The affects of hair loss on an individual can be far from physical. Many men and women with thinning hair or hair loss (alopecia) experience a loss of self-esteem and may even suffer from symptoms of depression, anxiety, and other emotional issues.
Why is hair loss so emotionally difficult for so many? Physicians say it’s mostly cultural. Most societies across the globe associate luxurious hair with youth, beauty and good health. “For centuries, humans have adorned themselves in a variety of ways – tattooing, nail cosmetics, and most universally, hair styles of all sorts,” says Robert T Brodell, MD, professor of internal medicine in Ohio. “For many people, their hair is what makes them feel beautiful.” So when you begin to lose it, no matter the reason, it can be absolutely devastating.
There are a number of ways to cope with hair loss and what works for some, may not work so well for others.
Talk Therapy
It may be helpful to talk to a psychologist or other mental health professional to work through your feelings and process what is happening with your emotions. If your hair loss is related to chemotherapy, injury or stress, it will likely grow back and having someone to help reassure you through the long process can be quite helpful.
Consult A Beauty Professional
Sometimes bald spots or a thinning area can be concealed with a particular hairstyle. For men with thinning hair, they can cut it at a length that will look best and help avoid any obvious styles, such as a comb-over.
Consult A Hair Restoration Specialist
Luckily, there are a number of surgical and non-surgical options available for hair restoration today. Unlike older methods, they provide completely natural results that are long lasting. Non-surgical options include medication and low level laser therapy to prevent further hair loss and strengthen existing follicles.
Surgical methods involve extracting follicular units from a dense area of the back of the head and transplanting them to thinning or bald areas. The two methods of extraction offered by Dr. Thompson are the strip-method, where a strip of hair is removed from the back of the head to obtain grafts from, and NeoGraft, where each follicular unit is extracted one at a time eliminating the need for the linear strip.
For best results, a combination of surgical and non-surgical methods is typically used. To learn more, call (801)776-2220 for a complimentary consultation.