What are the Different Types of Medical Hair Restoration?

A common problem among both men and women, hair loss sufferers frequently seek medical assistance to address the problem. The most common causes for hair loss are heredity and a condition called alopecia areata. There are several options for medical hair restoration, such as topical remedies, medications and surgery. The option selected usually depends upon the cause of the hair loss as determined by a medical professional.

Several surgical medical hair restoration options exist to remedy hair loss. The method selected can depend upon the significance of the hair loss and the patient’s personal circumstances. Surgical medical hair restoration options provide patients with a predictable and permanent solution. Surgical options include hair transplants, scalp reduction, flap surgery and scalp expansion procedures.

With the hair transplant technique, doctors take a small section of the scalp where hair has not thinned, typically from the sides or back of the head, and transplant it to the area with thinning hair. Another medical hair restoration surgery is scalp reduction, in which surgeons remove the bald part of the scalp and suture the hair-bearing parts together. Flap surgery takes a large part of the scalp where hair has not thinned and cuts the skin to create a flap, which doctors use to cover a balding area. Scalp expansion surgery, in which surgeons insert silicone bags beneath skin in the scalp that still has hair growth, expands the skin for use later in flap surgery.

An autoimmune disease called alopecia areata, the second most common cause of hair loss, affects approximately 2 percent of the general population worldwide. Among prescriptions for medical hair restoration involving this disease is corticosteroid shots, which doctors inject directly into the bald areas. Topical prescription options include steroid gels, which the patient can apply at home. The goal of these treatments is to suppress the immune system and stop the hair loss. These treatments work on small patches of balding or thinning hair.

Another medical hair restoration treatment for sufferers of significant alopecia areata is psoralen plus ultraviolet A radiation (PUVA). During the treatment, the patient takes a medication called psoralen that causes the skin to react to radiation. The psoralen is either taken orally or applied topically to the area in question. The patient then receives treatments of ultraviolet radiation.

Prescription options for medical hair restoration also exist. For instance, finasteride, a prescription medication taken once daily, works to reduce dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which has been found to be a cause of male pattern hair loss. A chemical that exists in the human body, DHT causes hair follicles to shrink in some people. Finasteride inhibits this chemical, stopping the damage to hair follicles. Over-the-counter medications also exist, such as minoxidil, which is a drug applied to the scalp where hair loss or thinning occurs in order to stimulate hair regrowth.