Is your hair falling out? Have you tried every over the counter hair loss solution with little or no success? If so, then you may be considering more aggressive treatments like a surgical hair transplant. While typically very successful, these procedures aren’t for everyone. Dr. Ran Y. Rubinstein offers patients state of the art hair restoration treatments in Newburgh, New York.
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For many people, the idea of undergoing a surgical hair restoration is unacceptable – but so is the idea of going bald. About two thirds of all American men will start noticing hair loss by age 35, and by 50, around 85% will have seen significant hair loss, usually from Male Pattern Baldness. Women suffer from hair loss too, in significant numbers—about 40% of all people in the United States who experience hair loss are women. If you’re among this population, you might be interested in a new procedure that’s offering patients an alternative to over the counter medications, surgery, or just giving up.
What are Growth Factors Treatments?
Growth factors are a non-surgical method of treating the patient with his or her own blood. Growth factors have been used in many different medical specialties, not just for treating hair loss. For instance, growth factors have been a successful treatment for tendon injuries and other orthopedic applications for many years. This is due to the way the blood is prepared and used to stimulate growth in the body.
Once the blood has been drawn, it is put through a process known as centrifugation, which involves separating the growth factors from the red blood cells. By concentrating the growth factors count in the remaining growth factors, the resulting growth factors can help patients grow hair, recover from injuries, or reap other medical benefits. When used for hair loss, the growth factors solution is injected and microneedled directly into the scalp to stimulate hair follicles to produce more hair growth.
The Benefits of Growth Factors
Patients are very excited about the potential of growth factors therapy for hair growth for a number of reasons. First, it’s a non-surgical alternative to hair transplant surgery. Even though modern hair transplant procedures are minimally invasive and easy to fit into busy lifestyles, the surgery isn’t right for everyone. Growth Factors offer a more reliable hair loss treatment than over-the-counter medication, but without the need for surgery.
Most patients are very happy with the results they gain from growth factors treatments. Many patients notice new growth, while others see their hair loss slow down or cease. This completely natural hair regrowth can help patients regain self-esteem and confidence, and make them look younger. As a bonus, the treatment is all natural, since the growth factors treatments use the patient’s own growth factors.
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Who is an ideal candidate for Growth Factors?
The best candidates for growth factors treatments are men and women with thinning hair, optimally when hair loss is just beginning to become apparent. While growth factors can be effective in people who already have significant balding, it has proven most effective for thinning hair and further hair loss prevention. Patients should be in good health, and have realistic expectations for the results of the procedure. The effectiveness of the treatments can vary from one patient to another, and being aware of this can help prevent unrealistic expectations.
Your Growth Factors Consultation
Before you schedule your first growth factors treatment, you will need to discuss your goals and candidacy with Dr. Rubinstein at his office in Newburgh, New York. During this consultation, Dr. Rubinstein will go over your medical history and ensure you are a good candidate to undergo the treatment. He will also assess your hair loss, and recommend the best options for treatment. This is a great time to ask questions so you can make an informed decision about moving forward with treatment.
The Growth Factors Procedure
The growth factors treatment itself is very straightforward. The entire process takes about 30 minutes. First, blood is drawn for processing. It is then refined to concentrate growth factors levels, making it suitable to stimulate hair growth. Once the growth factors is fully prepared, the scalp will be cleaned, and the growth factors will be injected and microneedled directly into the areas affected by hair growth. There is minimal discomfort as we offer Pro-Nox (inhaled nitrous oxide gas) during the procedure. Sedation is not required, and patients can drive themselves home after each treatment. Most patients will require 4 initial treatments spaced 6-8 weeks apart followed by maintenance treatments 2 times per year.
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Growth Factors Procedure: Recovery and Downtime
Because the procedure is minimally invasive, patients are able to get back to their normal activities almost immediately. Patients may experience minor swelling, bleeding, and bruising of the scalp following Growth Factors treatment, due to the fine needles used to deliver the growth factors. However, these side effects should subside fairly quickly and are generally well controlled with Tylenol and ice as needed. There is almost no limitation on normal activity following growth factors; we only recommend refraining from exercise on the day of treatment following injections. This makes the treatment ideal for busy lifestyles.
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Results of Growth Factors Procedure
Though most people see at least some hair regrowth with growth factors, the results are not instantaneous. Due to the hair growth cycle and the natural stimulation provided by growth factors treatments, most patients should expect to see results within 3-6 months. It’s important to note that results will vary based on the individual and the stage of hair growth they were in when starting treatments. For best results, patients must be committed to undergoing regular treatments.
*Each patient is unique and individual results may vary.
FAQ about Growth Factors
No, not all Growth Factors treatments are the same. There are many devices on the market that concentrate growth factors. For optimal hair growth, growth factors have to be concentrated at least 4 to 6 times from baseline. Dr. Rubinstein uses the Eclipse system which produces a high concentration of growth factors.
There are several adjuvant therapies that when added to your Growth Factors hair treatments, can further enhance results. These include the use of topical minoxidil (Rogaine®) and LED laser light therapy, a complimentary in-office service offered to patients while their Growth Factors is prepared. Additionally, we recommend all patients take Viviscal Professional®, a natural medical grade hair loss supplement clinically proven to significantly increase the number of terminal hairs and decrease hair shedding (1). Certain patients may also benefit from oral minoxidil and/or finasteride.* The need for oral therapy will be assessed during a patient’s personalized hair loss consultation.
*finasteride may be prescribed to male patients only
Reference
Ablon G. A 3-Month Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study Evaluating the Ability of Viviscal Extra Strength Formulation to Promote Hair Growth and Decrease Shedding in Women with Self-perceived Thinning Hair. Dermatol Res Pract. 2015; 2015:841570. doi: 10.1155/2015/841570
Yes, adding microneedling to Growth Factors hair treatments has been clinically shown to enhance the result and requires fewer maintenance treatments over time in comparison to Growth Factors injections alone(1).
References
Jha AK, Vinay K, Zeeshan M, Roy PK, Chaudhary RKP, Priya A. growth factors and microneedling improves hair growth in patients ofandrogenetic alopecia when used as an adjuvant to minoxidil. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2019;18(5):1330-1335. doi:10.1111/jocd.12864.
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Since the procedure uses the patient’s own blood, there is no risk for allergic reactions. The procedure itself is minimally invasive, and the only expected side effects are minor bruising, swelling, and bleeding. Growth Factors is a very safe treatment with few risks for healthy patients.
Most surgeons recommend at least 4 treatments, though more may be required. These treatments are spaced 6-8 weeks apart. Once this initial series is completed, patients should receive a maintenance treatment every 6 months depending on their surgeon’s recommendations.
It’s best to wait until chemotherapy is complete to undergo Growth Factors, as hair can regrow following the completion of chemo treatments. It is also potentially dangerous for patients with a recent history of cancer to undergo Growth Factors.
Yes. While the treatment is most successful for patients who have diffuse hair loss or thinning hair, it can also be successful for people with inactive follicles.
Treatment times vary, but each session typically does not take more than 30 minutes.
Absolutely. By combining Growth Factors with a surgical hair transplant, growth is stimulated and patients often see superior results than if a single procedure is used.
Unfortunately, hair loss is an ongoing problem. It’s important to undergo regular maintenance treatments to help reduce hair loss over time, especially as aging progresses. Growth Factors treatments aren’t a permanent solution—they’re part of an ongoing effort to circumvent hair loss.
No, Growth Factors works the same for both men and women. Growth Factors is often very successful in women, because the hair loss pattern is typically more diffuse, which is the ideal condition for Growth Factors success.
There is minimal discomfort. If necessary, icing is helpful for those who experience discomfort with the injections. When Growth Factors is combined with microneedling, we offer Pro-Nox (inhaled nitrous oxide gas) to ensure patient comfort during the procedure. Note that patients can still drive themselves to and from their appointment if using Pro-Nox. Swelling and bruising can cause some discomfort after the treatment, but subside quickly. These symptoms can be managed effectively at home with Tylenol and topical ice.
Some patients should not undergo Growth Factors, including heavy smokers or drinkers, people with low growth factors counts, recent sepsis or cancer patients, and patients who have blood clotting problems. Unstable low blood pressure and cortisone treatments may also make patients ineligible for treatment.
If you live in the state of New York, Laser & Cosmetic Surgery Specialists offers Growth Factors Hair Restoration among its services. For a full list of services, please visit our Locations page.
A Customized Treatment
In order to maximize the results of hair loss treatment, each patient’s individual needs require customization. If you’re interested in growth factors hair loss treatments, then consider making a consultation appointment to speak with Dr. Ran Y. Rubinstein in Newburgh, NY. Dr. Rubinstein will be happy to assess your candidacy and make a recommendation about which treatment is likely to work best for you. For more information, call Dr. Rubinstein’s office at 845-863-1772 today.
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