We’re into natural remedies here at Natural Health Source. Among them are natural treatments for hair loss, like Profollica, and vitamins that encourage hair growth. But recent news that researchers are a step closer to growing new hair in dead follicles has folks excited. And if this progress continues, you might be too.Hair transplants offer permanent help for guys with hair loss. They’re a good option for guys with a few dollars to put out and who don’t mind this more intrusive of hair loss treatments. Current technology continues to improve each year too, but it has limits – among them being that they’re unsuitable for roughly 90% of women with hair loss and they don’t grow new hair.
Hair Transplant Progress: New Hair Grown From Hair Cells
Study co-author Angela Christiano and her team at the Center for Human Genetics at Columbia University’s College of Physicians & Surgeons in New York City set a new milestone when they announced in October they were a step closer encouraging new hair growth from cloned hair cells.Research continues, and there will likely be much more of it before it’s available as a commercial application. But it’s a major step forward in hair loss treatment – the most notable being growth of new hair instead of moving hair from one area to another, as performed with current hair transplant technology.
It’s a major step forward in hair loss treatment – the most notable being growth of new hair instead of moving hair from one area to another, as performed with current hair transplant technology.
The new technique would also give many hair loss patients an alternative to hair loss medications like Rogaine and Propecia, which stimulate existing hair follicles to grow longer hairs rather than the ‘peach fuzz’ so characteristic of male pattern baldness.The breakthrough is that researchers discovered cloned cells retained their function when grown upside down. They knew what to do, without genes or any modifications – a hurdle for previous researchers who had no trouble cloning hair cells but found they lost their ability to instruct the skin to grow new hair.In the study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team successfully produced new hair in five out of seven donor models of human skin. And while more work is needed to guide hair growth using this method, it’s a huge leap forward.
Should I Still Get a Conventional Hair Transplant?
If you’ve looked at other options, like head-shaving, or a natural remedy for hair loss, like Profollica, and hair loss is affecting your confidence, then hair transplants are still a good option for many patients with hair loss. And they’re getting better all the time.A hair transplant is a surgical procedure, in which doctors remove a ‘donor’ strip from just above the neck from which they extract tiny skin grafts – each fitted with two to three hairs – which are then placed in the hundreds of incisions made in the targeted, or ‘recipient’ area. Performed under anesthesia, this transplanted hair is temporary, and usually falls out within several days.New hair typically grows from the transplanted grafts eight to twelve months later.
Hair transplant technology continues to improve. While it is true that the procedure merely shuffles hair from one location to another, and does not activate dormant follicles, new techniques allow surgeons to pack more grafts in each session – sometimes up to 20,000 – and in less time than previous technology would allow.With less time under the knife, there is less concern of tissue damage. Where a medium-sized session might have taken eight hours ten years ago, some doctors can do the same procedure now in less than three hours.Women, too, appear to benefit from the improvements in hair transplant technology. Previously unsuitable for patients with female pattern hair loss because of the broad overall thinning that many women experience, and lack of sufficient donor hair, it’s now possible to pack more hairs in each graft. This allows greater density, and often more satisfactory results.In some hair transplant clinics, 30% of clients are women.Costs vary with hair transplants according to surgeon skill and location. Expect to pay at least $5,000 for a 1,200 graft session. Nudge that number higher, between $10,000 and $20,000 for a more comprehensive treatment, with a ‘mega’-session closer to the latter.Keep in mind too, that many patients require more than one visit. Don’t let this deter you though – hair transplant patients tend to be quite satisfied with their results. Among them are Manchester United star Wayne Rooney and culinary tough guy Gordon Ramsay.
How to Find a Hair Transplant Surgeon
Shop around when looking for a hair transplant surgeon. While there are many skilled and ethical doctors who perform the procedure, neither the U.S. Government nor the medical community regulate hair restoration. Any licensed doctor can legally perform hair transplants. You want a hair transplant clinic with a team of highly skilled hair restoration surgeons – not a doctor with no accreditation.The American Hair Loss Association endorses hair transplants when performed by qualifed surgeons. You’re in better shape to find one of them with the following suggestions:Avoid using the Yellow Pages – Don’t let your fingers do the walking as you look for a hair transplant surgeon.Avoid referrals from your family physician or dermatologist – They mean well, but most physicians know very little about hair restoration – a demanding and painstaking cosmetic procedure that requires the experience of a surgeon who’s done it many times before.
Avoid referrals from your hairstylist – They also mean well, but their judgement might be clouded by commissions.Avoid practices advertised on TV infomercials – A larger advertizing budget does not necessarily mean you’ll get better results. Avoid large, umbrella groups or companies that contract the procedure out too – you want a specialized clinic with an in-house staff of qualified surgeons, and with client testimonials to vouch for satisfactory results.
Natural Hair Loss Treatment
If the costs are prohibitive or some other reason keeps you from getting hair transplants, you might also consider natural hair loss remedies. This is a series of vitamins that make hair grow and/or a natural hair loss remedy like Profollica, which we recommend for male hair loss to guys who don’t want the whole can of worms linked to traditional hair loss medications.Generally speaking, a healthy and balanced diet should at least reduce hair loss from lifestyle factors and protect the hair you’re genetically programmed to keep. Consider these foods for hair growth, which are high in:Essential Fatty Acids: Omega-3 fatty acids are especially good for skin, hair and nails (and your brain and heart!). Find them in oily, coldwater fish like salmon and mackeral, flaxseed oil, walnuts and almonds.Vitamins B-6, B-12 and Folic Acid: Vegans and vegetarians don’t always get enough of these hair-friendly vitamins, with vitamin B-12 occuring in meat, fish, poultry and dairy. Find vitamin B-6 in bananas, potatoes and spinach, and folic acid in citrus fruits, whole wheat, beans and lentils.Protein: Roughly 90% of hair is protein, so it’s no surprise that protein-rich foods like meat, fish, poultry, eggs and soy products are among the better foods that make hair grow.As well, magnesium, zinc, biotin and iron encourage hair growth. You can get these through diet or with a multivitamin.
Try Profollica
A two-part natural hair loss treatment system, Profollica is a series of herbals, botanicals and amino acids formulated to slow and even reverse hair loss. There’s something special in Profollica that sets it apart and might be worth your attention. Trichogen, an active ingredient in the Profollica formula, reportedly reduced hair loss in 90% of guys who took it in a clinical study.
Profollica tends to fly below the radar in hair loss circles, which often look to better-known hair loss treatments like Rogaine and Propecia. That might be a mistake on their part for several reasons, not the least of which being the side effects linked to Propecia and the fact that Profollica typically shows visible – and encouraging – results beginning in two months or less.Try Profollica if you’re losing hair and hair transplants are out of reach. Remember too that the latter continue to evolve. They’re packing in more hair in a procedure typically done in less time, and increasingly for women too. We’re entering even deeper territory with cloned hair cell transplants, but they’re an encouraging development and if that helps you live better, keep an eye on this story.
