Hair thinning is a common issue that affects people of all ages and genders. While losing your hair can be a bummer, there are treatments and products available in salons like Hair Cuttery or in department stores that can restore thickness or fullness.
Why Is My Hair Thinning?
Hair growth and shedding are part of the normal hair growth cycle, and it’s normal to lose up to 100 hairs per day. However, if the growing phase is interrupted, you may start to lose strands at a faster rate and notice hair thinning.
There are many possible causes of hair thinning, including androgenetic alopecia, alopecia areata, telogen effluvium, traction alopecia, hormonal changes, medical conditions, and certain medications.
What Are the Best Solutions for Thinning Hair?
If you have genetic hair loss or other causes that result in miniaturization of the diameter of the hair, there are treatments you can use to reverse that including:
Topical Products for Hair Loss/Thinning Hair
In the realm of topical products, those containing minoxidil or growth factors will be the most likely to reverse hair thinning. Minoxidil and some types of growth factors have the potential to initiate the growth phase of the hair growth cycle. Some of these products are available over the counter while others require a prescription.
There are hair growth products that don’t contain Minoxidil and similar ingredients but can help hair look thicker. However they don’t help with hair growth. Thickening serums add water to the hair shaft to make them engorged and protein fibers that people can use to add volume to the hair. Root concealers can also be used to pigment the scalp to minimize the contrast between the scalp and the hair.
In-Office Growth Factor Treatments
Various in-office treatments incorporate growth factors to bring about hair growth like platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections and platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) injections.
Then there’s Keralase, where the practitioner creates tiny holes in the surface of the scalp and then applies various growth factors to stop the thinning while at the same time thicken the hair shaft diameter.
Low-Level Laser Therapy
These devices emit red light to encourage the growth phase in follicles that have entered the resting stage of the hair growth cycle. This laser treatment also prolongs the growth phase and stop the premature entry of the shedding phase.
Hair Transplant Surgery
Hair transplant surgery involves taking hair follicles from one area of the scalp and transplanting them to another area. This option is best for those with more advanced hair loss or if other treatments haven’t worked.
Thinning hair can be a distressing issue, but there are many options available to help reverse it. The best solution depends on the cause of the hair thinning, so it’s important to speak with a dermatologist or hair transplant surgeon to determine the underlying cause and choose the best treatment.