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Hair loss is generally not painful, but it can cause a real hit to your confidence. In some cases, even genuine anxiety and emotional distress. After all, hair is one of the first things that people notice about you and if it starts thinning—or worse, falling out—it’s easy to feel embarrassed about it or even unsure of yourself. Thankfully, there are a variety of ways to treat hair loss.

The first step is creating a consistent hair care routine. Find an effective shampoo and conditioner that can help nourish and moisturize the hair. Healthy hair isn’t possible without a healthy scalp; it’s helpful to scrub the scalp well to help stimulate blood flow and keep it healthy. If hair loss becomes a problem, try to avoid products that have parabens, sulfates, silicones, isopropyl alcohol, or sodium chloride. It’s better to use more natural and sulfate-free products that have ingredients such as biotin, coconut oil or olive oil. 

For those experiencing hair loss to a more significant degree, some recent advances in treatments and technologies that can be beneficial. These include:

Plasma Injections

During these procedures, high concentrations of your own blood components are injected directly into the scalp to stimulate hair growth. Most of the time, the process needs to be repeated monthly for up to three months, with annual follow-up treatments.

Laser Light Treatments

One up and coming treatment involves low-level laser light devices that help encourage new hair growth. These can be administered in several formats, like helmets or caps, even a specially equipped comb.

Microneedle Patch

Researchers out of Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a potential new treatment that targets hair loss caused by alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease. The product is a painless microneedle patch that is applied to the scalp and provides immune-regulating molecules to rebalance the immune response and stop the autoimmune attack. Researchers are now working on creating a company to further develop the technology.

Supplements and Oral Medications

A variety of oral medications on the market can help treat hair loss. It’s important to discuss these with a doctor to understand how they work, which option is right for you, and what side effects may occur. Vitamins and supplements may also be an effective route to encourage hair growth, but again, these. should be discussed with your doctor to ensure that there is no interference with other medications you’re taking. 

For those without the support of a physician, some websites provide online prescriptions for hair loss or thinning hair and do not require doctor’s office visits. Usually this process involves completing an intake form and answering some general questions about your health and the symptoms you’re experiencing. A medical provider will review it and recommend which options are available.

Hair Transplants

With new technologies and techniques, hair transplants are easier and more comfortable. Whether it’s cutting-edge robotic hair transplantation systems, follicular unit extraction, or stem cell therapy, bringing back a fuller, healthier head of hair is possible.

All these methods are the result of ongoing advancements in modern medicine. Together they add up to hope—and solutions—for  people struggling with hair thinning or hair loss.