Every woman and man’s dream is having a healthy, thick, smooth and full head of hair. Following medical school, Dr. Jennifer Chwalek was a hair loss researcher at the University of California, San Francisco. Since entering private practice, she has helped thousands of patients of all ages and genders who struggle with hair loss and thinning.
“The hair growth cycle is complicated and influenced by genetics, hormones and lifestyle factors,” says Dr. Chwalek. “Oftentimes the cause of hair thinning is multifactorial.”
Dr. Chwalek’s drug therapy recommendations depend on your stage and type of hair loss. For many years, the only treatment options supported by research were Minoxidil and Propecia. More recent research is showing that Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) is also successful at stimulating hair growth. Studies prove that PRP stimulates a faster transition to the anagen phase of hair cycling back from the resting and transitional phases, as well as an increase in the number and thickness of newly formed follicles.
“PRP involves drawing a small amount of your blood and separating out the platelet-rich plasma, which contains various growth factors,” says Dr. Chwalek. “This is injected into sites of hair loss.”
“The growth factors in platelet-rich plasma are messengers, signaling cells to stimulate the anagen growth of hair loss. They’ve been used in medicine for a number of years to treat a whole host of health issues. They are beneficial in hair regeneration and the reason why many of my patients have seen success with PRP,” says Dr. Chwalek.
For best results, Dr. Chwalek recommends 3-4 PRP treatments followed by maintenance treatments as needed. The initial session costs $1,500 and the follow-up sessions are $1,000 per treatment.
There is also emerging evidence that low-level light therapy can stimulate follicular hair growth. During your cosmetic consultation, Dr. Chwalek will determine your stage and type of hair loss, and discuss recommended treatment options.
