From hair thinning to regrowth: My experience with professional scalp treatments

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I had thick and wavy, if not slightly frizzy hair, growing up. I did not think hair thinning would ever be a problem for me, but I first noticed it in 2017 when I was 24 years old. That year, I chopped my hair off for the first time after keeping it long and rebonding it for five years.

The pixie cut revealed what my long locks have been hiding – my scalp is already increasingly visible on the hair parting.

I did not seek any treatment right away. I thought the problem would correct itself if I stopped rebonding my hair. But it did not recover, and the thinning became something I could no longer ignore during the pandemic.

I tried a few home remedies. I got myself an aloe vera plant and applied it to my hair. When that got tedious, I bought aloe vera gels and hair masks. I began using rosemary-based shampoo and conditioner. I consulted with a hairdresser about other products I can use, and she suggested Kerastase’s 30-day program, which apparently costs somewhere around P30,000! I was shocked that hair treatments can be that expensive.

Eventually, I got concerned that I could be doing more damage to my hair by trying out different products. I gave up on trying to fix the problem myself and sought professional help. I went to Svenson, which offers several services to address hair loss. It’s not cheap – treatment can take months, if not years, depending on your needs – but I realized that we should not hold back in investing in self-care.

My first session was in July 2024. The process began with a consultation – which is free – to assess the condition of my hair. My medical history was taken and a microscope was used to take a closer look on the strands and the scalp.

My case was the typical female pattern hair loss. I did not experience alarming episodes of hair fall, but my hair is not growing like it’s supposed to. Each hair follicle can grow three or even four strands, but some of the follicles on my part line no longer delivers the maximum yield.

To arrest the widening of my part line, my follicles will need to function better.

Prepping the scalp for treatment

Shai Aya-Ay, the trichologist handling my case, said that my treatment will focus on increasing my hair growth.

“First is we always want to invest on the scalp health first and then stimulate growth later. Then eventually we'll look for a strengthening treatment for you,” she said, echoing hair experts in saying the first step to healthy hair is a healthy scalp.

She put me on a scalp corrective treatment (P1,600 per session) as a starter. That includes topical application of two liquid solutions: a cleanser and the corrective treatment, which can be oil-based or alcohol-based depending on the needs of your hair.

After shampooing, the cleanser will be applied first to make sure that the active ingredients of the corrective treatment will be absorbed by your scalp. Meanwhile, the corrective reduces inflammation that can be associated with hair loss and also includes hair growing properties.

Both the cleanser and the corrective will be applied through an airbrush tool. They will then be left to sit on your scalp for a few minutes. There is an option to apply this yourself at home, but it is recommended to visit Svenson for your session for best results.

After that, a hand-held gadget called iontophoresis device will be used to help the nutrients in the treatment get absorbed by your scalp. It works by using a mild electrical current to push the active ingredients into the targeted area. You will hold the device yourself, but you need to remove any metal on your head.

If you have piercings like me, red light therapy will be done in place of the iontophoresis treatment. Red light helps stimulate hair growth and blood circulation.

Scalp corrective treatment usually lasts for 30 minutes. The session is finished with a short scalp and shoulder massage. For best results, it must be scheduled three times a week, ideally every other day. Two consecutive days are fine, but three is not recommended.

Svenson offers a package for 30 sessions worth P48,000, but the number of sessions prescribed is a case-to-case basis, depending on the client’s needs.

After one month of corrective treatment, my red light therapy was replaced with bio scalp light therapy (P2,200 per session). This involves topical application of a serum on the thinning area and exposure to red and blue LED lights. The red light triggers regeneration of cells and the blue light has antibacterial properties to help scalp issues like dandruff.

This treatment comes directly after shampooing and blow-drying the hair. A mask will be placed over your eyes to protect them from the brightness of the LED lights. After 20 minutes, the scalp corrective treatment will proceed as normal, just without the red light therapy.

For non-treatment days, I was given six products that I can apply on my own at home. First there’s the shampoo (P1,350) and conditioner (P1,550).

There is also morning tonic (P1,800) after showering, second is a night tonic (P1,800) before sleeping, and third, bio corrective drops (P4,500) to be applied after the night tonic. The tonics must be applied to the whole scalp, while only 15 drops of the bio corrective would be needed on the thinning area.

The last product is anti-hair fall patches (P4,200) that must be attached to your nape. Each box contains 28 patches for one month, and when it runs out, you must rest your skin and wait for 15 days before getting a new box.

I have gone through several bottles and boxes of all these products, and the cost is no joke. Our hair is really our crowning glory – maintaining it is as expensive as a crown.

Exosomes and microneedles

After two months of corrective treatment and bio scalp light therapy, baby hairs began growing on my part line. They were still unnoticeable to the naked eye, but could be seen using a microscope.

At that point, my scalp was ready for the next treatment: Svensons’s exosome therapy called NexoHair (P35,000 per session). It involves the use of microneedles to push exosomes containing hair growth factors or bioactive proteins to into the scalp. Think of exosomes as a “capsule” bioengineered to contain compounds that help cell growth and follicular activity.

The treatment is expensive, but the baby hairs will need further support to grow thicker and healthier. It’s just like taking care of a plant: you need to keep watering it and exposing it to the sun. In this sense, NexoHair is like a fertilizer for your hair.

“For us it's the most efficient delivery system [of the treatments],” Aya-ay said. “May mga procedure tayo to make sure na ‘yung absorption will be better. But with exosomes ‘yun ‘yung pinopose niya na biggest benefit, it's because ‘yung structure nung exosomes double layer of fat siya. So ‘yung human cells most of it double layer of fat. So it's almost ni-re-receive niya lang so easily.”

“That creates signals naman don sa mga dermal papilla cells natin which is nasa ilalim to do its job. So si dermal papilla cell siya ‘yung nagsisignal na ‘yung hair mo, nag-re-rest siya pero isisignal niyang, ‘oy, mag-grow ka na.”

Before this treatment, your hair must already be washed with shampoo. A serum will then be applied to your scalp section by section, and the microneedles will push the product into the scalp.

Depending on your pain tolerance, you might feel hurt or some discomfort from the microneedles. Personally, I did not feel pain and the sensation is like brushing your hair with a sharp comb.

To wrap up the treatment, a boosting ampule will be applied using a cryotherapy gun. This feels cool and will soothe your scalp after the microneedling session.

“It's really to create more channels para ‘yung liquid na treatment mas ma-spread out natin evenly sa scalp mo. So it would also help na ‘yung liquid treatment na exosomes mas mapush in talaga natin siya sa dermis,” Aya-ay said about the treatment.

For post-operation care, she instructed that the hair can be washed after 24 hours.

“Avoid touching the scalp. Avoid sun exposure lang for three days. You could always wear a cap hat or kahit payong just so protected siya from sunlight,” she said.

I have undergone five NexoHair sessions. The second one was scheduled 15 days after the first, and the rest was scheduled monthly. The number of sessions you need will depend on the progress of the treatment and the hair growth, which will be carefuly monitored.

In between the NexoHair sessions, the corrective treatment and bio scalp light therapy will continue as normal.

Results

I began my treatment in July. I tried to be diligent with all the aspects of it, but admittedly, there are times when I could only do two sessions (sometimes just one) a week. Sometimes I forget about the patches and the tonics.

But after six months, the widening at my part line has been slightly reduced, and the baby hairs that have grown early on in the process have become longer and thicker. My family has noticed improvement, which encourages me to continue the treatment.

Aya-ay told me it takes up to a year to see significant changes, so I still have some ways to go in this journey.

For other people struggling with hair thinning and hair loss, there might still be hope if you seek professional help like I did. Each person’s treatment will be different based on their diagnosis and their needs, but hopefully my experience gave you an idea about what it takes to care for our hair.

And if I learned anything from this, it’s that hair care is like skin care. It will take a lot of patience with the routine, but in the end, it will be worth it for boosting our confidence.

If you want to try Svenson, you may book an appointment through their website. They have branches in Alabang, Angeles City, Bonifacio Global City, Binondo, Cebu, Makati City, Pampanga, and Quezon City.

—LA, GMA Integrated News