Many people are frustrated with thinning hair and struggling to find a way that works to correct this common problem. There are many causes of hair loss including stress, nutritional deficiencies, medication/chemo reactions, physical trauma, hormonal issues, and others. It is very important to see your provider to determine what may be contributing to your thinning hair as the treatments for each are very different.
The most common cause of hair loss in both men and women accounts for nearly 90% of all patients with thinning hair and affects 50% of men and 30% of women. This type of hair loss or thinning is called Androgenic Alopecia (AA). This is also known as female or male “pattern baldness” and is a progressive type of hereditary hair loss. AA generally starts in middle age but can occur in people as young as 20. This hair-thinning process doesn’t happen overnight, it starts slowly and progressively gets worse until the hair follicles stop producing hair altogether. The pattern in men usually begins with a receding hairline, then thinning on the crown, and progresses until the two areas meet in the middle and may lead to complete balding on the top of the head. In women, the thinning begins along the central “part line” and then spreads to include the whole top of the head, though it rarely progresses to complete baldness. This type of hair loss is due to a genetic sensitivity within the hair follicles to a hormone called DHT and is often seen to run in families.
Before now, the main treatments for Androgenic Alopecia were medications, supplements, and surgical treatments that were not very effective and often expensive or uncomfortable. Fortunately, recent research and advancements in the field have discovered that two common FDA-approved medications can be compounded together and used topically. The dual treatment approach has proven to be both safe and very effective. This medication is only available from a few specialized pharmacies in the country. Fortunately, your providers at Statera already have a relationship with these pharmacies and will have access to the medication long before it is rolled out nationwide.
If you are one of the millions of people frustrated over thinning hair, please see your provider, we can finally offer you some real help.
~Dr. Lawrence Hutchison, MD
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