Hair Loss Treatment

What Is Hair Loss Treatment?

Hair loss can be devastating. It affects men and women and can strike at different times of life. Some people lose their hair rapidly and others slowly. Sometimes hair grows back and sometimes it does not. Many people feel helpless when they experience hair loss. Fortunately, however, there are a number of hair loss treatments for men and women that have been shown to help.

Hair loss can be devastating. It affects men and women and can strike at different times of life. Some people lose their hair rapidly and others slowly. Sometimes hair grows back and sometimes it does not. Many people feel helpless when they experience hair loss. Fortunately, however, there are a number of hair loss treatments for men and women that have been shown to help.

What Are the Types of Hair Loss?

Both men and women experience hair loss in various areas. While the scalp is the area that concerns most people, hair loss can occur in other places as well. Facial hair like eyebrows, beards or mustaches can become thin for various reasons. Body hair may also be lost due to hormonal imbalances or other factors. Hair loss treatments can be used for the scalp, face, and body to give patients confidence in their appearance.

Hair loss treatments can be divided into three main categories (temporary, semi-permanent, and permanent), based on how long the treatment lasts. Medical therapies require continued and repeated use in order to maintain efficacy. Other more procedural hair loss treatments last longer after single treatments. The treatment options below are geared towards the most common cause of hair loss, androgenic alopecia.

The categories and subcategories of hair loss treatments include:

TEMPORARY

Minoxidil (Rogaine)

• Available as a 2% or 5% solution or 5% foam
• Mechanism: Opening of potassium channels
• Increases diameter of existing hairs more than hair count
• 15% will experience shedding initially
• Most common side effect: Contact dermatitis (propylene glycol) *Absent in foam preparation
• Women can get hirsutism (hair on face) if the solution or foam spreads

Finasteride (Propecia)

• Usually taken as 1mg by mouth daily
• Mechanism: 5alpha-reductase inhibitor, decreases serum and scalp levels of DHT (Dihydrotestosterone)
• Increases hair diameter, growth rate, and hair counts
• Signs of efficacy at 3 months, fully assess effects at 1 yr
• Most common side effects: Decreased libido (1.9%), erectile dysfunction (1.4%). Typically returns to normal when stopped.

Nutraceutical (Viviscal; Nutrafol)

• Daily vitamins
• Biotin (vit B7) is the key active ingredient. Numerous other extracts and vitamins (ie Vit C, B-vitamins).
• Professional grade Viviscal has an additional marine complex
• Double-blinded placebo controlled study published in 2018 on Nutrafol with only modest subjective improvement ~5-10%

Low-level laser light therapy

• Many FDA cleared devices (iGrow, TheraDome, illumiflow, iRestore, Capillus, and HairMax)
• Mechanism: Increased blood flow to the scalp and decreased apoptosis (cell death)
• Wavelength 630 to 680 nm
• Yet to be determined: optimal frequency, power, diode count, and duration
• It can restore density due to the thickening of finer, miniaturized (vellus) hairs.
• Many applied for 15 min, three times daily
• Some offer money back if low satisfaction
• Clinical trials blamed for lack of visual evidence, low sample size, and large variations in study duration and efficacy measurements

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)

• Scalp injections using your own blood
• Mechanism: Platelets release growth factors (i.e. – VEGF and EGF) that stimulate hair growth
• Studies including double blind placebo controlled show: higher hair density, high patient satisfaction scores, and higher terminal to vellus hair ratio
• As with laser light, Lack of standardization: Various machines, activation mechanisms, volume of blood, platelet count, and injection techniques
• Local anesthesia used to anesthetize scalp prior to injections
• Repeat injections every 3-6 months

Most of the medical treatments increase the terminal:vellus hair ratio so that there are fewer miniaturized hairs. Hair counts are less commonly implicated. And if no hair exists on a portion of the scalp then these remedies are unlikely to bring hair back (with alopecia areata being a rare exception).

SEMI-PERMANENT

Scalp micropigmentation (SMP)

• Used to be done by tattoo artists only with varied results, now more hair loss doctors and hair techs are offering it
• Can cover up scalp scars and supplement transplant
• Usually, no anesthetic needed
• Several rounds of treatments, at least 10 days apart, using gradually darker ink
• Does not injure the hair follicles since ink placed closer to surface
• Lasts 3-5 yrs

PERMANENT

Surgical hairline lowering (SHA)

• Most common non-transplant surgical hair loss treatment procedure
• More popular in women due to a stable hairline
• Process: Marking, Numbing, Incision (beveled), Releasing, Endotines, excise forehead skin, and suture
• Typically performed under deep sedation
• As early as 4 months after the procedure, can perform a hair transplant to lower hairline even more and to round out  the temporal area

Hair transplant

• Most people have about 6000-7000 donor scalp hair grafts
• Different recipient sites: scalp, eyebrows, beard, underarms, chest, pubic, arms/legs
• Different donor sites: scalp, neck, chest, back
• Useful for men and women, especially with androgenetic alopecia
• FUE (follicular unit extraction) is the most modern method for removing hair in which naturally occurring 1-4 hair grafts are removed one by one. Strip procedure (FUT) is another option.
• Graft survival affected by: dehydration, mechanical bulb injury, graft transection
• Procedures are time-consuming and require a team effort
• Performed with local anesthesia and usually oral sedation

What Are Surgical and Non-Surgical Hair Loss Treatments?

At City Facial Plastics, we offer advanced methods for surgical hair transplants. Dr. Linkov uses FUE and Trivellini System technology for improved efficiency and effectiveness of our hair transplant procedures. Whether you want to lower your hairline, cover bald spots, thicken a patchy beard or replace eyebrows, we can help with our hair transplant procedures.

In addition to surgery, there are other hair loss treatments available. We offer treatments that help stimulate hair growth. There are also medication therapies that can enhance hair growth. If you suffer from alopecia or other types of hair loss, we will help you find the best treatment for your needs. If you have hair loss and want to explore your treatment options, contact City Facial Plastics today to schedule a consultation with Dr. Linkov. He possesses the most advanced hair restoration techniques.

Which Hair Loss Treatment Is Best?

The best hair loss treatment and hair growth treatment depends on several factors, including:

• Type of hair loss – Most hair treatments target the most common reason for hair loss which is androgenetic (or hereditary) hair loss in men and women. Other reasons for hair loss also exist and the best treatment needs to be selected to fit the hair loss need.
• Patient preference – Certain patients want a less expensive, less invasive, and less permanent solution. Others are willing to spend more and undergo a longer procedure to have long term results.
• Trial and error – Not all medical therapies will work for all patients. A combination of at least two medical therapies is recommended to give the best chance for hair growth treatment success. Sometimes trial and error is involved to find the most effective treatments for a given individual.

Are Patients Satisfied After Hair Loss Treatment?

Hair loss is a major stressor for many patients, men and women, of different ages. Finding the best hair treatment for hair loss can give people a renewed sense of hope. This starts with correctly identifying the reason for the hair loss. If the wrong treatment is selected, or the full potential of treatment is not properly explained to a patient, then satisfaction may decline. Dr. Gary Linkov, MD believes in an honest approach to hair loss treatment, clearly explaining all of the suitable options.

Is Hair Loss Treatment in NYC Covered by Insurance?

Most hair restoration treatment is not covered by insurance. However, if an underlying medical condition (such as autoimmune hair loss) can be established then certain types of hair loss treatment in NYC may be covered. If you would like to use your health insurance to cover some of these expenses, make sure to call your insurance carrier in advance to find out their specific parameters. Please be advised that certain providers, such as Dr. Linkov in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, are not in-network providers which may also affect your ability to use your insurance for hair loss treatments.

Who Is the Best Hair Loss Treatment Doctor in NYC?

Dr. Gary Linkov, a top-ranked expert in UES, Manhattan, is a leading voice in hair restoration. He has advanced knowledge of underlying disease processes and is up-to-date on the latest therapies, offering his patients top of the line care. He also has alopecia areata himself which allows him to empathize with his patients and deliver the most compassionate hair restoration care in NYC, from the heart.

Hair Loss Treatment NYC Before and After

If you have any questions for the best-in-class facial plastic surgeon in New York, Dr. Gary Linkov, or would like to make a hair restoration treatment consultation, please feel free to contact our City Facial Plastics office, located in Midtown, Manhattan for a consultation.

• Hair Restoration
  • Beard Transplant
  • Body Hair Transplant
  • Eyebrow Transplant
  • Female Hair Loss
  • Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) in NYC
  • Hair Loss Treatment
  • Hair Transplants
  • Hairline Lowering
  • JetPeel Needleless Injection for Hair Regrowth
  • PRP for Hair Loss
  • Pubic Hair Transplant
  • Scalp Micropigmentation (SMP)

Dr. Linkov is a double board-certified by the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the American Board of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. A native of New York, Dr. Linkov graduated as a salutatorian from Cornell University and received his Medical Degree at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Linkov conducted advanced head and neck cancer research at the world-renowned Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Linkov is a former Adjunct Assistant Professor at New York University (NYU), where he taught Rhinoplasty.

Dr. Linkov is a top-rated facial plastic surgeon in New York who specializes in lip lift, facelift, rhinoplasty, and hair transplant. He has been named one of the top 5 lip lift surgeons in the United States, is listed in the prestigious SuperDoctors New York™ registry, and has appeared on the Dr. Oz Show, where he discussed the state-of-the-art hair transplantation procedure.

More about Dr. Linkov | Publications