For a lot of Americans, losing their hair is just a reality they have to accept. But baldness does more than change your appearance. It can affect your career growth, social interactions, and even your mental and emotional health. There are ways to stave-off hair loss, and even if you’ve gone entirely bald, there are still remedies to that situation.
1. Red Light Laser Therapy
You’ve probably heard of treatments using laser to permanently remove hair — this isn’t it. Low-level lasers in the red spectrum, such as those used by the Hairmax Lasercomb, is proven to be effective in delaying the onset of hair loss and even treating less advanced forms of balding.
Intense red light can invigorate hair follicles in the scalp. Even dormant hair follicles that have stopped producing hair can be rejuvenated and stimulated to perform their normal functions once again. Intense red light makes hair follicles healthier, triggering the production of hair.
When used properly, devices that use laser stimulation for hair growth have very little to no side effects. Several of these devices are FDA approved, with Hairmax getting approval as early as 2007. Laser stimulation is best performed during the early stages of hair loss when hair follicles are merely dormant. Once these follicles are gone, no amount of stimulation can bring them back.
2. Topical Solutions
If you did your research on hair loss, it would be surprising if you didn’t come across Minoxidil. Minoxidil, used in the popular product Rogaine, is a solution that has proven to be successful in preventing hair loss and thickening existing hair. Regular applications of Minoxidil daily — or twice a day for Rogaine — can stimulate hair growth and rejuvenate dead hair follicles.
Products that use Minoxidil are often applied topically, allowing the solution to seep into the hair follicles for maximum efficiency. Though it is a chemical solution, Minoxidil is FDA approved and safe enough to be bought over the counter without the need for a prescription. However, treatment with Minoxidil is only effective in the early stages of hair loss. Use it immediately after noticing your hair is thinning, or even before that if your family has a history of baldness.
3. SMP Procedures
Scalp micropigmentation or SMP is a way for you to appear to have a full head of hair without needing to rely on wigs and hair pieces. It will work on every stage of hair loss even when you’ve gone completely bald. An SMP is a procedure that implants hair like pigments into your scalp, quite similar to tattooing but with more pronounced pigments. These pigments take on the appearance of actual hair, albeit cut short, but a vast improvement to baldness. An SMP procedure is non-invasive and will require no maintenance. You can go about your usual activities — even swim — without the embarrassment of a falling hairpiece.
Baldness is in your DNA, but you don’t have to accept it without a fight. You can stave it off for as long as you want with hi-tech products and topical solutions or get the appearance of a full head of hair even after you’ve gone completely bald.
