Baldness
Treatment of baldness by Dr. Ginzburg.
Treatment of a man suffering from balding and hair thinning is not only treatment of the hair.The referral of a patient is accompanied mostly by anxiety and mental stress due to hair loss. In order to overcome the fears of baldness, it is important for us to make a personal contact of understanding and trust with the patient and to form matching expectations before beginning the treatment in order to achieve the desired result. Our aim is to improve the feeling of the patient by improving his outward appearance through the combination of science and artistry as treatment of baldness problems.
There is no need for panic when your hair begins to come off in your brush or comb, or blocks the drain after shampooing your hair. Everyone loses on an average of between 50 – 100 hairs per day. But beneath each hair that comes away a new one grows from the same follicle. At any given time about 10% of scalp hair is in a resting phase (not growing) and the other 90% are growing actively.
Hair loss can be considered to be a problem when it begins to form sparse areas. The reason for hair-shedding among males stems mostly from genetics, known as Male Pattern Baldness or Male Androgenic Alopecia, in which the hair begins to thin out in the temple and forehead regions and creates a receding hairline. The hair that is normally in this part is replaced by fine soft hair, which eventually disappears and leaves a slowly enlarging bald area.
More than 50% of men suffer from Male Pattern Baldness after the age of 40. According to known evaluations, Male Pattern Baldness, it would seem, is caused by genetic sensitivity to the high influence of a natural substance called Dihydrotestosterone which apparently has a negative impact on hair growth
Dihydrotestosterone shortens the growth phase, the long and thick hairs that generally grow on the scalp become small and more delicate until they fall out.Even a significant number of women also develop Androgenic Alopecia, although the hair-shedding tends to be more spread out and in general does not lead to complete scalp hair-loss.
HAIRLOSS TREATMENT POSSIBILITIES FOR WOMEN
If in the past one used to fit a wig as treatment for a person suffering from baldness, today there are medical treatments which are specifically anti-androgenic. Medications such as “Cyproterone Acetate” and “Spironolactone” are likely to be the efficient treatments for women suffering from progressive hair-shedding. There is also a variety of versions based on estrogen for local treatments, but there is no clinical research to prove their efficiency in speeding up hair growth.
In addition there are “cosmetic treatments” that can improve the appearance of the woman, like Micropigmentation or Toppik, that produces a natural look and improves self-esteem.
FINASTERIDE (PROPECIA)
The medication that is swallowed (1 mg), is intended for men suffering from Male Pattern Baldness. It has been proven that daily treatment with Propecia increases scalp coverage noticeably. The result is noticeable generally 12 months after the start of the treatment and will remain for years as long as treatment is continued.Guidelines indicate that long-term treatment with Finasteride achieves continuing improvement. Results of a 2-year research involving over 3000 patients, show that 83% of men treated with Finasteride had the same or higher hair count compared to 28% who were given placebos, of whom 72% lost hair.
Self-evaluation of standard photographs of the crown showed that 66% of the participants in the 24-month research program, experienced increased hair growth when treated with Finasteride. 30%
experienced modest regrowth, 31% moderate regrowth and 5% dense regrowth, in contrast to the men who took a placebo. It is very important to take still photographs prior to the treatment and to compare the picture a year later. Whoever does not do this will have difficulty in discerning the difference.
Finasteride is meant for use by men only, but can be given to women over the age of 45. Fertile women must not use Finasteride due to the risk of anomalies in the sex organs of male fetuses. For the time being, Propecia is available on prescription only.
MINOXIDIL
Minoxidil was the first preparation to be approved for the treatment of Androgenic Alopecia in both men and women. The mechanism by which Minoxidil encourages hair growth is as yet unknown.
Treatment with Minoxidil makes weak hair thicker and strong. Local Minoxidil is applied directly to the scalp at a dosage of 1ml twice a day. For women it is recommended to use Minoxi 5%, but to be applied only once a day.”Double Blind” clinical tests with placebos have proven the effectiveness of local 2% Minoxidil among men and women alike. Its effectiveness is linked solely to the severity of the Androgenic Alopecia and the presence of hair. Local Minoxidil is not effective in the bald areas.
Greater and faster effectiveness was observed with Local Minoxidil 5%. Note that it is very important to continue the treatment strictly and not to stop it.
SEVERE ANDROGENIC ALOPECIA
Finasteride and Minoxidil are not effective at all in men with advanced Androgenic Alopecia. Among possible treatments according to guidelines are : Hair systems;partial wigs or surgical treatments such as, hair transplants; scalp reduction; follicle implants and a cosmetic option.
MESOTHERAPY
A new treatment for hair loss and hair growth. This refers to the subcutaneous injection into the scalp of a low concentration of Minoxidil Biotin and Pentanol. The injections are performed with a special instrument that does not allow the physician to inject the needle (especially tiny) more than 1 mm into the skin. The treatment is given with local Minoxidil once a fortnight. One can see results after ten treatments. If there is growth, injections continue once a month for a year, and if improvement is not evident, the injections stop. After 5 treatments patients generally report about the cessation of hair loss and hair looking much better. After 10 treatments growth is evident in 50% of patients.
It is now possible to perform the same treatment by use of air-pressure – this is a special instrument that infuses the Minoxidil with air-pressure into the scalp, the substance penetrates due to the pressure into the skin (painlessly compared to injections). The treatment lasts about 15 minutes, and after 10 treatments one can see the results.
TOPPIK
Toppik is an easy, simple and speedy solution for those suffering from thinning hair. Toppik is a preparation composed of organic fibres (keratin and protein) identical to head hair that spread and intertwine with the natural hair through static electricity, causing immediate covering of the thinning area.
This preparation has no side-effects and can be used immediately after a hair transplant in order to cover the scabs, and in any case of hair thinning. The preparation comes in different shades and is adapted to the shade of the hair. It is recommended by dermatologists, and can be purchased at select hair salons and online at: toppik.co.il.
MICROPIGMENTATION TREATMENT
This subject deals with treatment to fill in the areas of baldness and hair thinning. The treatment make use of alternative pigments of various tints that are extracted from organic substances that simulate hair bristles. Before treatment the area is benumbed or anaesthetized by exterior means so that the treatment is not accompanied by any kind of pain. The treatment is performed by inserting the pigments into the skins lower epidermis, using delicate electronic instrumentation that operate tiny needles vibrating in and out at a high frequency. The perforations are minuscule and do not reach the blood-vessels, thus the treatment does not cause bleeding.
This treatment requires 3 – 5 visits. The inserted tint is special in that it does not change but can fade. The treatment can last for up to 4 – 5 years. Micropigmentation is not intended to replace hair transplantation, but can provide a good solution for someone who is not suitable for transplantation
or supplementary transplantation.
Micropigmentation treatment has no side effects – at the beginning of the treatment the colour appears brighter but with time it takes on a matching shade. The treatment causes absolute concealment of the thinned hair and creates a natural looking head of full and dense hair.
The treatment is suitable for both men and women with short or long hair .
Micropigmentation is also suitable for the concealment and masking of scars caused by hair transplantation, but in any event it is recommended firstly to do a transplant on the scar by the F.U.E. Method, for there to be hair bristles and at a later stage to perform the micropigmentation that will conceal the scar completely.
It is important to emphasise the difference between micropigmentation and tattooing. In the former, the penetration is only into the epidermis whereas the tattoo reaches into the dermis thus becoming permanent and is irremovable. It is not advisable to tattoo the scalp, since the patient is liable to continue going bald, and if no hair is left the tattoo will be visible on the scalp.
An additional difference is that the micropigmentation is inserted dot by dot which gives the appearance of hair bristles, whereas tattooing colours a whole area which gives the scalp an unnatural look.