We all lose some hair every day. In fact, most healthy individuals lose up to 100 strands per day. It’s part of our hair’s normal growth cycle. As part of that cycle, new strands of hair grow to replace the ones we shed.
However, certain factors – such as illness, hormonal changes, stress, inherited traits, and aging – can interfere with your hair’s growth cycle, causing more hair than usual to fall out, along with new strands not always growing back. This is known as alopecia (hair loss), a condition that can affect adult men and women, and even children.
Fortunately, there are ways you can help prevent alopecia to protect and preserve your hair. There are also effective hair restoration treatments for those who are suffering from hair loss.
Preventing Hair Loss
There are several types of hair loss, including male-pattern baldness, female-pattern baldness, alopecia areata (hair loss in small patches), and traction alopecia (gradual hair loss due to the force applied to hair).
Although you can’t prevent all types of hair loss, you can take measures to help keep your hair healthy, thereby minimizing its loss risk. These include:
- Maintaining a healthy diet that includes enough calories, protein, and iron for your body.
- Using healthy ways to cope with stress.
- Managing thyroid disease or other medical conditions that could cause hair loss.
- Being gentle with your hair by avoiding hairstyles that may damage hair or pull on it tightly; using a detangler and avoiding tugging when brushing and combing; refraining from harsh treatments such as hot rollers, curling irons, hot-oil treatments, and permanents; and limiting the tension on your hair from styles that use rubber bands, barrettes, and braids.
- Ask your doctor about medications you take that might cause hair loss.
- Protecting your scalp from sunlight and other sources of ultraviolet light.
- Avoiding the use of tobacco products.
- Wearing a cooling cap during chemotherapy treatment.
Treating Hair Loss
If your hair loss is the result of medication, a hormonal imbalance, thyroid disease, or your diet, your healthcare provider can address the problem by correcting the underlying cause. Otherwise, there are hair loss treatments focused on helping with male- and female-pattern baldness. These include:
Medication
Over-the-counter medications that you apply to your scalp (such as minoxidil, or Rogaine®) are often the first course of treatment for thinning hair. A prescription oral medication (finasteride, or Propecia®) is approved only for men with male pattern baldness.
Hair Transplant
This procedure involves the careful removal of strands of hair from an area of your scalp where your hair is thickest and the transplantation of those strands, which are then embedded into your scalp where your hair is thinnest.
Platelet-rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy
During this process, a sample of your blood is drawn and spun in a centrifuge to extract the platelet-rich plasma, which is high in growth factors. The platelet-rich plasma is then injected into your scalp, where it can help slow hair loss and encourage new hair growth.
Hair Loss Doctor in Seattle, Spokane, and Tacoma, Washington
Dr. Robert Niedbalski is a leader in the treatment of hair loss and a trusted authority in the hair restoration industry. He and his dedicated team of professionals at Northwest Hair Restoration offer surgical and nonsurgical options designed to protect, renew, and restore your hair, including:
- Medical therapy
- Nutritional supplementation
- Photobiologic therapy
- Scalp injection therapy
- Hair transplant surgery
To learn more about these services and find out which hair restoration treatment can help you look your best, call us today at (253) 572-2949 or use our convenient online appointment form to schedule your consultation.
