Treatment for Alopecia
Q:
Hey Dr. Parsa Mohebi,
I’m grateful you took time out to see me on Saturday. The letter that gave a summary of what we talked about was very thorough and I just wanted to say thanks for that.
Since the last time we met, I did some of my own research and came up with a few queries:
1) When it comes to giving a name to my hair loss pattern, is Alopecia the correct way to describe it?
2) Would a Cortizone shot be an option for me?
3) Is laser therapy OK?
4) If I happen to use minoxidil, I’m wondering if it has to be 2% or would a higher percentage result in more hair growth and faster hair growth?
5) I was told to receive a complete medical evaluation, do you know of a doctor I can go to? I want someone I can trust.
Thanks again for taking the time to see me and also to accommodate my questions.
Sincerely,
Stephen
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A:
Hello Stephen,
I’ve provided answers to your questions in chronological order.
1) When it comes to giving a name to my hair loss pattern, is Alopecia the correct way to describe it?
Alopecia, literally, would be defined as hair loss. There are many different types of alopecia or hair loss, such as male patterned alopecia or female patterned alopecia or alopecia cicatricial. I believe the pattern on your head is a male pattern since hair was lost in the frontal area as you kept hair on the donor area intact. This is the reason you may be a potential candidate for a hair transplant since your medical evaluation stated that you’re not medically treatable for hair loss.
2) Would a Cortizon shot be an option for me?
Absolutely not. But steroid shots are sometimes used for Alopecia Areata (AA), which is an autoimmune disorder. Alopecia Areata is a hair loss condition with patchy hair loss spots. Your condition is not Alopecia Areata.
3) Would you consider laser therapy?
I do not recommend laser therapy for hair loss in the form of laser comb or laser machines because of the lack of solid medical evidence that support their effectiveness at this time.
4) If I were to use Monoxidil, does it have to be 2% or a higher percentage would yield more and faster hair growth?
You can start with 2% and then you need to be re-evaluated in six to 12 months and a treatment plan might need to be adjusted at that time.
5) you recommended a complete medical evaluation, could you please recommend someone that you trust?
Any good internist or endocrinologist could follow through with the lab works that you need. Our letter includes the list of medical conditions that should be considered and lab works to rule out those women like you who have hair loss. You can share my letter with any good internist or endocrinologist and he or she should be able to follow through with your lab result and treat any treatable conditions that could possibly be found.
Have a great day,
Tags: alopecia areata, hair loss, hair loss pattern, hair loss treatment, laser therapy, laser therapy for hair loss, minoxidil
