Hair loss can be a distressing experience for many people. Whilst it naturally affects approximately 70% of men as they age it can also occur in women.
Alopecia, for example equally affects men and women under 20 and according to a recent study from the Medical Hair Restoration Centre nearly 50% of the black women studied had experienced some form of hair loss as a result of chemically or mechanically (overbrushed) damaged hair.
Outpatient procedure
One option open to women is Forehead Reduction Surgery. The process is done on an outpatient basis under local anaesthetic. The surgeon removes excess bald skin from the forehead, makes incisions at the back to free the scalp and then simply slides everything forward. The results are nearly instantaneous and the procedure is even claimed to be painless by some surgeons.
Whilst this is a viable option for women it unfortunately isn’t a panacea for most men due to the way in which male pattern baldness develops. Men need not despair though as there are a number of treatments available to arrest thinning hair or at least maintain a hairline, which can be offered by specialist hair loss clinics.
Options for men
An increasingly popular solution is to shave off all the hair and opt for Scalp MicroPigmentation (SMP). A specialist practitioner inks microhairs into the dermal layer of the scalp to create the illusion of a buzz cut with surprisingly natural results.
If hair loss has been spotted early enough, Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) could be an option. By itself it’s unlikely to stimulate many hairs back into a growth cycle but it can be very effective in halting hair loss. It is usually more effective when combined with Mesotherapy, whereby a solution of vitamins and other compounds are injected directly into the scalp. These compounds can include Finasteride and Minoxidil which are administered in tablet and mousse form. The key thing here is that the products
Finally, the patient could opt for a hair transplant. It has a good chance of success by migrating hair from a healthy area of the head to the balding patch but it’s a long term solution, taking up to 2 years to re-establish hair growth and is likely to cost several thousand pounds.
