Ultrasound Hair Restoration in Tampa

Alma TED uses acoustic sound waves and gentle air pressure to carry a topical hair-health serum through the surface of the scalp. No needles, no incisions, no anesthesia, and it is designed as a no-downtime treatment. Just as important, we start by asking why your hair is thinning, because thyroid disease, low iron, hormonal shifts, nutritional gaps, medications, and autoimmune causes are all things a device alone will not address.

What is Alma TED Ultrasound Hair Restoration?

TED stands for TransEpidermal Delivery. It is not a laser and it is not an injection. The handpiece combines acoustic sound waves, which is to say ultrasound, with gentle air pressure to move a topical hair-health serum through the surface of the scalp toward the follicle without a needle ever being used. There is no anesthesia to arrange and nothing to numb beforehand.

Alma TED is used to support hair growth and scalp health in appropriate candidates. It is not a transplant, it is not a cure for hair loss, and it is not the right answer for every cause of thinning hair. Results vary from person to person. A series of sessions is typical, and the number and the spacing are decided individually rather than sold as a fixed package. Candidates are evaluated one at a time, and there are forms of hair loss, including scarring alopecia, that this treatment is not intended to address.

Premier Internal Medicine is a physician practice first, and that changes how this conversation goes. Before recommending any sessions, Dr. Zelenka looks for what is actually driving the hair loss: thyroid function, iron and ferritin status, hormone levels, nutritional status, the medications you are taking, and autoimmune causes. Hair is often the first place a systemic problem shows itself. If a laboratory finding explains your shedding, correcting that finding is the real treatment, and we would rather have that conversation with you before anyone books a series of appointments.

Signs Your Hair Loss Is Worth Evaluating

A part line that has gradually widened, or a scalp that shows more in photographs and bright light
More hair than usual in the brush, the shower drain, or on the pillow
Thinning at the crown, or a hairline and temples that have quietly receded
Hair that feels finer, breaks more easily, or no longer grows as long as it once did
Shedding that began in the months following an illness, surgery, childbirth, or rapid weight loss
Thinning that started after beginning a new medication
Hair changes alongside fatigue, cold intolerance, heavy periods, or other symptoms that can point toward thyroid or iron problems

What to Expect

Needle-free and injection-free, using acoustic sound waves and air pressure instead of a syringe, so there is no anesthesia and nothing to numb
Designed as a no-downtime treatment performed in the office, with most people returning to their usual day afterward
A physician evaluation of the underlying cause first, including thyroid, iron and ferritin, hormone, and nutritional testing where clinically indicated
A topical hair-health serum delivered through the surface of the scalp, intended to support hair growth and scalp health in appropriate candidates
A series of sessions is typical, with the number and spacing individualized to you rather than pre-packaged
An honest candidacy conversation, including when we do not think this treatment is the right fit for your pattern of hair loss
A self-pay service that is not billed to insurance, beginning with a $100 aesthetic consultation that is applied toward your treatment plan

Our Approach to Hair Restoration

An internal medicine workup first, then a treatment plan that fits what we found.

We Look for the Cause First

Hair loss is a symptom, not a diagnosis. Depending on your history and examination, we may check thyroid function, iron studies and ferritin, hormone levels, vitamin and nutritional markers, and screening for autoimmune causes, and we review every medication and supplement you take. Some of the most common contributors to thinning hair are correctable, and finding one can change the plan entirely.

A Straight Answer About Candidacy

Alma TED is not appropriate for every cause of hair loss, and it is not intended for scarring alopecia. After reviewing your history, your scalp examination, and your laboratory results, Dr. Zelenka will tell you plainly whether she thinks you are a reasonable candidate, whether something else should be treated first, or whether a referral makes more sense than a series of sessions.

The Treatment Itself

Alma TED is performed in the office. The handpiece is moved across the scalp, using acoustic sound waves and gentle air pressure to carry the topical serum through the skin surface. There are no needles, no incisions, and no anesthesia. It is designed as a no-downtime treatment, and most patients return to their normal activities the same day.

Reassessment Over Time

Hair grows slowly, so change is assessed over months rather than weeks. With your permission we take baseline photographs at the start and compare them as you go, and we revisit the laboratory findings we are treating alongside the sessions. The plan is adjusted based on what we actually see. Results vary, and no result is guaranteed.

What a Hair Restoration Plan Can Include

Every plan begins with the same question, which is why this is happening, and builds from the answer. Not every element below applies to every patient.

Root-Cause Laboratory Evaluation

Thyroid studies, iron and ferritin, hormone levels, and vitamin or nutritional markers, ordered and interpreted by a physician where they are clinically indicated. When testing turns up a correctable cause, it can change the plan entirely.

Alma TED Ultrasound Sessions

Needle-free, in-office treatments that use acoustic sound waves and air pressure to deliver a topical hair-health serum through the scalp surface. A series is typical, and the number and spacing are set individually rather than sold as a fixed package.

Hormone Evaluation Where Indicated

Perimenopause, menopause, thyroid disease, and androgen changes can all show up in the hair. Where the history points that way, hormone evaluation and treatment are available in the practice as a self-pay service, currently $200 for the initial consultation and $100 for follow-ups.

Nutrition and Supplement Guidance

Where testing identifies a deficiency, targeted supplementation and dietary changes are part of the plan. The goal is to correct what is measurably low, not to sell a shelf of products.

Benefits

Needle-Free and Anesthesia-Free

Alma TED delivers its topical serum using ultrasound and air pressure rather than injections, so there is no numbing, no syringe, and no incision involved in the treatment.

Designed With No Downtime

The treatment is designed so that most patients can return to their usual activities the same day. There is no recovery period to plan around and no procedure to schedule time off for.

A Root-Cause Workup, Not Just a Session Package

You are seeing an internist. Thyroid disease, iron deficiency, hormonal shifts, nutritional gaps, medication effects, and autoimmune causes are evaluated as part of the plan, because treating a reversible cause matters more than any device.

An Option When You Would Rather Not Have Injections

For patients who are uncomfortable with needles or simply prefer to avoid them, a needle-free approach may make a course of hair treatment easier to consider and easier to stay with.

Coordinated With the Rest of Your Care

If hormone changes, thyroid disease, or a nutritional deficiency is part of your picture, those are managed in the same practice rather than handed off, so the scalp treatment and the underlying medicine stay in step with each other.

What to Expect

Consultation and Scalp Evaluation

We take a full history: when the shedding started, how it has progressed, what else was happening in your life and health at the time, your medications, and your family history. Dr. Zelenka examines your scalp and, with your permission, takes baseline photographs. Laboratory testing is ordered where it is clinically indicated. The aesthetic consultation is $100 and is applied toward your treatment plan thereafter.

Laboratory Results and a Candid Recommendation

We review what the testing showed and what it means. If a treatable cause is found, we start there. If Alma TED is a reasonable option for you, we explain what it can and cannot do, how a series would be structured for someone in your situation, and what it will cost before you commit to anything.

Your Alma TED Sessions

Each session is performed in the office with no needles and no anesthesia, and it is designed so that you can go back to your normal day afterward. Sessions are scheduled as a series, with the number and the spacing individualized to you. We do not quote a fixed number of sessions, because the right number depends on your response.

Reassessment and Adjustment

Because hair grows slowly, we reassess over months rather than weeks, comparing photographs and revisiting any laboratory findings we are treating alongside the sessions. Some patients see meaningful change and some do not. We would rather tell you the plan is not working than keep booking appointments.

Causes of Hair Loss We Evaluate

Thyroid disease, both underactive and overactive, which commonly shows up as diffuse thinning across the scalp.

Iron deficiency and low ferritin, which can drive shedding even when a standard blood count looks normal.

Hormonal change, including postpartum shedding, perimenopause and menopause, and androgen-related pattern hair loss.

Nutritional causes, including inadequate protein intake, rapid or extreme weight loss, restrictive dieting, and specific vitamin or mineral deficiencies identified on testing.

Medication effects, since a number of commonly prescribed drugs list hair loss among their adverse effects.

Autoimmune causes such as alopecia areata, and thinning that accompanies other autoimmune disease.

Telogen effluvium, the diffuse shedding that can follow a significant illness, surgery, childbirth, or a period of severe stress.

Genetic pattern hair loss, which is common and is not a sign of underlying illness, and which still deserves an accurate diagnosis before anyone recommends a treatment.

What This Treatment Is Not

Alma TED is not a laser and it is not an injection. It is a needle-free delivery system that uses acoustic sound waves and air pressure.

It is not a hair transplant and it does not perform any surgical function.

It is not a cure for hair loss, and no specific amount of regrowth can be promised. Results vary between individuals.

It is not intended for scarring alopecia, and it is not the right treatment for every cause of thinning hair.

It is not a substitute for diagnosing and treating an underlying medical cause. If your thyroid, iron, hormones, medications, or nutrition are part of the problem, those need to be addressed on their own terms.

About Before-and-After Images

Any before-and-after photographs you may see in Alma TED marketing materials, including materials displayed in our office, are examples supplied by the device manufacturer. They are not photographs of Premier Internal Medicine patients, and we do not present them as our own results.

Individual results vary, and an image of another person's outcome is not a prediction of yours. With your permission we take your own baseline photographs at your first visit, which gives you an honest comparison against yourself rather than against a marketing example.

Common Questions About Ultrasound Hair Restoration

Does Alma TED involve needles or injections?

No. TED stands for TransEpidermal Delivery, which means delivery through the skin surface. The handpiece uses acoustic sound waves, or ultrasound, together with gentle air pressure to move a topical hair-health serum through the scalp surface. There is no syringe, no incision, and no anesthesia.

Is Alma TED a laser?

No. There is no laser energy involved. Alma TED works on a different principle: the delivery is acoustic, meaning sound waves, combined with gentle air pressure, and the serum is carried through the surface of the scalp rather than injected.

Is there any downtime?

Alma TED is designed as a no-downtime treatment, and most patients return to their normal activities the same day. Any specific aftercare instructions, such as when to next wash your hair, are given to you at your appointment.

How many sessions will I need?

A series of sessions is typical, and the number and the spacing are individualized. We do not quote a fixed number, because the right plan depends on the cause of your hair loss, how long it has been going on, and how you respond. You will be told what we are recommending, and what it costs, before you commit to anything.

How much hair will I regrow?

We cannot tell you that in advance. Alma TED is used to support hair growth and scalp health in appropriate candidates, and results vary from person to person. Some patients see meaningful change and some do not. There is no guaranteed result, and this treatment is not intended for scarring alopecia.

Why do you run laboratory testing before recommending treatment?

Because hair loss is a symptom with many causes, and several of the common ones are correctable. Thyroid disease, iron deficiency and low ferritin, hormonal change, nutritional deficiency, medication effects, and autoimmune conditions can all cause hair to thin. This is an internal medicine practice, so we would rather identify a treatable cause first than begin a series of sessions that was never going to address it.

Is this covered by insurance, and are you accepting new patients?

Hair restoration is a self-pay service and is not billed to insurance. The aesthetic consultation is $100 and is applied toward your treatment plan thereafter. Our self-pay consultative track, which includes hair restoration, hormones, and functional medicine, is open to new patients. Please note that our insurance-based primary care panel is currently full, and new primary care patients are accepted only by special request.

Related Services

Functional Medicine

A deeper root-cause evaluation when thinning hair sits alongside fatigue, digestive problems, or other systemic symptoms. Self-pay: $400 for the new patient consultation and $200 for a follow-up or phone visit.

Hormone Optimization & Replacement

Thyroid, perimenopausal, menopausal, and androgen-related changes can all show up in the hair. Self-pay: $200 for the initial consultation and $100 for follow-ups.

Nutritional & Supplement Consultation

Targeted nutritional support when testing identifies a deficiency that may be contributing to shedding, rather than a shelf of products bought on guesswork.

Primary Internal Medicine

Physician-led internal medicine care from Dr. Zelenka. Please note that the insurance-based primary care panel is currently full and new primary care patients are accepted only by special request.

Ready to Find Out Why Your Hair Is Thinning?

Start with a $100 aesthetic consultation, applied toward your treatment plan, and get an honest evaluation of the cause before anyone recommends a series of sessions. Premier Internal Medicine, 13015 W Linebaugh Ave, Suite 101, Tampa, FL 33626. Call (813) 814-4204, Monday through Friday, 10am to 5pm.

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