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All to growor look like Ive grownmore hair.
Courtesy of subject
As a beauty journalist, I can offer recommendations for the best mascaras without skipping a beat.
Not sure how to handle suddenbreakouts?
Come sit by me.
A zoomed-in look at the image in question.
But when it comes to thinning-hair advice, I’m just as mystified as the next person.
I, too, am seduced by the before-and-after ads all over my Instagram feed.
I’ve taken all the supplements and used the $100 shampoos.
The result of three months of diligence.
This personal expenditure of time and money was prompted by an image thats now seared in my memory.
It was an overhead view of the crowd.
Could this be me?
What had happened to my shiny curtains of bouncy hair?
Was this a medical problem?
Did I need to have my thyroid checked?
By 70, my grandmother had only a few wisps of blonde cotton candy on her head.
Im in my mid-40s.
Maybe this was my genetic fate.
A zoomed-in look at the image in question.
This one hit hard.
A widening part or receding hairline might seem trivial.
After all, survival is not dependent on hair.
But the emotional impact of losing it can be profound.
Hair loss can be a devastating experience.
It can be overwhelming and debilitating, leading some women to socially isolate, Angert adds.
Hair is so closely tied to our identity that women will go to great lengths to avoid losing it.
Some 8% of cancer patients considered refusing chemotherapy specifically to preserve their hair, according toone study.
Throughout history, a healthy head of hair has been associated with female beauty.
The societal pressure dates back to biblical times.
Many things can cause hair lossbut most of us can blame one main factor.
Or really, two.
The most common cause of hair loss has long been the same: genetics.
They attribute this shift to factors likestress, diet, and excessive use of hair dyes and chemical processing.
There are more environmental factors playing a role now.
There was also a new spotlight on hair loss during the pandemic.
Some people find that they dont notice shedding until months after a major surgery, for example.
Rapid weight loss can lead to telogen effluvium, though.
Everyones nutrient profile is different.
I am not a vegan; my protein intake is just fine.
And the blood tests showed my thyroid is normal as wellanother potential cause off the table.
She poked around my scalp and snapped close-up photos.
Itsfemale pattern hair loss, no question, she told me.
(Remember my overhead photo?)
My diagnosis is the most common form of thinning among both women and men.
I left her office with five prescriptionsand hope.
The earlier you start to address your hair loss, the better.
For perspective, its normal to shed 100 strands a day.
For my boob-length hair, thats a golfball-size clump.
You want to start treatment while you still have a lot of hair.
I always equate losing hair to a car going downhill.
Look to your family to see just how quickly your own vehicle might accelerate.
And they do pretty well, he says.
Its much easier to maintain hair than it is to grow it back.
Even after identifying the root cause of your hair loss, the solution is likely to be multifaceted.
My treatment plan from Dr. Goh is not a simple one.
You usually see results after four months.
A potential downside of oral minoxidil?
Extra peach fuzz on the face and rogue hairs on the nipples or stomach.
Im taking my chances.
My second prescription:spironolactone, one 50mg tablet daily.
Spironolactone slows down the production of androgens, hormones that help control the hair growth cycle.
Androgenetic alopecia is because of an excessive response to androgens that results in hair loss.
This is a cocktail I can get behind.
Dr. Goh also prescribed a 2%ketoconazole shampooto help stimulate hair regrowth.
you’re able to find lower concentrations of ketoconazole in over-the-counter products likeNizoral Anti-Dandruff Shampoo 1% Ketoconazole.
Hair-growth supplements, likeNutrafolandViviscal, got mixed reviews from Dr. Goh and the other experts I talked to.
Im not so thrilled with the data from some of the studies that have been published, he says.
Do I think these supplements help?
Do I think they hurt?
With a proven treatment plan in place, I decided I was done with the pricey supplements.
I have theCurrentBody LED Hair Growth Helmet($859), which makes me feel like aStar Warsstormtrooper.
My kids are into it.
If you have irritation or inflamed follicles, the red light puts out the fire a little bit.
If you make a run at grow plants in lava, itll never happen.
Some in-office lasers can tackle hair loss and some of the newer treatments dont involve pain or downtime.
Earlier laser treatments caused stinging and prickling sensations and required numbing.
Youll spend around $2,400, depending on where you live, for a series of three treatments.
His patients typically notice the results after three monthly treatments, at $1,000 to $1,500 a pop.
Not all doctors are convinced these costs are worth it, though.
I havent seen any good evidence [from using lasers in general].
Until I see that, I tell people to save their money, says Dr. Bhanusali.
If your doctor is trying to push expensive things right off the bat, then run.
First, do the basics and make a run at rule things out.
Some doctors are injecting actives directly into the scalp.
Dr. Bhanusali injects a steroid, like Kenalog, into the scalp for patients with telogen effluvium or inflammation.
Misdiagnosis is common in BIPOC women.
Familiarity with Black hair culture also plays a role in treating hair loss in women of color.
Dr. Aguh, author of the90 Days to Beautiful Hairbook series, debunks the myth thatrelaxerspermanently damage follicles.
Youre less likely to get alopecia from using a relaxer than from wearing braids, she says.
A hair transplant can be effective, but its not a one-and-done solution.
Even after the surgery, though, you should probably be diligent with a maintenance program.
I like to involve the dermatologist early on because I dont treat medical causes of hair loss.
Unlike early surgical techniques, todays hair transplants don’t involve stitches.
Follicles are harvested in groups of one to three hairs at a time.
A circular blade cuts out 1 mm.
The follicles are then separated and implanted in the new site.
But theres an art to getting it right.
Good results are a thousand percent dependent on your doctor.
You have to be thoughtful about how youre designing that hairline, says Dr. Grossman.
We all have cowlicks and areas where the hair grows in different directions.
Earlier hair transplant surgeries were less refined.
The result looked like unnatural doll hair with telltale chunky tufts.
Those surgeries were painful and the results were unpredictable.
lf you have curly or textured hair, follicle extraction can be tricky.
Otherwise, youre going to cut across the root and damage that follicle, which is wasting the follicle.
(This isnt usually an issue for men with short hair.
It would be for me.)
Also, your newly implanted hairs dont stick around for very long.
They usually fall out two weeks after the procedure, which is totally normal.
The follicles will start producing new hair within three to four months.
Exosomes could helpbut theyre not all created equal or without risk.
The cost for one session of exosome hair-restoration therapy can range from $2,000 to $15,000 per treatment.
Of the five doctors I spoke with, Dr.
Champagne is the only one administering it in his practice.
There are still a lot of questions.
PRP therapy helps with hair loss and hair thickness.
Each treatment can cost between $500 and $2,500, depending on the treatment area.
Cloning and follicle banking have entered the chat.
Hair cloning is not a new concept.
Theyve been saying hair cloning is five years away for the last 25 years, says Dr. Bhanusali.
The biggest issue is legal hurdles and regulation in the United States.
Theyre doing a lot of the work in Europe.
If I were to guess, its maybe 10 years away.
Im hopeful, but I’m not necessarily confident.
Cells in the hair root are isolated, cultured in a lab, and multiplied.
Located at the bottom of hair follicles, these cells are known to thicken existing hair.
British hair research companyHairCloneis currently conducting clinical research on patients overseas.
Hair banking is another emerging treatment possibility.
Can you cryopreserve hair follicles when youre young to use as an insurance policy later?
By all accounts, the secret to getting the best head of hair for your buck is daily diligence.
My new hair-restoration routine is now more elaborate than a Gen Alpha #GRWM TikTok.
And I cant slack offeven in response to positive results.
People need to understand that hair loss is a disease.
This is your underlying genetic makeup, cautions Dr. Grossman.
it’s crucial that you be growing hair like taking care of a garden.
You have to water your garden regularly and then you should probably fertilize it intermittently.
The result of three months of diligence.
Its also important to manage your expectations.
We all have different baseline hair densities and hair thickness.
Some people want thick hair and theyve had very thin hair their whole lives.
We cant do that yet," Dr. Grossman says.
So it looks like Im going to be in a long-term relationship with the pharmacist at CVS.
Right now, I’m in the waiting period.
My hair is a bit shinier and softer, too.
This is the ambiguous Is it or isnt it?
phase and I have to remind myself that this is a process.
Ive spent far too much time staring at my scalp, willing new hairs to sprout from it.
I am not one of those people.
And the giant LED helmet?
It’ll be my plus-one when I travel this Thanksgiving.
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