Skin conditions
Pattern thinning, temporary shedding and scarring conditions can look alike and behave very differently. Knowing which one you have is where treatment starts.
Physician led. Burnaby and Richmond. Every skin tone since 1996.
Book a complimentary consultationA physician examines your scalp, works out why you are losing hair, and builds your plan before you decide anything.
Understanding the condition
Hair thinning is a reduction in the density or thickness of scalp hair that happens when the hair growth cycle is disrupted, follicles shrink, or hairs shed faster than they grow back.
Every hair moves through a long growth phase of about 3 to 6 years, a short transition, and a resting phase, after which it falls out and a new one grows. Losing 50 to 100 hairs a day is normal. Hair loss becomes visible when regrowth cannot keep pace with shedding, or when follicles shrink and the hairs they make grow finer and shorter. The cause matters more than the symptom, because the cause is what decides the treatment.
Types of hair loss
Pattern hair loss, the most common kind in men and women. An inherited sensitivity to DHT gradually shrinks affected follicles, so hair grows finer and shorter over time. This is the pattern platelet therapy and medical treatment target.
Temporary, heavy shedding a couple of months after a shock to the system: illness, childbirth, stress, a crash diet or a thyroid problem. It usually corrects itself once the trigger is found and dealt with.
Hair loss from prolonged tension, from tight braids, weaves, buns or turbans. Caught early it is reversible by relieving the tension. Left too long it can become permanent, so recognising it early matters.
Here the follicle is replaced by scar tissue, so hair cannot regrow. This group needs a dermatologist early, and a scalp that is red, scaling, painful or smooth and shiny is a reason to seek medical assessment first.
Thyroid disease, iron deficiency, some autoimmune conditions and certain medications can all thin hair. These are found through history and blood work, not through a device, which is why assessment comes first.
The BioPlus difference
Skin tone and hair type change which causes are most likely and which treatments are the safest fit. Platelet therapy uses your own blood, so there is no product to react with pigment and very little risk of the pigment change that darker skin can develop after heat or laser. For patients with Fitzpatrick IV to VI who have been turned away over skin tone concerns, it is one of the soundest options available. Treating every skin tone is what we have done since 1996, and the plan follows the person in front of us.
PRP and PRF use your own blood, so no product can react with pigment, and scalp injections carry very little risk of the pigment change darker skin can develop after heat or laser.
A randomised trial of platelet therapy for pattern hair loss was run in Asian patients, and the thulium scalp study behind our laser adjuncts was conducted in Korean patients. Where the evidence fits our patients, we say so.
Traction patterns and central centrifugal scarring alopecia differ by hair type and styling. Naming these correctly, rather than assuming all crown thinning is pattern loss, is part of getting the plan right.
Only one treatment set on this page has randomised trial evidence behind it for pattern hair loss, and that is platelet therapy using your own blood. So it leads every plan. The lasers here support scalp skin and help topical treatments reach the follicle, and we present them as honest adjuncts rather than as regrowth on their own. And when the assessment points to a scarring alopecia or a medical cause such as a thyroid or iron problem, the first step is medical care, before any device work. Saying that plainly is part of the service.
Honest assessment first. That is the whole point of the consultation.
How your visit works
Hair loss is treated well or badly at the diagnosis step, long before any device. So we do the slow work first.
A physician takes your history, when the shedding started and how fast, your family history, recent illness or stress, your medications and how you style your hair, then examines your scalp, pattern and density.
We work out what kind of hair loss this is, because that decides everything. Magnified examination helps tell pattern loss from scarring alopecia, and blood work is arranged when a medical cause is likely.
For pattern thinning with follicles still present, platelet therapy using your own blood leads, with medical treatment and scalp adjuncts added where they fit your hair.
We photograph your scalp under the same lighting and angle, so progress is judged honestly over months, and we plan maintenance, because results are held rather than finished.
How care is built
No two hair plans are the same, because the plan follows the cause, the pattern and your health, and it leads with the treatments that have the best evidence.
For pattern thinning with follicles still present, PRP and PRF using your own blood are the clinical core. This is the treatment set on this page with randomised trial evidence, so it earns the lead rather than the lasers.
Topical minoxidil, and for men an oral prescription medicine, are the recognised medical standard for pattern hair loss, and they often work well alongside platelet therapy. A physician explains whether they suit you at consultation.
The thulium lasers support scalp skin quality and help topical treatments reach the follicle. The evidence for them in hair is small, so they sit around the platelet core for selected patients rather than standing in for it.
Treatments we may use
In the order the evidence supports. Platelet therapy using your own blood leads, because it is the only treatment set here with randomised trial evidence for pattern hair loss. The lasers are honest adjuncts that support scalp skin and topical delivery. PicoSure is deliberately not on this list, because there is no evidence a picosecond laser regrows hair.
Autologous platelet rich fibrin
A course of scalp injections using your own platelet rich fibrin. Your blood is spun without anticoagulant at a slower speed, producing a fibrin matrix that releases growth factors slowly over days to extend the follicle's growth phase and push miniaturising follicles to make thicker fibres.
Why this oneUses your own blood and no daily medication, suited to early to moderate pattern thinning where follicles survive.
Learn more →Autologous platelet therapy
Our platelet therapy, where a sample of your own blood is concentrated and injected back the same visit. It is the best supported treatment on this page: meta-analyses of randomised trials find platelet rich plasma increases hair density in pattern hair loss versus placebo in men and women, and a randomised trial in Asian patients supports it directly.
Why this oneThe evidence led core of a pattern hair loss plan, and it works best combined with medical therapy.
Learn more →1927 nm thulium laser, adjunct
A low downtime thulium fractional laser that creates thousands of microscopic channels. For hair it is an adjunct: the fresh channels help topical growth factor solutions reach the follicle, and the treatment supports scalp skin quality. The supporting evidence is small and emerging, from one split-scalp thulium study.
Why this oneSupports scalp skin and topical delivery alongside platelet therapy, rather than replacing it.
Learn more →1927 nm thulium resurfacing, adjunct
A 1927 nm thulium fractional platform in the same wavelength class as LaseMD Ultra. For hair it plays the same adjunctive role, using microscopic channels to support delivery of topical treatment to the follicle and to treat scalp skin quality, on the same emerging evidence.
Why this oneA scalp adjunct within a platelet led plan, rather than a standalone regrowth treatment.
Learn more →BioPlus by the numbers
What to expect
Shedding tends to settle first, within the first couple of months. Visible density change usually takes about 3 to 6 months, judged against your baseline photographs.
A platelet session is a blood draw, about 10 to 15 minutes of processing, then a grid of small injections after topical numbing. A full visit takes roughly 30 to 45 minutes.
Expect scalp tenderness and pinpoint swelling for 1 to 2 days after platelet injections, with hair usually washable the next day. Thulium laser scalp work adds a few days of redness and light flaking.
Keep the scalp clean and gentle, avoid vigorous scrubbing for a day or two, and follow the aftercare you are given. If a topical is part of your plan, we tell you when to restart it.
Here is the part we will not soften. Platelet therapy does not switch off the inherited process that drives pattern hair loss, so results are held rather than finished. Maintenance sessions, usually every 3 to 6 months, keep them going, and stopping treatment lets the underlying process resume over 6 to 12 months. Results vary from person to person, and your physician will tell you what is realistic for your hair.
Name the cause first, and the right plan follows.
The BioPlus approach to hair loss
Questions patients ask
Yes. For pattern hair loss, meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials show platelet rich plasma increases hair density compared with placebo in both men and women. It works best on early to moderate thinning where follicles are still alive, and results are strongest when it is combined with medical therapy such as topical minoxidil. It does not regrow hair on fully bald, smooth scalp, and it does not treat scarring alopecia.
Most plans start with about 3 to 4 sessions spaced roughly 4 weeks apart, followed by maintenance every 3 to 6 months. Your exact number depends on how advanced your thinning is and how your hair responds. A physician sets the schedule at your consultation and tracks progress with standardised photographs.
No. Platelet therapy is not a permanent fix. It does not switch off the inherited process that drives pattern hair loss, so benefits fade over about 6 to 12 months if treatment stops. Keeping results means ongoing maintenance sessions, usually alongside medical therapy. Results vary from person to person.
Pattern hair loss is caused by an inherited sensitivity to dihydrotestosterone, a hormone that gradually shrinks affected follicles and shortens the growth phase of the hair cycle. Over time the follicles produce finer, shorter hairs until they stop growing visible hair. Men tend to thin at the temples and crown, while women usually see diffuse thinning along the part.
Yes. Men usually lose hair in a defined pattern at the temples and crown, and can progress to bald areas. Women usually keep their frontal hairline but see the part widen as hair thins across the top of the scalp. Female pattern hair loss becomes more common after menopause. Both respond to the same core treatments, planned to the pattern.
The evidence for the thulium lasers offered here is small and adjunctive. One evaluator blinded split-scalp study of a 1927 nm fractional thulium laser in pattern hair loss found increased hair density and thickness, with more improvement when a growth factor solution was applied through the laser channels. At BioPlus these lasers support scalp skin quality and help topical treatments reach the follicle. They are not a standalone regrowth treatment, and platelet therapy leads the plan.
Topical minoxidil, and for men an oral prescription medicine, are the recognised medical standard for pattern hair loss and often work well alongside PRP and PRF. These are pharmacy and prescription medicines rather than device treatments, so a physician discusses whether they suit you at consultation and explains how they fit with the in-clinic plan. BioPlus offers private esthetic services and does not replace care from your family doctor.
See a physician promptly if hair loss is sudden or patchy, if the scalp is red, scaling, itchy, painful or looks scarred, or if you also have symptoms such as fatigue, weight change or irregular periods. These can point to a medical cause such as a thyroid problem, iron deficiency or a scarring alopecia that needs diagnosis and tests first. Scarring alopecias in particular need a dermatologist early, because lost follicles do not come back.
PRP and PRF use your own blood, so there is no product related pigment risk, and scalp injections carry very little risk of pigment change across every Fitzpatrick skin tone. This makes platelet therapy a sound option for patients with darker skin who have been steered away from other treatments. A keloid history is worth mentioning at consultation, as with any needle treatment.
Cost depends on which treatments your plan uses and how many sessions you need, so it is set out for you at your complimentary consultation after a physician assesses your scalp. BioPlus services are private esthetic services and are not covered by MSP.
Related concerns
PRP and PRF for the face
The platelet therapy that leads hair care is also used to refresh facial skin quality and soften fine lines.
The under-eye area
Hollowing, dark circles and crepey skin under the eyes are a common companion concern, and platelet therapy is one option here too.
Facial volume
As faces lose volume with age, a regenerative approach can support skin quality alongside the other options we discuss.
Complimentary consultation
Your consultation is complimentary. A physician examines your scalp, works out why you are losing hair, and tells you plainly whether the treatments here can help or whether you need medical care first. If pattern thinning is the cause, we build a plan led by platelet therapy using your own blood, with medical treatment where it fits. Results vary from person to person, and we photograph your progress so you can see it.
Book a complimentary consultationExplore treatmentsOur services are private esthetic services and are not covered by MSP.