As is the case with many health issues, most people start on the road of proactive action only after significant symptoms begin to appear. Hair loss is no different. Given the very gradual and subterranean (hidden) nature of hair loss, many men and women who find excessive amounts of hair shedding on their pillow or in the shower simply chalk it up to an abnormal occurrence, and not something indicative of future loss.

Over the last decade at our hair clinics across California and Nevada, we’ve come across thousands of patients who all tell the same story: although I noticed excessive shedding and hair follicle miniaturization, I felt blindsided by the extent of my hair loss.

Nutritional deficiencies, high stress levels, unhealthy lifestyle choices, traumatizing hair care regiments and genetic disorders are all common causes of hair loss and pattern baldness. The average hair loss sufferer has little to no background knowledge of the causes and origin of his or her hair loss, and so is helpless in their road to aesthetic restoration.

If you are noticing hair miniaturization at the temples, thinning of the crown or just lots of general shedding, it’s imperative that you correctly answer the question: ‘what is the cause behind my hair loss?’ For the wrong treatment or action taken towards treating hair loss could further the damage or pose unnecessary health risks. As such, if you are noticing signs of abnormal hair loss, you’ll want to contact a board-certified hair restoration surgeon as soon as possible.

Control and Prevent: Medical Management

Once you’ve set up your first consultation with your hair loss doctor, expect to receive a brief biographical and physiological examination. Many think that they have to go straight to a surgical option when choosing a hair loss restoration treatment, but an experienced and reputable hair loss doctor will exhaust all non-surgical options first before recommending more invasive solutions.

Usually if your hair is thinning, the doctor will like to start you on a medical management regiment. Your doctor may recommend taking biotin, iron or other supplements, or massaging 5 percent minoxidil into your scalp once daily. With many younger patients, Dr. Amir Yazdan recommends “combining over-the-counter minoxidil treatments (Rogaine) with GroMD shampoo and Follicle Activator Spray as well as Nizoral shampoo has shown impressive results in hair regrowth and density”.

Hair Transplant

Depending on the severity and extent of your hair loss, going in for a hair transplantation may be the strongest and most effective solution. Medical management of hair loss is important, but it’s objective is to control current hair thinning and prevent further loss, not grant you a new hair line. A hair transplant, on the other hand, can give you that life changing hair line that you desire and restore any ailing confidence. A good hair restoration surgeon, working alongside the patient’s aesthetic goals, will identify the best areas on the scalp for transplantation and touch up. Flawless artistic design is as important as technical precision when it comes to a successful hair transplant, so make sure you ask to see past results or testimonials.

The two types of hair transplant are the follicular unit extraction (FUE) and follicular unit transplant (FUT or Strip Procedure). The former procedure involves the use of a micro-punch circular blade that individually harvests follicles from the donor area and places them into the desired areas. FUE has come to be seen as the gold standard of hair transplantation due to the extreme precision, fragility, complexity involved, and its ability to consistently deliver natural looking results. The latter procedure – FUT – involves the surgical transplantation of a strip of donor hair from the back of the scalp. From the donor strip, naturally occurring follicular units, usually groups of 1-4 hairs, are dissected into natural groupings under a microscope to preserve every follicle and then transplanted into the desired regions.

There are indeed other options to consider as well, such as platelet-rich-plasma therapy, scalp micropigmentation and Low-Level Laser therapy.

At our hair restoration clinics in Orange County, Beverly Hills and Las Vegas, we prioritize long term hair restoration results over quick fix procedures. We develop life-long relationships with our patients, many of whom return for advice and friendly consultation once a year, because we care about real life-changing results.

Dr. Amir Yazdan, MD, is an internationally renowned hair transplant surgeon, expert guest on Dr. Phil and The Doctors, creator of the GroMD hair restoration product line, ISHRS member, accredited member of the IAHRS and a visceral advocate for patient care. Learn more about Dr. Yazdan or read rave reviews from his patients.