Dramatic Medical Hair Loss Therapy Results

Male patient with significant hair loss in the crown and midscalp.

This 37-year-old man consulted with Dr. Hawkins after noticing thinning on his crown over the past few years. He was specifically interested in a hair transplant and was considering going to Turkey when a friend recommended he see Dr. Hawkins first.

 

Although he was a good candidate for a hair transplant, Dr. Hawkins first recommended medical therapy to see how much hair could be regrown. Given his diffuse miniaturized vellus hairs in the crown and midscalp, Dr. Hawkins thought the patient would respond well to combination medical therapy. Dr. Hawkins started him on a single capsule once a day containing compounded oral finasteride and oral minoxidil. The decision to proceed with this regimen was based on based on the patient's desire to potentially have more children in the future and avoid anything that might risk his fertility.

At his 1-year follow-up appointment, the patient was blown away by his results. The thin area had completely filled in to the point he no longer needed a hair transplant at all. This case emphasizes Dr. Hawkins' medical-first philosophy. With today's advanced medical therapy options that can be tailored specifically to the patient, medical therapy can, as in this case, avoid surgery for the foreseeable future and can also improve donor hair density, improving hair transplant results.

Although it may be more profitable to perform a hair transplant and start medical therapy simultaneously, that approach risks damaging potentially recoverable miniaturized hairs during the transplant. Furthermore, it permanently spends precious donor hair that he can now save for 10 years down the line if medical therapy starts to concede ground.

At the Hair Medicine Institute, Dr. Hawkins ' philosophy is to treat every patient like friends and family, putting their long-term needs first even if it means not performing a hair transplant.