Needle rolling, meso injection of hair growth stimulant or platelet-rich plasma, oral and topical medication, and laser therapy help hair regrow without hair transplant surgery.
There are many causes of hair loss. A person can experience hair loss due to many factors such as stress, genetics, aging, autoimmune diseases, side effects of diseases and certain medications, hormonal changes, scalp fungus, pulling habits, Hair pulling, polluted environment, bleaching, dyeing, styling with too many chemicals…
Before treating hair loss or baldness, patients should see a doctor for examination and treatment advice. MSc.BSc.CKI Tran Nguyen Anh Thu, specialized in Dermatology – Skin Aesthetics, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, said that treatment methods are different depending on the cause of hair loss, hair follicle condition, and skin condition. Initially, many ways may have to be coordinated. There is no one method that works for everyone.
Doctor Thu said hair transplant is an invasive medical procedure, considered effective in treating hair loss and baldness. However, this method has high costs and is often applied to people who have completely lost hair follicles and medical treatment is ineffective. People with hair loss at the stage of hair growth stoppage or alopecia areata, people with immune diseases, allergies, or infections should not undergo hair transplantation. To transplant autologous hair, the mandatory condition is that the person’s healthy hair source must be abundant and of good quality. In case of hair transplant failure, leaving scars, it is difficult to have a second hair transplant, because hair follicles are limited and cannot regenerate.
The patient was injected with hair growth stimulating drugs at Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City. Image: Hospital provided
Currently, a popular minimally invasive medical procedure that is considered highly effective is microneedle injection (meso injection) or platelet-rich plasma (PRP) microneedling, according to Dr. Thu. PRP is extracted from the patient’s own blood, with platelet content many times higher than normal. PRP has the effect of restoring unhealthy scalp areas and the growth factors in activated PRP will stimulate tissue regeneration, repair damaged hair follicles, and help hair grow. When injecting PRP, the patient feels comfortable, has less pain, and the nodules after micro-injection quickly dissolve.
Injecting or rolling hair growth pills with pre-prepared active ingredients and nutritional hair growth factors also helps stimulate hair growth. The doctor injects the medicine directly into the scalp, using a microscopic needle, each injection point is about 1 cm apart, spreading evenly throughout the hair loss area.
According to Dr. Thu, the cost of treatment with PRP and hair growth stimulants is quite high. The treatment must be repeated every two weeks with hair growth drugs and every 3-4 weeks with PRP. Treatment effects are only seen after injections at least 4 times and repeated every 2-3 months, starting from when hair loss decreases. For hair to grow back, patients need to continue treatment and monitoring for 6-12 months.
Long pulse laser therapy also stimulates hair growth. Laser beams are shined into the scalp to help increase blood circulation and stimulate remaining hair follicles to grow. This is a minimally invasive method, easy to perform and has few side effects. Treatment effectiveness varies depending on each person’s constitution.
A female patient’s hair before (left) and after three months of treatment. Image: Tam Anh General Hospital
In addition to hair loss treatment procedures, people with baldness can also use oral medications or hair growth sprays as prescribed by their doctor. Doctor Thu recommends that patients maintain long-term use of the medication because hair will continue to fall out if the medication is stopped.
Besides treatment, patients need to supplement vitamins, zinc, biotin, have a healthy diet, have enough vitamins and minerals, maintain a comfortable spirit, avoid stress… to increase effectiveness and prevent hair loss. hair back. However, patients need to consult their doctor before deciding which medicine to use