Thinning hair is one of the most troubling cosmetic concerns faced by women. Hair loss can cause a woman to feel self-conscious and unattractive and make her look years older. Unfortunately, approximately 21 million females in the United States suffer from hair loss.

The good news is that there is a wide variety of highly effective hair loss treatments for women, now offered by Dr. Ruthie Harper in Austin, TX. The best women’s hair loss treatment for you will depend upon the underlying cause of your hair loss, as well as how far it has progressed.

PRP (“Platelet Rich Plasma”) is one of our most popular and effective women’s hair loss treatment. This hair restoration procedure is non-surgical, as well as 100% natural. In this article, our Austin, TX women’s hair loss experts discuss the statistics and the clinically proven results of PRP hair loss treatment.

What Is PRP Women’s Hair Loss Treatment?

PRP has been used in sports medicine for more than a decade to stimulate muscle and joint repair. And, by now, most women have also heard of the PRP “Vampire Facial®”.  This cosmetic procedure, made famous by Hollywood celebrities, uses the patient’s own plasma (extracted from their blood) to rejuvenate skin, reduce wrinkles, and reverse other signs of aging.

Now this same natural cellular regeneration process is being used to facilitate women’s hair regrowth. During PRP hair loss treatment, patients undergo a routine blood draw, after which plasma containing high concentrations of natural growth and healing factors is separated from the patient’s blood. This “Platelet Rich Plasma” is then injected into the scalp where it regenerates the hair follicles on a cellular level – “waking up” dormant hair follicles to start producing thicker, stronger, healthier hair shafts.

PRP Hair Loss Treatment Clinical Studies

Several clinical studies on PRP hair loss treatment have been conducted over the last five years. One research study reported in the Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery, found that there was a substantial, visible decrease in hair loss after the study subjects’ injections of PRP. Patients in that study saw an average number of hair follicles per square inch of scalp increase by 30 percent, from 71 hair follicles per cm² to 93 per cm².

In another study reported in the March 2019 issue of The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology’s patients injected with four PRP hair loss treatments saw a substantial increase in percentage of hairs, as well as increased hair count and density. The control group saw no hair increase whatsoever).

Women’s Hair Loss Statistics

Balding or thinning hair is not just a men’s problem. In fact, 40% of hair loss sufferers are women. And the older a person gets, the greater their risk of hair loss. While men’s hair loss starts earlier, but progresses more gradually, women see a later onset but more dramatic hair loss with age.

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, forty percent of women have visible hair loss by the time they are 40 years old. And clinical studies have shown that by the age of 60, approximately 80% of all women experience some noticeable degree of hair loss.

But, thanks to PRP hair loss treatment, women of any age can regain the self-confidence that accompanies having a full head of thick hair.

PRP Women’s Hair Loss Treatment vs Other Hair Restoration Methods

Some women attempt to remedy hair loss with a surgical hair transplant. But sadly, a recent clinical study reported that that less than half of all hair transplant patients end up being happy with their results. Additionally, hair transplants can cost up to $20,000. And 90% of hair transplant patients will require two separate surgeries to see optimal results. Additionally, as with any surgery there is risks from anesthetic, as well as pain, scarring, risk of infection, etc. Typically, hair transplant patients must shave their head in the treated area, and then undergo a long recovery period, while their hair grows back.

With PRP women’s hair loss treatment there is no head-shaving, no scarring, and no long recovery period. Because the PRP simply stimulates the body’s own natural hair growth, hair grows in thicker and fuller over time. Unlike hair transplant surgery, no one will know you had anything done – they will just notice that your hair looks fabulous. And PRP treatments literally cost a fraction of what hair transplant surgery costs!

And, while less than 50% of patients are satisfied with their hair transplant results, studies show that patients who are good candidates for PRP hair loss treatment generally report a 90% approval rate!

Minoxidil, Propecia & Pharmaceuticals for Women’s Hair Loss Treatment

Before PRP hair loss treatment became available, topical minoxidil (Rogaine) and oral finasteride (Propecia pills), were the only non-surgical options for treating hair loss. And, in some men and women, these medications can still be highly effective – and may be the right hair restoration choice.

But, both minoxidil and finasteride must be used for the patient’s entire lifetime once they are started, since discontinuation can cause loss of hair that was gained during therapy. Additionally, both medications have mild to serious side effects in some patients.

Finasteride has been known to cause decreased libido, breast swelling and tenderness, headaches, irregular periods, dizziness, and increased body hair in some female patients. Minoxidil has been known to cause facial hair growth, low blood pressure, headaches, and heart palpitations in some women. Additionally, minoxidil has been associated with impaired fetal development, and so it cannot be used by women who are pregnant or women of childbearing age who may become pregnant.

On the other hand, because PRP is derived from the patient’s own blood, it is 100% natural, safe, and free from side-effects or unwanted reactions or complications. It is even typically safe for women who are pregnant or nursing!

Additionally, PRP is not a daily, lifelong commitment like Rogaine or Propecia. After the patient’s course of original treatments – typically 3 or 4 treatments spaced 12 to 14 weeks apart – results can last for up to 5 years.

PRP Women’s Hair Loss Treatment – Austin

PRP women’s hair loss treatment is completely natural, non-surgical, affordable, and highly effective. Austin, TX women who are concerned about hair loss now have a solution that requires no daily medication, no daily application of creams, and no negative side effects or complications.

While every woman’s individual hair loss experience is different, the overwhelmingly positive results seen by people who have undergone PRP hair loss treatment speak for themselves. Dr. Ruthie Harper is a leading Austin, TX leading practitioners of PRP hair loss treatment – offering a safe, cost-effective, and 100% natural solution to women suffering from hair loss.

If you are a woman in the Austin, TX area who is experiencing thinning hair or hair loss, schedule a consultation today to see if PRP hair loss treatment can help you feel more confident and beautiful with fuller, thicker hair.

Women’s Hair Loss Treatment – Austin, TX: (512) 343-9355

Menopause Hair Loss Prevention & Treatment

Menopause is a natural biological process that is inevitably experienced by all women. As female hormones decline during this time, the body goes through numerous physical changes. But while unpleasant menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, mood swings, and insomnia will eventually subside – menopause hair loss can last a lifetime.

Fortunately, there are many steps you can take to prevent or minimize hair loss during menopause – as well several revolutionary new treatments that can actually restore hair growth during and after menopause.

Austin, TX menopause expert and hormone specialist Dr. Ruthie Harper offers the most advanced and effective treatments for menopausal women’s hair loss.

What Menopause Hair Loss Looks Like

Women’s hair loss due to the hormonal changes of menopause tend to be subtler and more gradual than the type of hair loss men experience. Most menopausal women experience overall hair thinning rather than distinct visible “bald spots”.  Menopausal hair thinning can occur on the front, sides, or top of the women’s head. Women may also notice that hair falls out in “clumps” when brushing or washing their hair during menopause.

What Cause Menopausal Hair Loss

Clinical research has revealed that hair loss during menopause is usually the result of a hormonal imbalance. The female hormones estrogen and progesterone help hair both grow faster and stay on the head longer. But when the levels of estrogen and progesterone decline during menopause, hair grows more slowly, falls out sooner, and becomes much thinner.

Additionally, the hormonal decrease of menopause also triggers an increase in the production of male hormones called “androgens”. And unfortunately, androgens deliver the double blow of shrink hair follicles on the head and causing more hair to grow on the face.

While the cause of menopausal hair loss is almost always related to hormonal changes, there are also many other factors that can contribute to thinning hair during menopause. High levels of stress, illness, some medications, and nutritional deficiencies can all also contribute to women’s hair loss.

Treating Women’s Menopausal Hair Loss

Seeing a doctor who specializes in menopause and hormone deficiencies, like Dr. Ruthie Harper in Austin, is essential to obtaining an accurate diagnosis and identifying the best hair loss treatment for you. Dr. Ruthie Harper will order diagnostic blood tests – including thyroid tests, and complete blood panels – to identify the specific causes of your hair loss.

Once hair loss expert Dr. Ruthie Harper diagnoses the underlying cause of your hair loss, a customized hair restoration program will be put in place at our Austin, TX office. Dr. Harper offers a wide variety of the safest and most effective hair loss treatments that can help stop menopausal hair loss, as well as regrow full, healthy hair in women.

Low Level Laser (LLL) Menopausal Hair Loss Treatments

State-of-the-art Low Level Laser (LLL) hair loss treatments are available at our Austin, TX office. This device emits low-energy laser light that has been proven in clinical studies to stop hair loss.

FDA approved LLL hair loss treatment works by emitting red light in a specific spectrum that stimulates the body’s natural production of “ATP” (Adenosine Triphosphate). ATP is a molecule that activates the “anagen” or growth phase of the hair follicle.

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Menopause Hair Loss Treatment

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) is a 100% natural cellular regeneration technology that is now available at Ruthie Harper, MD in Austin, TX to regrow hair.

During PRP hair loss treatment, after a routine blood draw, plasma containing high concentrations of natural growth and healing factors is separated from the patient’s own blood. This “Platelet Rich Plasma” is then injected into the scalp where it regenerates the hair follicles on a cellular level.

Hormone Replacement Therapy for Menopause Hair Loss

Modern advancements in hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can restore hormonal balance to women suffering from the hormone decline of menopause. HRT can be very effective in offering long-lasting relief from many of the uncomfortable or embarrassing symptoms of menopause, including hair loss.

After identifying a woman’s unique hormone deficiencies, Dr. Harper can prescribe custom formulated, natural, biodentical hormone replacement. If a woman’s levels of the female hormones estrogen and progesterone are restored, it can help hair grow faster and thicker and stay on the head longer.

Other Treatments for Women’s Hair Loss

Finasteride (Propecia or Proscar) is a topical medication that blocks DHT – the hormone that causes hair follicles to produce thinner, weaker hair. At our Austin, TX office, Dr. Harper offers a specially compounded formula of Finasteride called FinPlus that contains added ingredients to boost hair growth, including:  biotin, saw palmetto, horsetail, nettle astragalus, poria cocos, and rehmannia.

Depending upon the underlying cause of a menopausal women’s hair thinning, certain dietary supplements may also help stop hair loss, as well as support hair regrowth. Since supplements are very specific to certain types of dietary deficiencies, Dr. Harper will use the patient’s bloodwork to identify any deficiencies before prescribing a custom supplement regimen.

Menopausal Women’s Hair Loss Treatment – Austin, TX

Ruthie Harper MD has been helping menopausal women in the Austin, TX area reverse hair loss and regrow healthy hair since 2000. She takes a thorough diagnostic approach to finding the cause of a woman’s hair loss, so she can prescribe the most effective treatment(s) to restore a healthy, beautiful head of hair.

At Ruthie Harper MD in Austin, TX we offer the latest treatments and technologies to create a customized hair loss and regrowth program specifically for you, that will stop your hair loss and restore thick, full, healthy hair.

Women’s Hair Loss Consultation – Austin, TX: (512)343-9355

Causes of Female Hair Loss

Although baldness is usually thought of as a men’s issue, more than 50% of women will experience significant hair loss or thinning at some point in their life. For women, hair loss can be an especially great source of embarrassment and concern that undermines self-confidence.

Fortunately, there are a wide variety of safe and effective treatments that can help stop hair loss and/or regrow full, healthy hair in women. But the first step involved in choosing a hair restoration treatment is identifying the woman’s underlying causes of hair loss.

Finding the cause of female hair loss is a complicated problem, because there are more than 50 different factors that can affect thinning hair. Basically, these factors can be broken down into one of four categories: hereditary, medical, pharmaceutical or environmental factors.

Through expert medical examination by Dr. Ruthie Harper in our Austin, TX office, we can typically identify the cause of a patient’s hair loss – so that we can offer the most successful hair regrowth treatments customized for them. the great news is that, in most cases, once the underlying cause of hair loss is correctly identified and properly treated, a woman’s hair will hair will grow back.

Hereditary Causes of Female Hair Loss

Female Pattern Hair Loss

Androgenetic Alopecia is a hereditary condition that affects about 30 million American women. Although it can occur at any time, it is most common in a woman’s late 50s or 60s. Normally when a hair is shed it will be replaced by a hair of equal size. But in Female Pattern Baldness the new hair grows back finer and thinner, and eventually the follicle may stop making hair altogether.

Autoimmune Female Hair Loss

Alopecia Areata is another type of female hair loss thought to be hereditary. In this upsetting condition, the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy hair follicles – causing the hair to fall out in patches. Fortunately, this type of female hair loss is typically not permanent – and the missing patches usually grow back in six months to a year.

Hormonal Causes of Female Hair Loss

Thyroid Disease and Female Hair Loss

Healthy thyroid hormone levels effect almost every function of the body – including healthy hair growth. As one of the “Top 10 Thyroid Doctors in Texas,” Dr. Ruthie Harper will perform complete testing for the optimal thyroid functions that are necessary for healthy hair.

PCOS and Female Hair Loss

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome – or PCOS – is another condition that causes a woman’s body to make excess levels of male hormones. These “androgens” can cause unwanted hair to grow on the face and body, while causing hair on the scalp to become thinner.

Pregnancy and Hair Loss

The hormonal changes of pregnancy can keep resting hairs from falling out as they normally would, and then suddenly fall out at an alarming rate after childbirth. Called Telogen Effluvium, this type of female hair loss may take up to two years to return to normal. But with hair restoration treatment in our Austin, TX office, hair can grow back much faster.

Menopause and Female Hair Loss

The hormonal changes that occur due to menopause are also often the cause of female hair loss.  Changes in estrogen, progesterone and testosterone levels can result in the loss of healthy hairs, as well as slow down the rate of new hair growth.

Other Medical Causes of Female Hair Loss

Anemia and Female Hair Loss

Many women experiencing thinning hair or hair loss have an iron deficiency. For these women, iron supplementation typically stops hair loss and hair regrows normally. But taking iron supplements when not needed can lead to a dangerous iron overload that can damage the liver and other organs.So blood work should be done in our Austin, TX office before starting iron supplements.

Fungal Infections and Female Hair Loss

Ringworm is a contagious fungal infection that can trigger hair loss that occurs in itchy, round patches. Anti-fungal medication can treat ringworm and arrest this type of hair loss.

Lifestyle, Environmental and Female Hair Loss

Medications Can Cause Female Hair Loss

Hair loss can be a side effect of birth control pills, as well as other medications including blood thinners, and certain high blood pressure, heart disease, arthritis, and depression medications. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy to treat cancer can also damage hair follicles, triggering dramatic hair loss.

Dieting Can Cause Female Hair Loss

Many women notice hair loss 3 to 6 months after losing more than 15 pounds or more. This is typically the result of consuming insufficient amounts of the foods, vitamins and minerals that are critical for hair health.

Hair Styling and Female Hair Loss

Traction Alopecia refers to hair loss caused by damage to the follicles from extensions, cornrows, tight ponytails, tight rollers, etc.  Frequent or harsh hair dyes, chemical treatments, blow drying, or straightening can also result in damage, breakage and hair loss.

Stress and Female Hair Loss

Additionally, extreme physical or emotional stress can cause the condition called Telogen Effluvium, in which hair follicles stop growing, lie dormant and fall out within two to three months. Anything that causes extreme physical or mental stress to the body including illness, surgery, an accident – as well as a loss or psychological trauma – can trigger hair loss in women. Hair growth is typically restored within 6 to 9 months, or faster with proper treatment.

Find Out Why Your Hair is Falling Out – Austin, TX

Don’t just “guess” why your hair falling out! With a thorough examination and blood work in our Austin, TX office, Dr. Ruthie Harper can identify the underlying cause of your thinning hair, so that the right hair restoration treatments can be recommended.

Ruthie Harper MD has been helping women in the Austin, TX area resolve their hair loss problems since 2000. She takes a thorough and scientific diagnostic approach to finding the cause of your female hair loss, so she can prescribe the most effective treatment(s) to restore a healthy, beautiful head of hair for you.

At Ruthie Harper, MD in Austin, TX we are experienced in addressing the many causes of female hair loss. We offer the latest treatments and technologies to create a customized hair loss and regrowth program specifically for you that will restore full, thick hair.

Female Hair Loss Consultation – Austin, TX: (512)343-9355