Physiotherapeutic methods of combating baldness

Physiotherapy as an element of complex therapy for baldness is used quite actively and successfully. In addition to the direct biological effect on hair growth (which is sometimes difficult to explain), the psychological aspect is also important - patients believe in the power of the devices, which significantly affects the treatment result.

• Electrical methods

Electrotherapy is the effect of electricity on the scalp and hair follicles. The following types of electrotherapy are used in trichological practice:

• Electrotrichogenesis

Electrotrichogenesis is the stimulation of hair follicles by an electrostatic field. The method was developed by the Canadian company Current Technologies Corporation in the 90s of the last century and was immediately adopted by cosmetologists in Canada and Mexico. As for the United States, the FDA initially suspended the use of this method, citing the lack of long-term clinical trials confirming the safety of electrotrichogenesis in terms of its effect on the brain.

In the opinion of the developers of the method, such a ban was an obvious over-insurance, since the parameters of the electrostatic field used in the device are within the permissible values.

The mechanism by which metabolic processes are activated in follicle cells is similar to that demonstrated in soft tissue cells. In addition to direct stimulation of follicle cells, the electrostatic field can also affect microcirculation, improving blood supply to the bulbs. As a result of increased metabolism, hair growth is enhanced compared to the norm. In principle, all this is very similar to the action of microcurrents, which are also sometimes used in beauty salons to strengthen hair.

Scientists from Current Technologies, as a result of numerous experiments, managed to select the optimal parameters of the electrostatic field and create a treatment plan using the electrotrichogenesis method. Information about the strength of the electrical effect is the property of the company, which is reluctant to share it. The only thing the company declares publicly is that the intensity of the electrostatic field is much lower than the values recognized as safe for health. The same applies to frequency characteristics, which lie within the limits of acceptable physiological values.

The undoubted advantages of the method are the absence of side effects and ease of use. The device looks like a hair dryer, which is available in every hairdresser. The patient sits in a comfortable chair, and above his head there is a hemisphere, inside which an electrostatic field is created. The procedure lasts 12 minutes and does not cause any unpleasant sensations.

Today, electrotrichogenesis is known and actively used in beauty salons in more than 25 countries around the world.

• Darsonvalization

Darsonvalization is a type of electrical stimulation that is also used to treat alopecia. The therapeutic current has a high frequency (110 kHz) and voltage (25–30 kV) at a low current strength, modulated in a series of oscillations lasting 100 μs with a frequency of 100 Hz. The mechanism of the therapeutic effect is determined by the effect of electrical discharges on the skin receptors and superficial tissues. Due to the relaxation of spasmodic areas, ischemia and associated pain are relieved, the feeling of numbness passes, and tissue trophism improves.

• Galvanization

Galvanization is the use of a constant, low-voltage electric current (up to 80 V) with a small current strength (up to 50 mA) for the purpose of therapeutic effects. Passing through the skin, the current encounters resistance, and energy is spent to overcome this resistance. Galvanic reactions develop in the tissues where energy is absorbed: heat generation, change in the ratio of tissue ions and pH of the environment, release of biologically active substances, activation of enzymes and metabolic processes, increased blood flow, lymphatic drainage.

• Electrophoresis and Electroincorporation

During electrophoresis, a potential difference is created between the electrode placed on the patient's head and the electrode held in his hand. The current passing through the patient's body is small, so it does not pose a health hazard and does not cause any unpleasant sensations. At the same time, it is sufficient to ionize the molecules of the active ingredients, which in the form of ions more easily penetrate the follicle. During electroincorporation, the voltage applied to the electrodes is not constant, but pulsed. It creates micro-breakdowns in the lipid layer of the skin, through which nutrients more easily penetrate to the hair roots.

• Temperature methods

Intense heat treatment can act much like a sunburn. The physical damage it causes leads to inflammation and stimulation of hair growth.

Cryotherapy is used to obtain a mild local inflammatory reaction with enhanced microcirculation. The procedure is carried out in courses, usually in combination with general strengthening drug treatment.

• Massage

Massage (manual, vacuum) is used to improve blood supply, provide lymphatic drainage and activate the neuroreceptor apparatus. Massage is usually performed after applying medicinal creams, lotions, etc. Many researchers confirm that the condition of the vessels affects the growth and duration of the hair life cycle. Massage has a beneficial effect on blood circulation and helps to extend the hair growth phase.

Vacuum massage is a method of influencing the scalp with the help of small cups that create a pulsating vacuum. This causes the vessels of the microcirculation bed to expand and then contract again - a kind of training of the vessels that feed the hair follicles. Since the anagen phase is characterized by intensive development of the vascular network, and in the telogen phase - its involution, vascular gymnastics promotes better blood supply to the follicles in the growth phase and slows down the degradation of the vessels. This causes prolongation of the growth phase of the follicles in the anagen stage and accelerated awakening of dormant follicles.

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