Barbara Bush once said, “People who worry about their hair all the time, frankly, are boring.” And yet, many place their value on hair. Texture. Color. Length. Quality. Quantity.
Life happens. We can’t control what age throws at us. Those wrinkles are deeper. The skin sags a bit more. Your hair falls out in clumps.
There are several reasons for hair loss, from stress to medication to thyroid disease. Losing your hair can be a major blow to your confidence. After all, your hair is your crowning glory – no matter what the late Barbara Bush said.
Thankfully, you don’t have to spend your days cooped up at home like a hermit. There are effective ways of combating hair loss, and it all comes down to technology.
Below, we’ve listed the latest hair loss treatments that will have you smiling all the way to the salon.
KeraLase
One of many hair loss treatments, KeraLase is the advanced technology that combines laser treatments with a peptide complex precisely created for hair growth.
The entire treatment takes 15 to 30 minutes with minimal interference. It’s recommended you attend regular sessions – at least three or four times a year.
According to Fort Lauderdale-based Ayana Dermatology & Aesthetics, this non-invasive treatment is initiated with a laser scalp pre-conditioning. Thereafter, a scalp massage of KeraFactor Serum is done.
Why It Works
KeraLase creates micro-channels in the scalp, thus stimulating hair follicle growth. The treatment is especially effective when hair thinning starts to occur in female pattern hair loss.
Red Light (LED) Therapy
We first heard of red light therapy on social media when Lili Reinhart swore by it on her TikTok posts. Used for thicker, healthier hair, the therapy exposes hair follicles and the surrounding area to red light.
The treatment is said to encourage hair to grow. A popular product among Gen-Z, red light therapy comes in the form of lights, caps, hats and helmets.
Why It Works
Formerly known as low-level laser therapy, it emits specific wavelengths of red light to cause hair to stay in its growth phase for longer.
The claim is also backed by research. A study published by the National Library of Medicine found “the effect of 650-nm red light” on men and women suffering from androgenetic alopecia can promote hair growth.
Minoxidil
Minoxidil is available as foam or serum which is applied to the scalp. U.S. consumers will recognize the product as the generic form of Rogaine.
Normally used in the treatment of hereditary hair loss, minoxidil is known to affect the different phases of the hair life cycle. It also increases blood flow, delivering more oxygen and nutrients to hair follicles.
Why It Works
Experts know very little about the product. What they do know sounds promising. The Conversation reported on the results of randomized controlled trials. They found that applying minoxidil to the scalp twice a day “increased the number of hairs per square centimeter by eight to 15 hairs.”
Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Injections
The latest advancements made in PRP research could be a potential game changer. PRP injections are most likely administered for sports injuries and hair loss. The treatment uses a patient’s blood cells to accelerate healing.
Without explicating the finer details, platelet-rich plasma is created from a patient’s blood sample and injected into the affected area.
Why It Works
The theory behind PRP injections is to increase the concentration of growth factors, encouraging faster healing, and in some cases, hair growth. They can be effective in treating male pattern baldness by preventing further hair loss.
And, according to John Hopkins Medicine, PRP can aid the stimulation of hair growth following a hair transplant.
Microneedle Patch
According to Pfizer, about 6.7 million people in the US live with alopecia areata. The autoimmune disease causes hair loss, often in small, round patches.
While treatments have been developed to target this specific symptom, none have been as successful. A potential new treatment could flip the script.
Researchers at MIT, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Harvard Medical School designed a microneedle patch that releases drugs to help rebalance the immune response at the site, pausing the autoimmune attack.
“This innovative approach marks a paradigm shift. Rather than suppressing the immune system, we’re now focusing on regulating it precisely at the site of antigen encounter to generate immune tolerance,” Natalie Artzi told MIT News. Artzi is a principal research scientist in MIT’s Institute for Medical Engineering and Science.
Why It Could Work
While using the therapy on mice, the team found it allowed hair to regrow and dramatically reduced inflammation at the treatment site, MIT News reported.
The breakthrough came when the treatment avoided systemic immune effects in the rest of the body.
Researchers are so confident about their findings, that they plan on launching a company to further explore the new technology. The study appears in the journal Advanced Materials.
Celebrities Who No Longer Hide Their Hair Loss Shame
Jada Pinkett Smith has probably been the most open about her battle with alopecia. She first made the revelation on her talk show Red Table Talk in 2018 when she explained she used to hide her hair loss by wearing turbans.
Describing the first time she pulled clumps of hair out in the shower, she said, “It was one of those times in my life where I was literally shaking with fear.”
Always eager to share her journey, Jada’s latest alopecia update was in August 2023. Proudly showing off her hair growth on Instagram, the mom of two wrote: “This here hair is act’n like it’s try’n a make a comeback.”
John Travolta for years hid his balding head. Gossip rags would insinuate he wore wigs. There were even rumors of him undergoing a hair transplant.
These days, the actor proudly rocks his bald head. When asked about his transformation, John said Pitbull convinced him to shave it all off and embrace the new era of his life.
Baldness affects an estimated 80 million people in the U.S., says the Cleveland Clinic. And, it’s the most common form of hair loss. With careful research and consultation with an expert, you can choose a hair loss treatment that works for you.
