Article by Dr.Piyawat POOMSUWAN Dr. Tiwanan PROMVARANON
Hair loss and hair thinning are common problems which affect self-esteem. Research shows that individuals suffering from hair loss and hair thinning have higher levels of depression and anxiety than the general population.
“To make new hair grow as fast as possible is everyone’s wish.”
What are the current treatments for hair loss and thinning hair?
- Minoxidil Lotion
- Minoxidil Lotion is the most popular treatment.
- Minoxidil applied to the scalp is used to stimulate hair growth in adult men and women with a certain type of baldness. The exact way that this medicine works is not known.
- Topical minoxidil has an excellent safety record but the efficacy of the drug remains low.
- Hair regrowth with topical minoxidil tends to peak at 1 year with a decline in regrowth over subsequent years.
- Hair growth usually occurs after the medicine has been used for several months and lasts only as long as the medicine continues to be used. Hair loss will begin again within a few months after minoxidil treatment is stopped.
- PRP or Platelet-Rich plasma
- PRP or Platelet-Rich plasma therapy is a medical treatment in which a person’s blood is drawn, processed, and then injected into the scalp.
- PRP or Platelet-Rich plasma contains a range of growth factors that researchers initially hypothesized that PRP could help regrow hair. The growth factors decrease with patients’ age.
- PRP shows the short-term effectiveness in supporting hair growth, but the long-term effectiveness remains unclear.
- Some patients may only see minor improvements, and some may not see the same benefit.
- The disadvantage of PRP is pain or discomfort during injection.
- The common side effects are redness, swelling, bruising, itching, and discomfort at injection site.
- Hair Laser
- There are 2 major lasers: home-used equipment and professional laser.
- Home-used laser is low-level laser treatment, laser cap or comb. Suitable for patients who have mild degree thinning hair. Patients need to use this equipment for 15 minutes every day. Normally it will be used as additional treatment.
- Professional laser is laser used by doctors. The laser makes tiny dots onto scalp to stimulate hair growth. The efficacy of the treatment depends on the type of laser and the doctor’s technique. So, the laser should be done by experienced doctors.
- Mesotherapy
- Mesotherapy is a technique to deliver treatment solutions into skin or scalp.
- Treatment result depends on the solutions.
- There are a lot of solutions for mesotherapy hair growth. Therefore, treatment efficacy varies greatly from clinic to clinic.
- Oral Medicine
- Minoxidil
- Oral minoxidil is medicine for hypertension.
- Oral minoxidil can be benefit for male and female pattern hair loss. But there are common side effects.
- Excessive hair: excess hair growth elsewhere on the face and body
- Temporary hair shedding within 6 weeks.
- Low blood pressure and feeling lightheaded.
- Fast heart rate.
- Finasterile
- Finasterile block the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (male hormone).
- It will take at least 3 months to see an effect.
- The medicine will not cure hair loss, but it will help scalp hair to grow. Hair will be lost after the medicine is stopped.
- There are common side effects.
- Loss in sexual ability, desire, drive, or performance
- Inability to have or keep an erection.
- Confusion
- Lightheadedness when getting up suddenly from a lying or sitting position.
- Minoxidil
- Herbal Medicine
- Herbal medicine which helps improve health condition and blood microcirculation can help improve hair growth.
At Piyawat Clinic, all patients can see new hair growth within 3 weeks. We use Fractional hair laser combined with Mesotherapy. Special mesotherapy solutions are formulated by our experienced doctors. Hair lotions and herbal medicine for daily use will be prescribed by our doctors. They will help improve hair growth, hair follicle and scalp condition.