Experiencing hair loss can be distressing, but understanding why your hair is thinning is your first step in restoring your hair.
Below, Kelly DiStefano, MD; Wendy Champey, MD; Ed Champey, MD, and the team highlight common reasons why your hair might be thinning and how hair restoration services at Wellington Rejuvenation Center can help.
Why am I losing my hair?
There are many reasons why you may notice that your hair is thinner than it used to be. Here are just a few:
1. Genetics
Your specific genetic predisposition can increase your risk for losing your hair. Issues with a specific gene 一 called the androgen receptor (AR) gene 一 can increase your risk of developing hair loss.
2. Hormonal fluctuations
Hormonal shifts, such as those associated with pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause, can disrupt your natural hair growth cycle and lead to either temporary or permanent hair loss.
Women, for example, may notice more hair loss after they have a baby. This temporary increased hair shedding is normal. This tends to resolve once your hormones regulate during your postpartum period.
Thyroid disorders can also impact hair health in both men and women.
3. Medical conditions
Certain medical conditions, such as alopecia areata, autoimmune disorders, scalp infections, and chronic illnesses, can contribute to hair loss. Chronic stress can also impact your hair growth.
4. Lifestyle factors
Poor nutrition, crash diets, excessive styling or heat damage, and harsh hair treatments can all take a toll on your hair’s health and contribute to thinning or shedding. Some tight hairstyles, for instance, can cause hair along your hairline to break and fall off.
The good news here is that all of these risk factors are within your control. For example, several B vitamins (riboflavin, biotin, folate, and vitamin B12) deficiencies have been associated with hair loss, so you may do well to make sure you’re getting enough of the B complex vitamins.
5. Medications
Some medications, including chemotherapy drugs, antidepressants, blood thinners, and acne medications, can cause hair loss as a side effect.
Note: Never adjust your medication schedule, even if you think it’s affecting your hair, without speaking to your prescribing provider. If you have concerns about the side effects of any prescription medication, let your prescribing provider know.
Solutions for hair loss
While hair loss can be distressing, several solutions and treatment options are available:
Lifestyle modifications
Your action plan against thinning hair depends on the root cause of your hair loss. For example, if stress and nutritional deficiencies are impacting your hair, you may consider stress management techniques, nutritional supplements, and the inclusion of more nutrient-dense foods in your diet.
Foods that are good for hair health include omega-3-fatty-rich foods like salmon, mackerel, tofu, chia seeds, and flaxseed oil. Protein is also important for healthy hair, and you can find that in lean proteins, nuts, tofu, and beans. It’s also important to eat foods rich in zinc, biotin, and magnesium.
Hair care
In addition to stress management and nutritional modifications, you can also make changes to your hair care routine. This includes reducing the frequency of heat styling tools, minimizing tight hairstyles that pull on your hair follicles, and avoiding chemical treatments like bleaching or perming.
These tips can help prevent traction alopecia as well as hair loss due to excessive heat and/or chemical treatments.
Microneedling with platelet-rich plasma (PRP)
Microneedling with PRP for hair loss is a minimally invasive procedure that utilizes tiny needles to create micro-injuries in your scalp in combination with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections.
This procedure works by triggering your body’s natural healing response, increasing blood flow to your scalp, and delivering growth factors from the PRP to nourish and rejuvenate your hair follicles.
Microneedling with PRP works without any hair transplants, incisions, or synthetic chemical solutions.
Intravenous (IV) therapy
While adjusting your diet (and adding in more nutrient-dense foods) is good, sometimes that alone isn’t enough to give your hair the nutrients it needs. That’s where IV drips come into the picture.
The Wellington Rejuvenation Center also provides IV therapy here in West Palm Beach, Florida, as part of your total hair restoration. IV drips help with hair loss by delivering essential nutrients directly into your bloodstream, which bypasses your digestive system for maximum absorption.
Struggling with hair loss? We can help!
The Wellington Rejuvenation Center knows just how frustrating it can be to battle hair loss on your own. And that’s the best part: You’re never alone. When you come in for your hair restoration consultation, our team examines your hair, reviews your health history, and creates the right plan for you.
Ready to learn more about hair restoration and how we can help? You can reach us by calling 561-878-1282 or by clicking here to request your appointment.