommended depending on your case.
After confirming your diagnosis, your physician will start planning a personalized hair restoration program that fits your long-term goals and lifestyle. They will discuss the risks, benefits, and alternatives of different therapies.
If you are open to being on multiple types of therapies, they will often recommend a multi-pronged approach where your physician will combine different therapies that act on the hair loss in different ways to obtain the best possible results. If you prefer to start one type of therapy, then they will schedule you back for a follow up visit so that your response to that therapy can be determined and additional therapies can be added or the therapy can be changed if needed.
Medical therapies do not work overnight. Many times, hair loss medical therapy takes at least 3-6 months, or longer, to take effect. However, there may be cases when your physician may advise you to combine your medical therapy with other hair restoration procedures to further improve the health of your hair follicles or help fill in thinning or balding areas.
Talk to our hair restoration doctors at Root Hair Institute if you are interested in discussing what medical therapy or other treatment options may be right for you.
Medical hair restoration aims to significantly reduce hair loss and stabilize your hair follicles. It is important to stay on these treatments long-term so that the positive effects can be retained.
Oral and topical therapies are available for convenient at-home use. While the treatment's effect may need months to visibly take effect, you can start your hair restoration journey often without significant changes to your daily routine. Medical therapies do not require frequent office visits such as other treatment options like growth factor injections.
With the availability of generic versions of many oral and topical hair loss medications, patients often have a variety of relatively affordable options to start their hair restoration journey.
Finasteride and dutasteride are prescription medications.
Finasteride is a type II 5-alpha reductase inhibitor that blocks the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (which is the form of testosterone that contributes to patterned hair loss). Finasteride is FDA-approved for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia in men (aka male-patterned hair loss or balding). Its use in other groups of people including post-menopausal women is off label. It can slow down the rate of hair loss and may even facilitate new growth in many individuals.
Dutasteride is a type I and type II 5-alpha reductase inhibitor that also blocks the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). It is FDA-approved for benign prostatic hyperplasia. Its use for any type of hair loss is off label.
These medications can take time to start producing results. It often takes 3-6 months to start to see a result, and it can take years in some cases to see the full result. These medications are often avoided in people with childbearing potential such as pre-menopausal women given the risk of birth defects. These medications have potential benefits but also have potential side effects. It is important to discuss the risks, benefits, and alternatives with your doctor.
There are many topical agents, including but not limited to topicals with the medications listed above, for different types of hair loss. These agents are often formulated as a solution, foam, or oil to allow easy application onto the scalp.
A topical hair loss treatment can be an excellent option for patients who do not want to be on oral medications for their hair loss.
The only topical medication FDA-approved for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia/patterned hair loss is over the counter minoxidil solution or foam. Other options such as topical finasteride, dutasteride, spironolactone, prescription-strength minoxidil, tretinoin, latonoprost, and bimatoprost are not FDA-approved for the treatment of hair loss. One option with prescription-strength topicals is to compound multiple ingredients into one (see below).
Topical compounded therapy allows a combination of multiple active ingredients into one product to allow a multi-pronged approach to hair loss with straightforward application of a single product. This is often done with a topical compounded prescription.
It is important to see someone who regularly prescribes these medications, such as our doctors at Root Hair Institute, so that they know what ingredients to use for your case, what ingredients to combine, what concentration to use, and what formulation to use.
One thing to remember is that topical medication will only work if you apply it! If you are not likely to consistently use the product on your scalp at least once daily, consider other treatment options.
It is also essential to understand how to apply topical agents properly. Ensure that when applying these agents, you are parting the hair in multiple areas, applying the product, and then using your fingers to massage the product into the scalp.
The hair shaft itself is made of a protein called keratin. The living cells in the hair follicles that make the hair are located beneath the scalp, so any topical treatment must make contact with the scalp to be able to penetrate to these cells.
This allows effectiveness at the level of the hair follicle to potentially decrease shedding and increase growth.
Topical agents can be combined with other treatments such as microneedlingto increase delivery to the level of the follicle or with other treatments such as oral medications, red light therapy, growth factor injections, and/or surgery; however, it is essential to discuss these options with an experienced hair restoration physician.
Book a consultation with our hair restoration physicians to learn more about these non-surgical treatment options at Root Hair Institute.
Hair loss can be a warning sign of an underlying condition. Before we jump into treatment recommendations, our doctors thoroughly assess your scalp and hair and first make an accurate diagnosis. They determine if any further work up is needed and then make a personalized treatment plan for you.
Root Hair Institute provides a wide array of hair restoration treatments. Aside from providing the best hair loss medical therapies, our hair restoration surgeons and dermatologists are able to provide you with other options including red light therapy, growth factor injections, scalp micropigmentation, and hair restoration surgery.
Medical Therapies
Hair Restoration Surgery
Beard Restoration Surgery
Eyebrow Restoration Surgery
Scalp Injections
Scalp Microneedling
Low-Level Light Therapy
Scalp Micro-pigmentation
