Receding hairlines, hair thinning, or baldness are common issues that affect men and women across the globe. Most hair loss issues come from family history, hormonal changes, and aging. Hair loss can be permanent or temporary.
Sometimes emotional or physical stress plays a part in temporary hair loss. Chemotherapy-related hair loss is usually a result of the Aggressive treatment against cancer. But once the treatment is done, the hair will grow back.
If you are experiencing hair loss, there are several ways to deal with it. You can accept and live with your situation or seek treatment. There are non-surgical options like topical ointments, medications, and wigs. Surgical procedures like scalp reduction or hair transplantation can also be an option depending on how severe the condition is.
There isn't a quick way to get a full, thick head of hair; try to be patient with whichever treatment you choose. Here is what you need to know about hair loss and replacement.
Using Hairpieces and Wigs for Hair Thinning and Hair Loss
Most people go for temporary usage of hair additions as they figure out a permanent way of resolving their hair issues. The hairpieces and wigs add volume and make it seem like you have a head full of hair. Wigs have been around for hundreds if not thousands of years, and they are effective for both men and women who don't want to advertise their hair issues.
A hair transplant can take one or two years to complete. During this time, you can wear wigs until the treatment is over. There is also the option of hair extensions and weaves. These pieces usually contain synthetic fiber or human hair. Sometimes people with severe baldness can be forced to wear wigs or other hairpieces because there is no donor hair available.
How people wear wigs has changed a lot over the years. You could quickly tell when someone was wearing a hairpiece or wig in the past. These days all you can do is guess because they are meant to look as natural as possible. Some techniques use the skin as anchors with two tapes to make the wig look flawless when you wear it.
It’s these improvements that have increased the number of people wearing wigs. Human hair wigs are the best because you can restyle, dye, or do anything you would on your hair. However, they will start appearing over-processed and force you to buy another one after a while. You need at least two wigs or hairpieces, but you can have more. Ensure you factor in the costs of maintaining the wigs and replacing them.
Using Medications and Ointment
The other option is a hair regrowth treatment solution. They use manufactured chemical substances that affect the function and structure of your hair follicles in an attempt to promote hair growth or stop hair loss. These drugs can be used to treat temporary or chronic hair loss. The follicles that have shut down or shrunk will enlarge and grow hair again.
You can apply the treatment directly to the affected area, get an injection or take the drugs by mouth. You can buy the medication over the counter or get a prescription. Most people go for the prescription because the drugs are powerful. But there is potential for side effects when you don’t use them as directed.
Minoxidil is used to help hair growth after hair thinning or loss in both men and women. It is used to treat high blood pressure, and that is how they discovered that it increased hair growth in people who were taking it daily. It's a dose-dependent treatment, which means you have to keep using it to increase or maintain the hair growth benefits.
You can get topical Minoxidil over the counter. Ensure you carefully read the instructions on the label on how to use it correctly. Oral Minoxidil can cause unusual weight gain, fast or irregular heartbeat, and a fall in blood pressure. Usually, the benefits outweigh the side effects. But if you feel like these symptoms are worsening, reach out to your doctor.
If you are pregnant or nursing, avoid the treatment at all costs. You can explore other medications if Minoxidil is not a good fit.
Hair Transplants
A hair transplant procedure is where your dermatological or plastic surgeon moves hair to the bald area from a donor site. The procedure will happen at the doctor's office under local anesthesia. There are two significant types of hair transplants, micrografts and slit grafts. Micrografts have one to two hairs per graft, while slit grafts have ten hairs per graft. But there are other grafts with different sizes of hair.
The people who can benefit from the transplant are men with male pattern baldness, women with thinning hair, and people who have lost hair because of a scalp injury or burn. Hair transplant is the most common cosmetic procedure for men. You will have to go back for several surgical sessions to get the full head you want.
The healing intervals between sessions take months, and you need around three sessions to complete the treatment. It can be years before you see the final results. The hair transplantation session can take four hours or more. The amount of coverage you require depends on the texture and color of your hair.
The doctor will trim the donor site before the procedure to make the grafts easily removable. When implanted, the sections will look natural. The first session will improve the situation tremendously, but it may not be as full as you want. The surgeon will transplant hundreds or thousands of hairs in the first session.
Other surgical techniques, including flaps, scalp reduction, scalp expansion, and laser surgery, can help you manage hair loss. Find a reliable surgeon first and then discuss the available options. They will advise on which the best course of treatment depending on the severity of your condition.
Hair Replacement Costs
There are various forms of hair replacement, and they all have different costs. Wigs vary in price depending on the design and the material. You can get a wig at $ 750, or it can go past $ 2,500 if it's a quality custom-made piece. It's easy to work within your budget when you are buying wigs.
Using drugs and ointments may not be as expensive, especially when you get them over the counter. If you have to consult the doctor to get a prescription, the costs will be slightly higher. The most expensive hair replacement treatment is surgery. You should expect to pay any from $ 4,000 to $ 20,000 or more.
Final Thoughts
Hair loss is a common issue affecting a lot of people. You are not alone, and there are some treatments you can explore to remedy the situation. Be patient because most of these treatments take time before you start seeing results. Take time and decide which course of treatment is right for you. If you are fine wearing wigs for the rest of your time, you won' have to worry about surgery or drugs.
