Thank you for your question. I understand that, unfortunately, your mother passed away and that the stress caused you to experience some hair loss or hair miniaturization. You were diagnosed with androgenetic alopecia after a biopsy was performed by a dermatologist, and now you’re wondering which particular laser device can help treat your hair loss.I can certainly help you with this. A little about myself — I’m a Board-certified cosmetic surgeon and a Fellowship-trained oculofacial plastic and reconstructive surgeon, practicing in Manhattan and Long Island for over 20 years. I’m a hair specialist and performing hair transplants has been a big part of my practice. I’m also the founder of Trichostem™ Hair Regeneration centers, which offer a non-surgical alternative treatment for male or female pattern hair loss.In this country, from the medical perspective, there is certainly a perception of value in the use of minoxidil for female pattern hair loss, as well as transplant surgery and low-level laser light therapy. Personally, I have not found low-level laser light therapy to be of any value. Using a professional-level device, we didn’t see signs of hair thickening and we would question whether or not the laser light therapy was maintaining hair presence. Some of my colleagues share this opinion, and those who do offer and sell these treatments simply do the best they can to help people with hair loss.In your case, you have to make sure to differentiate between two conditions that you are dealing with: pattern hair loss (androgenetic alopecia), and telogen effluvium (shock-related hair loss). Pattern hair loss, otherwise referred to as hair thinning, is when hair grows and then sheds and then grows back thinner. It’s a genetic condition wherein with every growth cycle, the hair gets thinner, and its eventual disappearance follows a specific pattern. Telogen effluvium refers to the loss of hair due to emotional trauma. This occurs when a person undergoes a stressful time in their lives and their hair will prematurely go into the telogen or shedding phase. When that happens in someone who has androgenetic alopecia, it often further highlights the presence of hair thinning and often times, people say that after this event, their hair just stops growing altogether, due to the combination of telogen effluvium and hair thinning.In our practice, we’ve developed the Hair Regeneration treatment using a system we developed over years of clinical practice that combines platelet-rich plasma (PRP) with extracellular matrix which is used for wound healing. This treatment was actually created with the intention of improving hair transplant results, however, we observed that in the process of using this treatment, it also thickened hairs that were thinning. With this knowledge, we developed a protocol based on a variety of variables including age, gender, hair loss pattern, etc, and as a result, we’ve adopted a good treatment system. With Hair Regeneration, we are able to stop the hair thinning process, reactivate the growth cycle of existing hairs that have not been growing, and thicken existing thinning hairs.With the collection of more than 5 years’ worth of clinical data, we’ve been able to establish the sustainability of a single injection. Most patients will only need one injection, which can yield results that last for up to 3-5 years. We also have protocols where we’ll do a second injection in some patients after one year, in order to build upon the existing treatment, though this is dependent on the individual.I think this is may be an opportunity for you to learn more about this treatment. Based on my observation, almost everyone who has undergone hair loss has, at some point, opted for a low-level laser light therapy device. However, I personally prefer being able to see actual results with my own eyes, and if there is no significant improvement, I won’t be fully convinced.I recommend that you learn and research more about treatments like Hair Regeneration, and also learn about the true efficacy of low-level laser light therapy. Try to look for unbiased sources of information and reviews, and make sure to learn from people who have not been directly involved in a study of the low-level laser treatment or are offering the treatment itself. Ultimately, there is no harm in the treatment, but you have to determine whether it is worthy investment for you in terms of time and cost.I hope that was helpful and I wish you the best of luck!This personalized video answer to your question is posted on RealSelf and on YouTube. To provide you with a personal and expert response, we use the image(s) you submitted on RealSelf in the video, but with respect to your privacy, we only show the body feature in question so you are not personally identifiable. If you prefer not to have your video question visible on YouTube, please contact us.
