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Dr. Emran R. Imami and medical assistant Maggie Smith work on a patient undergoing non-surgical hair restoration using techniques designed to stimulate new cell growth.(Photo: TIM SHORTT/ FLORIDA TODAY)

Most of us have some particular part of our anatomy that, well, bugs us.

It could be our nose, ears, neck or even the derriere that could use improvement, according to the lens through which we see ourselves.

For Leslie Burgett, its her hair.

Ive battled with it off and on for years, the Merritt Island resident said.

Her genetics predispose Burgett to alopecia, thinning hair in certain areas of the scalp. To be honest, however, Burgetts hair, while not voluminous, wasnt that scarce, either.

Dr. Emran Imami is certified by the American Board of Surgery and is an invited Fellow of the prestigious American College of Surgeons.(Photo: PROVIDED PHOTO)

A lot of people probably wouldnt have noticed, but its obvious to me, she said. When you look at yourself in the morning, what you look like sets the rest of the day, and I didnt like the way my hair looked.

Through the years, the decades, even, Burgett continued the battle with her locks. She underwent a thyroid test, since this gland could cause hair loss if malfunctioning. Thyroid was not the issue.

She tried minoxidil back when you needed a prescription for the product. Used to treat baldness in a topical format, minoxidil was originally developed as an antihypertensive vasodilator. It wouldhave helped grow hair on Burgett, but it also lowered her heart rate so much she had to quit.

After a death in the family, Burgett found that the antidepressants she was taking were growing her hair as well as loweringher stress.

Polydioxanone (PDO) Threads are inserted to stimulate hair follicles to grow. Dr. Emran R. Imami uses this non-surgical hair restoration technique at Imami Hair Restoration in Melbourne.(Photo: TIM SHORTT/ FLORIDA TODAY)

For a long time, my hair was fine, she said.

However, dropping the medication was not kind on her hair.

I started having the thinning I had years ago, said Burgett.

Treatment with PRP, or protein-rich plasma, worked well, but Burgett would have to go back to her doctor every three months to have blood drawn. A centrifuge would isolate and concentrate the healing portion of her blood, which would then be injected into her scalp to nurture flagging hair follicles.

It worked pretty well, she said.

It worked even better when she added PDO threads to the treatment.

Polydioxanone, or PDO, has been used for years in aesthetics for non-surgical facelifts and wrinkle control. The medical grade thread, made of protein and thinner in circumference than hair, both relaxes tendons and muscles in an area and simultaneously improves blood flow.

Polydioxanone (PDO) Threads are inserted to stimulate hair follicles to grow. Dr. Emran R. Imami uses this non-surgical hair restoration technique at Imami Hair Restoration in Melbourne.(Photo: TIM SHORTT/ FLORIDA TODAY)

They work with the face. They also work with hair, and patients with androgenetic alopecia have experienced hair regrowth after PDO threads were inserted into their scalps.

The threads increase inflammatory response, which in turn increases new blood vessels, said Dr. Emran Imami of Imami Skin & Cosmetic Center in Melbourne.

In medical terms, the threads perform a selective inflammatory response by encouraging the body to heal itself.

"Its like watering a plant, Imami said.

Burgett has a glowing report on her PDO threads experience, even though it has been just a couple of weeks since the procedure, which involves inserting into the scalp a series of tiny needles preloaded with the threads. The threads stay beneath the skin after the needle is withdrawn.

Ive noticed less hair falling and more hair growing back, she said.

Because the threads are fully absorbed in four to six months, the procedure should be repeated every six months, but Burgett has no problem with that.

I didnt feel a thing and I was out of there quickly, she said. After the procedure, my head felt a little heavy, like you had a hat on, but by the next morning, that feeling was gone and I was back to normal.

A research study presented at the 12thInternational Conference on Cosmetic Dermatology and Hair Care noted that patients experienced significant reduction in hair loss with PDO threads. Hair regrowth increased from an average of 65 hair follicles per centimeter of scalp to 93.

Polydioxanone (PDO) Threads are inserted to stimulate hair follicles to grow. Dr. Emran R. Imami uses this non-surgical hair restoration technique at Imami Hair Restoration in Melbourne.(Photo: TIM SHORTT/ FLORIDA TODAY)

Imami sees using the threads as part of a bigger treatment picture that can include, as in Burgetts case, PRP, and also low-level laser, daily use of vitamins such as B12 and herbal shampoos with red clover extract, and other treatments to stop, slow or even reverse hair loss. For good measure, add a touch of scalp micropigmentation to create the illusion of hair follicles through what is essentially a tattooing process.

There has been a marked increase in the science of anti-aging, reparative and regenerative medicine, and as such, there are several ways to preserve and grow healthy hair, said Imami.

Hair loss can be caused by hormonal or thyroid imbalance, diabetes, medications, genetics, stress and simply just the passage of time.

As you age, everything will thin, Imami said.

Because it usually happens gradually, hair loss often is not noticed until a significant loss has already occurred.

You have 100 hair follicles per centimeter and you can lose up to 75 percent of them and not look bald, Imami said.

The hair strands thin, and during the cycle of growth they may remain dormant for a longer period of time. Regrowth takes longer and longer, and eventually ceases altogether.

Catch them while they are still around, says Imami, or you may regret it later.

If you treat the follicles while they are still there, you can do something, but once the hair follicle dies, you cant get them back, he said. We want to maximize the growth phase of the hair cycle and the length of time it stays on the scalp, because if we can keep the hair on the head to last longer, the net effect is that you have more hair density.

Should you wait until the hair disappears, your only option is a transplant, which is effective, but takes time and is more expensive.

Burgett would rather skip the transplant and has no problem incorporating other different treatment modalities, as long as they keep hair on her head.

For women, hair is such an integral part of their self-esteem, she said.

For more information, call 321-312-4168 or visit imamihair.com.

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