Surgical Hair Loss Treatments

For hair loss patients who have run through the gamut of medicinal hair loss treatments with little or no hair growth response, surgical hair loss treatments may be an option. Surgical hair loss treatments include hair transplant surgery, alopecia reduction surgery, as well as, hair restoration for eyebrows and eye lashes.

What Is A Hair Transplant Surgery?

Hair transplant surgery has been used as one of the top hair loss treatments for many years. As technologies improved, the techniques used during hair transplant surgery were refined and now render a product nearly identical to normal hair growth.

Hair transplant surgery removes hair follicles from the back of the head where the follicles are least likely to be damaged or affected by hair loss. These follicles are then transplanted to the site on the scalp where the hair has thinned or fallen out.

The follicles are resistant to DHT, which is the cause of hair loss, and therefore will grow unhampered by further hair loss. Over time, the outcome of the surgery will render a 100% return to full hair. But, patients need to remember that the transplanted follicles will take a few months to reach that full, normal look.

How Does Alopecia Reduction Surgery Work?

Alopecia reduction surgery, another of the top hair loss treatments, is one of the most radical approaches to treating hair loss. Alopecia reduction surgery includes scalp reduction. When undergoing treatment, the patient will have the portion of the scalp removed that no longer produces hair. These skins from the sides and the back of the head are then stretched to cover the exposed scalp. The remaining bald spots are given a more full appearance through hair transplant tactics.

Hair Loss in Smaller Areas

For hair loss patients who have lost hair on the eyebrows and/or the eyelash area, there are hair loss treatments for these conditions as well. Treating hair loss to the eyebrow and eyelash can occur in one of two ways, single hair transplants or flap grafting.

Single hair transplants include transplanting hair to the area one hair at a time. The flap graft, on the other hand, involves removing a section of skin that continues to produce hair and graft it onto the site that is in need to restoration. Hair loss treatments are available in many forms. Surgical treatments are reserved for patients who have exhausted all medicinal treatments or who feel hair loss surgery is the best option for them.

Medical hair loss treatment will depend on the cause of hair loss, the amount of hair lost and the individual's ability to respond to medical treatment. There are different types of approved drugs available to treat alopecia.

Rogaine is one of the most common hair loss treatment drugs available over the counter. This medicine is in a liquid form which is rubbed into the scalp twice daily to stimulate hair growth. Some people find regrowth of hair which stops growing after discontinuing the medicine. Excessive use of Rogaine may have side effects of irritation in the scalp .Finasteride or Propecia is a male hair loss treatment prescription medication. Rare side effects of this drug include loss of sex drive. Finasteride is not to be used by women. Pregnant women may cause serious defects in the male fetuses if they consume finasteride. Like Rogaine, stopping of finasteride stops hair growth.

Corticosteroids can be given as injections in the scalp as hair loss treatment. This hair loss treatment is normally prescribed monthly by the doctor. Pills are prescribed for extensive hair loss. Ointments and creams are also available but are considered less effective.

Anthralin is a synthetic cream or ointment that can be applied to the scalp and washed off daily. Besides drugs, which are more conservating, surgery is another method for hair loss treatment. There are surgical methods like hair transplants and scalp reduction surgery to treat hair loss. In hair transplant treatment, the cosmetic surgeon removes hair from the back or side of the scalp and implants them on the bald patches. In scalp reduction surgery, the hairless scalp is replaced with hair covered scalp. These methods are expensive and require the expertise of a skilled plastic or cosmetic surgeon. Also there is a risk of infection and permanent scars if surgery is not performed skillfully. Wigs and hairpieces are other alternatives to those who don't want to go in for a hair loss treatment involving medication or surgery. Naturally looking wigs are available which can be used to cover temporary or permanent hair loss.

There are hundreds of hair loss treatments on the market today and 99% of them are totally ineffective. The American Hair Loss Association recommends that you only use the products that are FDA approved. Hair loss is a major disease for men and women today and finding a treatment that works is really very important. There are three hair loss treatments on the market today that are very popular because they really do work.

Propecia

There are ads and commercials promoting hair loss miracle treatments all over the world, but Propecia is one hair loss treatment that will actually slow or stop the progression of hair loss. Propecia treats the problem of baldness in males. Propecia, scientifically, shrinks the hair follicle by 60%, which eventually leads to hair growth. This reduction has proven to stop the on-set of hair loss in 86% of men taking the drug during clinical trials. Sixty-five percent of these men experienced a substantial increase in the growth of their hair. Lowering DHT levels seems to be the only effective proven way to stop hair loss. The American Hair Loss Association recommends that the first attack for men treating baldness is the Propecia hair loss treatment.

Minoxidil

Minoxidil was the very first hair loss treatment drug that was approved by the FDA for male baldness. For years, the Minoxidil pill was used to treat high blood pressure. But a side effect of Minoxidil was hair growth in unexpected places such as on the back, hands and cheeks. Minoxidil was then made into a cream and used topically to the head on balding areas. When it was first discovered Minoxidil was the only truly effective hair loss treatment on the market. It actually does slow hair loss and re-grow some hair, but scientists feel Minoxidil is a relatively marginally effective drug as a hair loss treatment, because it only works temporarily and does not show any significant long-term results.

Hair Plugs

There are also hair plug transplants as a hair loss treatment. However, this treatment is invasive to the scalp and quite costly. But with the vain society that we have, this hair loss treatment is becoming more fashionable everyday.

Studies and tests are being performed and tested daily on hair loss treatments as this dreaded disease takes hold of more and more men and women. But with all of our advanced technology, the future looks very bright and hairy for bald men and hairless women.