Hair loss can leave you feeling confused about where to start when it comes to a diagnosis and treatment, especially if you’re suddenly noticing thinning or bald spots.
With the help of a hair loss doctor in DC, you can address the “root” cause and enjoy thicker, healthier hair from treatments like PRP. Here’s what you can expect when you visit a specialist.
What Causes Hair Loss?
Thinning, patchiness, or baldness can be due to a number of causes, such as underlying medical conditions, hormonal changes, age, or heredity. It can also be normal for you to lose between 50 and 300 hairs daily without even noticing. Hair loss can be permanent or temporary, and it can affect not only your scalp but also the entire body.
Before deciding to treat your hair loss issue, you should first consult a doctor for a diagnosis.
How Is a Diagnosis Made?
When you visit a hair loss doctor in DC, they will conduct a physical exam. The doctor will also ask you about your family and medical history, your diet, and the specific routine you have adopted to care for your hair.
Diagnosis is crucial for a successful hair loss treatment. Expect to undergo one or more of these tests:
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- Culture: If a fungal infection is the suspected culprit, your provider will take a sample of hair and skin cells on your scalp to be sent to a lab for testing. The hair and skin collected is done so via swabbing or scrapping and is painless.
- Punch biopsy: In this process, the doctor uses a small device to “punch out” a pencil-eraser-sized tissue sample from your scalp. This is then closed with stitches, and the sample is sent to a lab for diagnosis.
- Pull / tug testing: This involves the doctor gently pulling about 40 strands of hair from various areas of your scalp by gently tugging or pulling. This is done to assess the severity of your condition.
- Blood test: This is done to identify any underlying medical conditions causing hair loss. For example, hormone imbalances, vitamin deficiencies, or other reasons.
- Card test: A part is created in your hair, and a small card that is covered in felt is held against the scalp. This allows your provider to look for broken hair strands, new strands, and the thinness of strands. Additionally, it allows them to determine the number of strands in the area. All of this information helps lead to the proper diagnosis.
Ask Your Hair Loss Doctor in DC About These Treatment Options
After diagnosis, the doctor will give you the treatment options that best suit your unique needs. With treatment, you can slow hair loss, or in some cases reverse it. Some conditions might not need any medical intervention. In cases that do, your specialist may recommend one or a combination of the following types of treatments.
If the cause of your hair loss is an underlying condition, you should expect your doctor to suggest immediate treatment for that disease/disorder.
If your hair loss is due to a particular medication, the doctor might advise you to cease using it for some time.
Your doctor can also advise you to undergo a restoration surgery or hair transplant. However, treatment depends on the severity of your condition. During the process of a hair transplant, you will notice that the cosmetic surgeon or dermatologist extracts hair from one part of the head filled with hair. Then, they will transplant it to the bald area.
They may advise you to opt for laser therapy to control your hair loss. This avoids the use of instruments like scalpels to conduct surgery. Instead, laser therapy uses special light beams to promote regrowth in the affected area(s).
PRP is a regenerative medicine technique. It may be recommended to help restore the growth of healthy, full hair. This amazing method utilizes plasma from your own blood. Additionally, it is a very safe and effective way to grow hair without surgery.
Reclaim Your Self-Confidence With the Top Hair Loss Treatments at DC Derm Docs
At DC Derm Docs, our highly skilled providers tailor hair loss treatment procedures to suit your needs. Visit us to experience regrowth and the boost of self-esteem that comes with it. Call us today at (202) 664-8342 to book your consultation!
