At 4 weeks post op i have significant shock loss on the donor area primarily just behind each ear where the loss is. Not so bad in middle but still some. Is it normal for more loss behind the ears and will it grow back?? Is that area more prone to shock loss than the middle of the back of the head.
Thanks
Sometimes the donor area can experience hair loss from the stress and/or tension from the surgery. Unlike the shock loss in the recipient area, the hair loss in the donor area should grow back in a few months to a year. I would follow up with your surgeon and have him/her further evaluate it.
I am a female, 26 years old who just had a hair transplant ( 1000 grafts). It is 16 days post-op and Im starting to lose alot of hairs ( not the transplanted ones). Can shock loss occur this early on? Or is this something else ?
thank you very much in advance
Any hair loss between 2-12 weeks after surgery is often a sign of shock loss, so what you’re seeing fits within that timeframe. Check with your doctor.
About 15 months ago, I had a transplant procedure done in another state and they severed the left posterior branch of the artery that runs up by the ear and feeds the scalp from the side of the head. To make a long story short, the artery was coterized but , the frontal hair on the left side used to be adequate and now it has thinned to the point where it is a significant social problem.
Have you had any experience in trying to transplant into this area after this artery has been severed or is it likely that the blood supply is much more spotty in the area?
Thanks for the help!
The artery was often cut in a type of surgery called scalp lifts (a type of aggressive scalp reduction which is not done today) and these people generally did well, even with both sides cut. The nerves to the side of the head which lie close to the artery were also cut in many of these surgeries. The purpose of these now outdated procedures was to be able to remove large sections of bald scalp. In theory, the artery on the other side and the occipital arteries (which are in the back of your head) should have an increase in blood flow since the problem was created, and as such, I would think that you should have enough blood supply to support a hair transplant on the cut artery side. A Doppler study (used to study blood flow and muscle motion) of the vessels might confirm my opinion.
Generally, when a flap is built one side of a critical blood supply to the flap is severed incrementally and the flap is lifted and then put back at least once until the dependency on the blood supply switches. The body seems to be pretty smart when it comes to these things. If you see a vascular surgeon for an opinion (a vascular surgeon is probably the best one to determine adequacy of blood flow) the added information he/she might supply would be helpful.
Hi i’m a 27 year old male, I am currently undergoing a hair growth/maintenance program through a hair clinic in australia. Although not really receeding much, my hair has become thinner than before. I started the program and saw some significant results, but then stopped after six month and picked it back up again but now using only 1/4 tablet a day of PROSCAR and a topical solution (prescribed by them) applied daily to the scalp. I have not seen much difference at all and still experiencing slight shedding of my hair, noticeable because it gets stuck on my body after showering and occasionally falls into my mouth. I do however miss a day or two of use throughout the course of 1-2 weeks, as i don’t come home for a few days when i go out on weekends. I am thinking about dropping the program as it is quite costly and time consuming to apply topical solution daily and am experiencing slight to mild stomach discomfort (don’t know if it is related to the PROSCAR). I’m comfortable with the state of my hair is at the moment as it is not too different from when i first started the program (Mostly slight thinning of frontal and mid region of scalp, no receeding so far).
What i’d like to ask is if i was to take just the proscar or propecia alone, how effective would it be to retain the conditions of my hair at the moment, and would it help prevent receeding of my frontal hairline? Also i’d like to ask although hat wearing has does not cause hair loss, does wearing a hat head for almost 8-10 hrs a day, 5-6 days a week for the last 3 years (due to laziness of grooming while out or working, on many occasions my hair/scalp would be drenched in sweat) have a direct affect on the health and growth of my hair?
Propecia (finasteride) should help halt hair loss, even in the frontal hairline. If you abandon the program outline by your doctor, I’d still keep up with the finasteride, for if you have genetic balding, that is the best thing you can take to treat it. Finasteride works differently for different people, so I can’t say with 100% certainty whether it’ll maintain your hairline. As I don’t know what topical solution you were using, I can’t be sure if stopping it will make a difference. If it was a minoxidil-based topical and you saw results, stopping it will result in a loss of those benefits (hair that grew will fall back out).
The use of hats 10 hours a day or even 24 hours a day are neither positive or negative, providing that they are not tight enough to rub and produce traction on your hair.
i was wondering if a person like myself with DUPA had a strong beard would if be possible to transplant it to the scalp and if so how much coverage would i get?
Such a transplant (beard to scalp) would technically work, but to what master design is the question! The character of beard hair is different than scalp hair.
You’d need to come in for a consultation and let me look at the many variables. With your goals clearly defined, we can discuss not only using beard hair, but perhaps even leg, chest, arm, and pubic hair as well. I generally do not recommend body hair transplants, but in a case of DUPA (diffuse unpatterned alopecia), things are different. Generally though, the hair of DUPA patients is so thin that you may not get what you need from other body parts.
I’ve seen expired Rogaine foam on ebay selling for rather cheap. I could understand that overtime, a drug might lose its effectiveness, but I can’t imagine that Minoxodil spoils like milk.
From a business standpoint, it would make a lot of sense for Pfizer to put an expiration date on their product in order to minimize competition with 2nd hand merchants. I acknowledge my ignorance in the subject, so I am appealing to you. Do you think using Minoxodil that’s a month or a year past its expiration date is any less potent?
Thanks for all of your hard work.
My official response is to follow the general advice on all expired medications and trash it.
Off the record, I think that expiration dates are often accelerated for the very reasons you are probing and would expect that if I was taking minoxidil that is properly stored 1 year past its expiration date, I would be comfortable using it. But don’t quote me on that, of course. Oh, this blog is public?!
I was wondering if schock loss on the donor scar is common and will it grow back, I have two quarter size bald spots above each ear wher the surgeon had to take more donor hair. the rest of the scar also shows loss above and below the scar. it has me freaked out. should I be??
A reactive telogen effluvium is what you are describing. It usually, but not always, reflects a tight closure of the donor wound. It may be permanent, but you won’t know for about 4-7 months. Wait it out and keep your hair long while you are being patient. This complication needs discussion between you and your doctor.
Does running your hand through your hair have any effect on the rate of hair loss? I have a habit of running my hand through my hair frequently (possibly 50 times) each day, and being a 20 year old male with my genetics against me, I am beginning to wonder if this may be encouraging hair loss to occur (although no loss, other than slight recessions, is visible yet).
Also, when sleeping, does it matter whether I sleep on the crown of my head verses the side of my head? Specifically, does sleeping on the crown help to encourage hair loss in the crown area (eg. the bald spot), and should I attempt to sleep on my side more often, or does it not matter whatsoever? Once again, no hair loss is visible in my crown as of yet, other than the small spot I was born with.
Thank you!
There is no real risk to running your fingers through your hair, unless you are pulling on your hair. Running your fingers through your hair is not causing your hairline to recede, I can tell you that much. Sleeping positions do not impact hair loss.
first i would like to say that i greatly appreciate your website and the time you put into it.
does the rate and age at which a male starts to bald corespond to the rate and age at which other men in their family start to bald? in other words, my dad and every guy on his side of the family and on my moms side of the family started going bald in their early 50s. does this mean that i will also start balding in my early 50s. also is it possible for me to start balding at the crown eventhough everyone in my family has never shown signs of baldness in that area?
i have been reading that scientists in britain have said that weightlifting can increase the rate of the male pattern baldness? is there any truth to this? do aerobic exercise reduce testosterone levels in your body?
thanks for your time
There is no way to be definitive in answering the question. Many people do follow their family patterns of hair loss. You may or may not. I do not believe that exercise increases hair loss unless you are taking exogenous steroids.
Is miniaturization present? Hair shaft thickness should be relatively comparable from one part of the head to another. There are exceptions to this rule in the first 1/4 inch of hairline, the temple prominences, and the hair of the neck where the shaft thickness may be less than that found throughout the scalp. In any one area of the scalp, the hair shaft thickness may be reduced significantly in 20% of the viewed hairs. These reflect vellus hairs, not mature normal ‘terminal’ hairs — so any measurement below 20% can be thought of as normal without miniaturization.
The area of the head may have different findings. For example, frontal hair in the balding Norwood Class 3A will show varying degrees of miniaturization eventually leading to complete balding, while crown views of the hair may show no miniaturization whatsoever. The balding patterns shown in the Norwood classification chart will parallel the distribution of miniaturization as the balding process develops.
All miniaturization is not equal. Some hairs in any one part of the scalp may show different degrees of thinning. That is because the impacted hairs are self-destructive and different times. Eventually, those miniaturized hairs at the beginning of the destructive process will progress with more and more miniaturization until they just fade away. In the various stages of miniaturization, the hair’s growth slows (no longer growing at 1/2 inch per month) and they will lose their pigment (become gray or transparent). These changes will be appreciated by those of you who become experts on your own miniaturization process.
Now What?
This week, I’ll be posting a tutorial video on BaldingForum.com to show how the process works using the sub-$100 Celestron handheld microscope I mentioned in part 1 of this series. First though, you’ll need to get the microscope. I provided the links in part 1, but to keep things convenient here they are again:
Assuming you have the microscope, the tutorial video (Below!) will be a big help. It’ll not only show you where to map on your scalp, but it’ll also show you how to create files of your historical record on your computer and compare the pictures you obtain over time may give you insights into your balding problems.
Dr. Rassman,