ARLINGTON — Kendra Timmons is a trichologist in Arlington.
"We study the disorders of the scalp and the hair," Timmons explained, adding that it's "definitely possible" to regrow hair.
That prospect grabbed Nikki Brown's attention.
"I don't want to lose my hair at such a young age," said Brown, 42.
A mom and pharmacist, Brown noticed her hair thinning at the crown of her head 10 years ago. She asked Timmons to get to the root of the problem.
First, a hair analysis.
"I look at their age," Timmon said. "I look at if they've had children, any medications, hair styling, tools they use, stressful events."
Next, a look under the microscope to identify the pattern of hair loss.
"That helps me to see if there's any scarring or any inflammation in the scalp," Timmons said.
It turns out, Brown's thinning hair is genetic. So, Timmons' approach is threefold, starting with a clay detox.
"I cover the scalp in clay, add some essential oils because we want to remove the impurities out of the scalp," Timmons said.
After washing away the clay, Timmons turns to derma rolling using a funky tool with tiny needles at the ends.
"It's going to help to stimulate the blood flow," Timmons said. "It's going to regenerate the cells a little faster."
Mid-procedure, we checked in with Brown.
"It doesn't hurt," she said. "It's not painful at all. There's no bleeding or anything like that."
Finally, following the rolling, Brown is ready for laser therapy.
"Laser therapy is sort of like how the sun does the plant," Timmons explained. "It creates energy, photosynthesis, and it does that with our scalps."
Timmons said the treatments will work with any hair texture.
Brown's treatments, which began six weeks ago, have been aggressive, and Timmons expects her to notice a big difference in two to three months.
"As long as we're seeing progress then we know that the process is working," Brown said.
Working enough to keep her coming back once a week for as long as necessary.
Cost of procedures varies. Insurance doesn't cover any of these alternative treatments. Timmons does accept HSA and FSA cards.