In this video, Dr. Allan Parungao, Assistant Medical Director at Bosley Medical Group Chicago, shares options for surgical and non-surgical treatments for hair loss.
There’s no such thing as scarless surgery. The best results come when patients combine surgical and non-surgical therapies for their hair restoration.
Two methods for hair transplant surgery are:
Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) – This is a strip procedure that leaves a linear scar on the backside of a patient’s head that is small and hard to see.
Follicular Unit Excision (FUE) – Instead of a linear scar a patient will be left with small, barely perceptible dots where the hair was taken.
When referring to medical therapies for hair restoration, there are non-surgical ways to save the hairs that you still have:
- Minoxidil – A topical foam, usually 5% in strength, which is applied to the scalp once or twice a day from front to back. Minoxidil has the effect of slowing hair loss and making some of the miniaturized hairs slightly thicker.
- Low-level laser therapy – Laser therapies are used to augment the subdermal circulation and provide a better environment for hair growth.
- Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) – In this procedure, blood from the arm is drawn, spun down to the platelets and along with growth factors are injected into the scalp.
- Finasteride and Propecia – Medications that lower the amount of DHT, which affects hair and causes miniaturization and hair fall.
Common questions about the side effects of Finasteride and Propecia:
Finasteride is used to lower the effects of DHT on your hair, which causes hairs to miniaturize and fall out. The most common one that they come across is a decrease in libido and how it may also be associated with depression. We find this to be exceedingly rare. In fact, studies show less than 2% of men have these side effects.
Make sure to get a professional consultation by a hair transplant surgeon to discuss the best solution for you. The ISHRS has surgeons across the world with over 1200 members in over 70 countries who are ready and willing to help you with your hair loss solutions. You can find more resources by categories here.
Dr. Parungao Bio:
After 12 successful years as a private practitioner in cosmetic plastic surgery of the hair, face and body, Dr. Parungao has committed himself to full-time specialization in Hair Restoration surgery. Dr. Parungao is Past President of the American Society of Hair Restoration Surgery and is currently serving in the ISHRS Ethics Committee. Dr. Parungao received his medical degree from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, where he served as chief resident during his plastic surgery residency. Dr. Parungao also holds a Master’s degree in physiology from the Chicago Medical School and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington University in St. Louis, MO. His passion for education and learning reflects in his compassion for the patients he takes care of every day.