We see hundreds of patients every year at Cheng Plastic Surgery who trust us with solutions to their hair loss and hair restoration concerns. After 25 years in business serving the greater Bay Area and Silicon Valley in Northern California, we’ve narrowed down treatments and product recommendations based on experience. Our providers are confident that these time-tested selections will provide results when it comes to hair restoration and slowing hair loss.
In our professional experience, patients with the most successful hair restoration stories start with medical treatment procedures. Those who are serious about hair restoration will commit to a series of non-invasive Platelet Rich Fibrin (PRF) microchanneling or injections into the scalp. Or undergo a surgical Neograft hair transplant procedure.
To compliment your treatment plan and get the best results from your hair restoration procedures, the best topical products to prevent hair loss are Plated Skin Science hair serum and Nutrafol hair serum. True hair restoration serums do more than coat the hair strands. When using clinical grade hair serums, you are getting deeper penetration of concentrated product on the scalp. They not only protect the hair follicle and keep it hydrated; they also deliver exosome growth factors to the scalp to improve scalp health, resulting in thicker and fuller hair follicle density.
To understand why medical-grade serums outpace standard retail options, it helps to understand why hair loss happens in the first place. Thinning typically occurs when hair follicles prematurely enter the telogen (resting) phase of the hair growth cycle and, remain there too long. Or, when individual follicles undergo miniaturization due to hormonal changes, oxidative stress, or inflammation. To prevent hair loss and encourage the natural growth cycle in hair follicles, exosome growth factors and hydration are key players when it comes to follicle revitalization.
What are Exosomes in Hair Restoration?
Exosomes are microscopic, nano-sized cellular messengers. When introduced to the scalp, exosomes in hair serums are chosen to deliver growth factors that assist in boosting cellular strength, thus resulting in healthier scalp and healthier more robust hair follicles. Exosomes can help replenish low biological resources in your own body by signaling your cells to create more proteins and lipids. Exosomes will also aid in reducing inflamation creating a favorable environment for new hair growth.
When massaged into the scalp, these exosomes "reprogram" the environment around the cell with additional growth factors, this leads to: stimulation of dormant follicles to transition back out of the telogen (resting) phase and keeping hair follicles in the anagen growth phase for longer resulting in stronger hair shafts. Patients will also experience enhanced cell production at the root of the hair strand, increasing the physical size and strength of the emerging hair shaft.
Are hair serums alone enough?
Patients see the best results in hair restoration when combining topical products with treatments at our medspa or surgical office. For non-invasive medspa treatments, we recommend a series of three or more microchanneling or injection treatments using Platelet Rich Fibrin (PRF). This procedure will encourage hair growth and follicle strength by infusing your own natural growth factors into your scalp with little to no down-time.
If you are ready for a more immediate surgical solution, Cheng Plastic Surgery also has years of experience in providing Neograft hair transplant treatments. Downtime with Neograft is low, but patients are advised to avoid strenuous workouts or activity for 7-10 days while the hair transplants anchor into the scalp.
Overall hair serums can be effective in showing some improvement in hair density, but the best results are seen when hair serums are used in conjunction with a medspa or surgical procedure.
How long do hair serums take to work?
Results are dependent on your personal lifestyle, habits, and complimentary treatments. When paired with PRP or PRF microneedling, topical hair serums will work much faster by boosting the results of your PRP or PRF treatment. Hair growth serums can take up to six weeks to see a visible difference. Full effects of your hair serum will become apparent after about three months of consistent use.
How do I use hair serums?
For best results,
- Toughly wash your scalp using a shampoo of your choice. Work the shampoo into the scalp, cleaning deeply between the hair strands.
- If needed, rinse and repeat the washing process and rinse the hair and scalp thoroughly when done. Ensure all shampoo and conditioner have been rinsed well from the scalp.
- After washing the scalp, towel dry the hair and scalp or air dry until the scalp is no longer saturated with water. The product will not absorb properly into the scalp if it is too wet.
- Once dry, apply hair serum directly to the scalp in the quantity as directed by the instructions on the Plated or Nutrafol bottle. Concentrate serum application on areas of concern with thinning hair follicles or areas you wish to preserve density.
- Gently use clean fingertips to massage serum into the scalp.
- Wait at least five minutes for hair serum to absorb before using any hair styling products or heat tools. Managing Expectations
Hair growth is a slow, biologically capped physiological process; hair strands grow on average about half an inch per month. Therefore, both topical serums and hair restoration treatments require a committed timeline. When it comes to hair restoration results, this is a basic timeline of what to expect.
Month 1: Cellular Prep - Deep hydration and stabilized hair follicles; no visible density increases yet.
Week 6: Shedding decreases; fine baby hair begins to grow. Hair strands are growing longer and staying attached to the hair follicle for longer.
Month 3: Peak Efficacy – Follicle density and visible increase in hair volume. Catagen “baby hairs” are experiencing meaningful growth; thinning areas start to see more density.
It’s worth noting that to maintain hair restoration and hair growth results patients are advised to continue use of topical hair serum products and keep up with regular PRF microchanneling or injectable treatments long term. Without the additional growth factors provided by topical hair serums or PRF, it is likely your hair will return to its original baseline health. The combination or topical hair serums and medspa or surgical treatments is highly encouraged for long term results, protection of your treatment investment and extend the longevity of your treatments.
