Hair Care Foundation - Hair Loss Treatments

unbiased information about hair care, hair loss, and hair replacement

Home | Contact | Sitemap

Advancements in Hair Loss Treatments

From The Hair Foundation
www.hairfoundation.org

You do not have to live with baldness. There are four surgical hair loss treatments, two proven medical hair loss treatments and advances in hair prostheses that benefit those who cannot or choose not to undergo surgical or medical treatment.

From least to most involved…

Hair Prostheses

Full hair replacements (wigs) are available for people either temporarily or permanently unable to grow scalp hair.

Non-surgical hair additions include hair weaving, hair extensions, hair fusions, hair pieces and synthetic hair.

There Are Only Two Proven Medical Treatments:

Minoxidil (brand name Rogaine)
Minoxidil is available over-the-counter and applied topically to the scalp skin in areas of hair loss. Minoxidil's effectiveness in slowing or halting hair loss to some degree in men has ranged from 50% to 80% of men treated. A lower percentage has reported new hair growth. Minoxidil is ineffective for some men and women who continue to lose hair.

Finasteride (brand name Propecia)
Finasteride is available only by prescription and is taken orally daily. Finasteride has proven highly effective in clinical trials and in medical practice for slowing hair loss in almost all men and stimulating new hair growth in some men.

The surgical procedures to minimize the appearance of hair loss are:

Hair Transplantation
Gone are the days of the "plugs." Hair transplantation today achieves a natural look and is made possible by better understanding of the scalp and hair biology, refined surgical techniques and ever-improving surgical instruments.

Alopecia reduction plus scalp extension
Alopecia reduction surgically removes bald scalp skin in areas of hair loss and pulls adjoining hair-bearing scalp skin together to eliminate the bald spot.

Scalp expansion (also called scalp extension)
Scalp expansion is a modification of alopecia reduction. A balloon-type device is placed under the scalp and slowly expanded for several weeks to create a "dome" or "bubble" of stretched scalp skin. A series of surgical procedures reduce the area of hair loss, remove the scalp expansion device and complete closure of hair-bearing scalp to achieve complete alopecia reduction.

Hair bearing scalp flap transfer
In the treatment of hair loss, a flap of hair-bearing scalp tissue is surgically raised from underlying tissue and transferred to a prepared scalp site with hair loss.

Who We Are:
The Hair Foundation is an independent nonprofit organization that provides expert and scientific information about hair health - including care, loss, styling and volume disease and proven hair loss treatments - with no commercial bias, through The Hair Foundation Web site (www.hairfoundation.org) and through its public education outreach.

The Foundation is governed by a seven-member Board of Trustees composed of dermatologists and cosmetic surgeons who have studied and treated hair diseases and hair loss and are internationally recognized and respected as leaders in the field.

Our Mission:
To develop the concept of hair health, educate the public, promote the importance of hair health and coordinate and gather the unique expertise of various hair-related organizations to serve this mission.

Contact:
Jessica Blomquist, Executive Director 224.522.5420