Concern

Treatment for Hair Loss

Hair loss, medically known as alopecia, is a common condition affecting millions of people worldwide. Androgenetic alopecia (hereditary hair loss) is the most common type, affecting an estimated 80 million people in the United States. In this condition, inherited genes cause hair follicles to shrink and eventually stop producing hair. Men typically experience a receding hairline and bald spots, while women usually notice overall thinning or a widening part. Hair loss can begin as early as the teens but more commonly starts later in life. One distinction shapes what is possible more than any other, and it is visible under magnification rather than to the eye: whether the follicular openings are still present. A scalp that retains them has follicles that are miniaturizing and can potentially be encouraged, while one that has lost them has scarred, and no treatment regrows hair from scar. Establishing which you have is one of the things a scalp assessment is for. We have dermatology in house and PRP therapy among our hair services. Early diagnosis and treatment can help slow hair loss and, in some cases, stimulate regrowth.

Medically reviewed by Dr. Kamakshi R. Zeidler, MD, FACS · Updated February 2026

At a Glance

Androgenetic alopecia affects an estimated 80 million people in the United States^[1]

Early treatment can help prevent hair follicles from shrinking, making restoration more effective^[6]

Minoxidil has been shown to reduce hair loss, stimulate hair growth, and strengthen existing hair^[1]

Female pattern baldness is often reversible with treatment including medications and laser therapy^[2]

Signs & symptoms

Gradual thinning on top of head
Receding hairline (common in men)
Widening part (common in women)
Circular or patchy bald spots
Increased hair shedding
Smaller, finer hair strands over time
Bald spot at crown of head (men)
Overall decreased hair density

What causes Hair Loss

Hereditary factors (androgenetic alopecia)
Hormonal changes (pregnancy, menopause, thyroid)
Medical conditions (alopecia areata, infections, hypothyroidism)
Medications and treatments
Stress (telogen effluvium)
Nutritional deficiencies
Hairstyling damage (traction alopecia)
Aging

Risk factors

Family history of baldness
Age
Significant weight loss
Certain medical conditions (diabetes, lupus)
Stress
Poor nutrition
Hormonal changes
Certain medications

How it's assessed

Physical examination of scalp and hair
Pull test to assess hair shedding
Medical and family history review
Blood tests to check for underlying conditions
Scalp biopsy (if diagnosis unclear)
Dermoscopy examination
Hormone level testing

How is Hair Loss treated

One approach can address hair loss:

Treatment
PRP Therapy
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy is a regenerative treatment that uses a concentrated preparation of a patient's own blood platelets to…
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Recovery & outlook

Early treatment yields better results
Medications can slow hair loss and stimulate regrowth
Continuous treatment needed to maintain results
Hair transplants can provide lasting improvement
Once follicles shrink significantly, restoration may be limited
Female pattern hair loss is often reversible with treatment

Frequently Asked Questions

The most common cause is hereditary hair loss (androgenetic alopecia), where inherited genes cause follicles to shrink over time. Other causes include hormonal changes, medical conditions, medications, stress, and nutritional deficiencies. The specific cause determines the best treatment approach.
Men typically experience a receding hairline and bald spot at the crown. Women usually notice overall thinning or a widening part, rarely developing complete baldness. Female pattern hair loss often begins after menopause. Both conditions result from genetic factors affecting hair follicles.
See a dermatologist at the first signs of increased shedding or thinning. Early treatment yields the best results because it's easier to maintain existing hair than regrow lost hair. Also seek evaluation for sudden, patchy, or rapid hair loss, which may indicate underlying conditions.
Treatments include topical minoxidil (over-the-counter), oral finasteride (prescription), mesotherapy (scalp injections) with minoxidil or dutasteride, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, low-level laser therapy, and hair transplant surgery. Women may also use spironolactone. Treatment must usually be continued to maintain results.
It depends on the cause and timing. Early hereditary hair loss may respond to medications that slow loss and stimulate regrowth. However, once follicles have significantly shrunk, restoration becomes more limited. This is why early treatment is recommended.
Hereditary hair loss cannot be fully prevented, but early treatment can slow its progression. General hair health tips include eating a balanced diet, managing stress, avoiding tight hairstyles that pull on hair, and treating underlying medical conditions promptly.
By pattern and by exclusion, and the pattern comes first. Loss concentrated at the temples and crown in men, or widening along the part in women, fits the androgenetic picture. Loss that is patchy with sharp borders suggests alopecia areata. Loss that is diffuse across the whole scalp and came on over a few months often follows an illness, a pregnancy, a new medication, or rapid weight change, and that variety frequently recovers once the trigger passes. Redness, scaling, burning, or tenderness shifts the picture toward an inflammatory or autoimmune process and changes the urgency, because some of those destroy follicles permanently while they are active. Bloodwork then covers what the scalp cannot show, thyroid function and iron stores among the usual checks. We have dermatology in house, so this whole evaluation is available to you in the same practice as the treatments that may follow it.
PRP concentrates platelets from your own blood and injects them into the scalp, where the growth factors they carry are intended to prolong the growing phase of follicles that are miniaturizing. The evidence supports thickening hair that is still present considerably better than it supports regrowth in areas bare for years, which makes candidacy the central question: thinning with visible follicles is the setting where it has something to work with. It is a course of sessions and not a single treatment, and results fade without maintenance. PRP is the hair procedure we publish. If an evaluation points toward medication or transplant surgery instead, that is worth knowing before committing to a course of anything.