I had never paid much attention to my hair until recently when I noticed golf-ball-sized clumps of it sitting in my drain after washing my hair. Sure, hair loss is a part of life, and according to the American Academy of Dermatology, it’s normal to lose 50 to 100 strands a day, which is comparable to the size of a quarter (clearly, I love comparing my lost strands with tangible objects). But standing there and holding globs of my hair that should still be on my head, I realized that I had a real problem on my hands.
Surveying the situation further in the mirror, I noticed thinning at my temples and that my hair just wasn’t as thick as it used to be. With the amount I had lost, it seemed like there should have been a life event or something in particular to trigger it. Could it really have been that I was simply in my 30s, my body was changing, and this form of hair loss was all part of it? Considering that around 50 percent of women experience some level of hair loss at some point in their lives, it had finally happened to me. I had now become a part of that statistic.
After researching my options and visiting a dermatologist to help map out a course of treatment for my hair loss, I knew that I was unwilling to do anything invasive (even minimally) such as PRP (platelet-rich plasma injections), scalp microneedling, or take anything orally, such as Minoxidil. Though it’s well known and proven to regrow hair, it can come with unwanted side effects, such as fast or irregular heartbeat and the sprouting of hair in other places. I ultimately decided on a newer, needleless, and noninvasive treatment called Alma TED that fit into the parameters of what I was looking for to address my hair loss. The only question now was if this hair restoration treatment would actually minimize any further hair loss or even regrow some of my lost hair.
Below, learn more about hair loss and what happened when I tried Alma TED.
Experts Featured in This Article
Gretchen Friese is a trichologist with BosleyMD.
Angie Phipps, DO, is a hair restoration expert with BosleyMD.
Howard Sobel, MD, is a clinical attending dermatologic surgeon at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.
Anton Georgiev, DO FACS, is a hair transplant surgeon in New York.
Michelle Henry, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and founder of Skin & Aesthetics Surgery of Manhattan.
Different Types of Hair Loss
According to trichologist Gretchen Friese, the common causes of hair loss include stress, postpartum, vitamin deficiencies, illnesses such as COVID-19, thyroid dysfunction, and medications that can cause “diffuse hair loss,” which is when the hair thins all over the head.
Here are some of the common types of hair loss, according to Friese and BosleyMD hair restoration expert Angie Phipps, DO:
- Androgenetic alopecia: The medical term for female and male pattern baldness, this is the most common type of hair loss with a noted genetic component. For women, androgenetic alopecia presents as hair loss in the corners of the forehead and at the top of the forehead. This type of hair loss “usually happens with the hormonal changes of menopause,” says Friese. For men, it presents as hair loss on the top sides of the head, recessing back or on the crown.
- Alopecia areata: “This type of hair loss is an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the hair follicles, resulting in hair loss,” says Dr. Phipps. Alopecia areata can present as bald spots on the head, says Friese.
- Traction alopecia: Wearing certain hairstyles can result in a form of hair loss called traction alopecia. “Hairstyles that exert prolonged tight pulling/tension on the hair cause the follicles to weaken over time and can eventually result in destruction of the follicle and permanent hair loss,” says Dr. Phipps.
- Scarring alopecia: “This type of alopecia is caused by inflammation that destroys the hair follicles, causing scarring and permanent hair loss. It is usually a result of infections, chemicals, burns, or autoimmune disorders,” says Dr. Phipps.
- Telogen effluvium: This type of hair loss is related to COVID-19. “In telogen effluvium, there is a systemic response to a stressor in the body that abruptly and prematurely shifts a large percentage of the hair follicles that are in the growth phase into the telogen or resting phase of the hair follicle growth cycle,” Dr. Phipps says. “This results in all of those resting hair shafts falling out at the same time and presenting as widespread hair loss.” The good news, she says, is that this kind of hair loss is not usually permanent, though the shedding can occur for three to six months before it actually stops. “Hair will likely regain normal fullness after telogen effluvium within six to nine months but could take as long as one to two years.”
What Is Alma TED?
Alma TED (short for TransEpidermal Delivery) is an FDA-approved noninvasive hair regrowth treatment that targets thinning areas of the hair. The device “is an ultrasound-based system that uses the power of sound waves and air pressure to drive specific growth factors into the hair follicles,” says dermatologist Howard Sobel, MD. During the treatment, the growth factors are applied to the areas of the scalp where hair is thinning and then massaged into the scalp using the head of the device. The vibrations from the device create microchannels to help the serum penetrate deep into the scalp. The vibrations cause “acoustic sound waves” that “create gaseous bubbles within the top layers of the skin, which expands the lipid layer, increasing the absorption of the growth factors or topical medication,” Dr. Sobel says. The treatment takes about 20-30 minutes.
The recommended course of treatment for Alma TED is three sessions spaced one month apart. “Most of my patients see results after the first treatment,” says Dr. Sobel. “When all is said and done after three treatment sessions, Alma TED will have helped to decrease hair loss and thicken the hair follicles, producing stronger and thicker hair. I often recommend a topical medication [such as a mixture of minoxidil and either finasteride or progesterone] specific for men and women, as well as a Nutrafol supplement.”
How Much Does Alma TED Cost?
The cost of Alma TED treatments ranges depending upon the medical provider, geographic location, and the number of sessions that are needed to treat hair loss. A single session can run you around $1,250, with packages of three sessions costing upwards of $3,600.
Who Is a Good Candidate For Alma TED?
“Alma TED is suitable for any age; the type of hair loss is much more important than age as a deciding factor,” says hair transplant surgeon Anton Georgiev, DO, FACS. “It is most effective for addressing current or more recent hair loss concerns.
According to Dr. Sobel, it optimally treats male and female pattern baldness (also known as male and female pattern alopecia), which makes up “approximately 98 percent of the hair loss that is seen by both men and women,” hormonal changes (after childbirth, menopause), extreme weight loss, and autoimmune diseases.
Dermatologist Michelle Henry, MD, who utilizes the device in her own practice, says that she treats a wide range of patients with Alma TED, from patients in their 20s to those in their late 60s.
Generally speaking, good candidates for Alma TED are those who are experiencing active hair loss. Dr. Sobel says that it’s not suitable for those who are bald “with no apparent follicle.” Though, he says, if you are already bald in certain areas but have hair in others, “one could still be a good candidate because the treatment will increase the diameter of the hair that is still there to conceal the bald areas.”
Side Effects of Alma TED
Though there are rarely any side effects, some people may experience mild irritation or scaling of the scalp after treatment. “Alma TED is less suited for people that might have inflammatory or scarring hair loss conditions that are not well controlled,” Dr. Henry says. Dr. Georgiev adds that the treatment may not be as effective for autoimmune-related hair loss or active scalp infections. “Individuals with more serious health conditions like epilepsy may find this treatment unsuitable, although such cases are rare and can be easily identified with the guidance of a healthcare provider.”
My Experience With Alma TED
I visited Dr. Sobel’s office in New York City for my three sessions of Alma TED. Virtually painless, the treatment was akin to a scalp massage. Jasmine Rivas, a medical assistant at Sobel Skin, performed all three of my sessions that were spaced one month apart. Rivas treated my frontal scalp and crown – the areas where my hair thinning was most noticeable. It is recommended to wash your hair prior to treatment due to the growth factors penetrating the scalp and I did my best to abide by this, despite my hectic schedule.
The process began by prepping my treatment areas using the head of the device to massage the areas to allow for the absorption of the topical serum, which is a proprietary hair growth formula that contains 30 ingredients consisting of growth factors, peptides, and nutrients. Rivas massaged the treated areas for about two minutes. The device produces a weirdly unpleasant buzzing sound that I later learned was the ultrasonic energy from the machine. Throughout the treatment, I looked at myself in the mirror intermittently and was mildly amused by the device, which looked like a power tool going into my head. Alas, I knew that it was doing its job.
Following this, a topical formula containing a mix of peptides, growth factors, and nutrients was massaged with the device into the treatment zones. The ultrasonic energy emitted from the device helped to drive the formula approximately four mm deep into the scalp. The growth factors in the formula contain CRP (cytokine-rich plasma) and dutasteride with minoxidil and bimatoprost (a prostaglandin F analog). This process was repeated in each treatment zone. My tailored treatment was focused on two zones, but the entire process of opening the channels, applying the topical serum, and then massaging it into the scalp was repeated three times, once for each side of my frontal scalp and once on my crown. “A single treatment session may encompass up to five treatment zones,” says Dr. Georgiev.
After each session, my hair looked a little out of sorts, but it was nothing that a perfectly placed bun on top of my head couldn’t fix. I was instructed to wait until the following day to wash my hair to allow for the topical serum to do its job. I experienced zero irritation and each session was fairly pleasant.
Post-Care Instructions For Alma TED
“You can safely wash your hair 24 hours after the treatment. However, it’s advisable to avoid harsh hairstyling routines, such as bleaching, during the course of the treatments,” says Dr. Georgiev.
An Honest Review of Alma TED
Truthfully, I didn’t notice much hair regrowth after the first session, but by the second session, I noticed my hair coming in by my temple area/frontal scalp and it began to look like it did a few years ago. It was by the third session that I noticed a huge difference in my hair – it grew back even more and appeared noticeably fuller in my frontal scalp.
It’s important to note that after my second session, and at the recommendation of Dr. Sobel, I started taking Nutrafol as part of a combined approach to the treatment. Dr. Georgiev says to expect continued improvement after your third session. “Clinical evaluations indicate that results continue to improve over a period of six months following an initial series of three treatments.”
Though I’m incredibly happy with my results so far, I plan on going back for maintenance. “For individuals experiencing more severe hair loss, maintenance treatment may be as soon as three months following their last treatment session, involving a single treatment session every three months. Conversely, those with mild hair loss might opt for maintenance sessions spaced out between six to nine months,” says Dr. Georgiev.
No matter which treatment you choose, there is no definitive solution to hair loss. “It’s an ongoing process,” says Dr. Sobel. He notes that many of his patients choose to continue the Alma TED treatments because it’s not painful and noninvasive. Dr. Henry says that if you find something that works, such as Alma TED (which has worked for me), you should continue using it to maintain your results.
Taryn Brooke is a beauty writer and editor born and bred in New York City who has been in digital media for over 10 years. She is a contributing beauty writer for PS, Allure, Byrdie, and Well+Good.
