Month: December 2010

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Hair Loss InformationDr Gho’s Recently Published Partial Follicular Unit Extraction Study – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

What are your thoughts on Dr. Gho’s partial extraction stuff? There’s a new study in the Journal of Dermatological Treatment:

Link: Donor hair follicle preservation by partial follicular unit extraction.

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We are aware of this and I believe I’ve commented on partial unit extraction before. Similar work has been done by others with very different results, so I am a little skeptical. First of all, only five individuals were used in the study and between 100-150 grafts were harvested. The results look very promising, but I do not understand how you can achieve a success rate over 100% (104.1%) like is mentioned in the results.

It is also difficult to understand how one could keep track of where the 100 to 150 grafts were harvested from to see if they regrew hair. Think about this. Unless you make a clear mark (like a circular tattoo) around where you harvested the grafts, how can you say the hairs grew back? In the end, with all due respect to Dr Gho, I remain a bit of a skeptic.

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Hair Loss InformationMy Eyebrows Grow and Then Fall Out – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Dr. Rassman,
I have been having eyebrow loss for over ten years now. It started after a period of overzealous plucking as a teen (I am now 29). The hair grows out and then after a few weeks to months it gets very weak and limp and falls out. This has been going on for years. My primary doc said it was age and possibly alopecia (though I have no problems on scalp and hair loss is diffuse not patchy). my dermatologist said seb derm but my symptoms are not that similar and the meds he prescribed didn’t help. Any ideas what it can be? And am I a candidate for transplant surgery? Please help! Thank you.

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I really couldn’t make an attempt at an answer to what you are asking without examining you myself. So I’m not sure what it could be. If it is indeed seborrheic dermatitis, treatments are usually limited to antifungal shampoos. You didn’t mention which meds you were prescribed, so I’m kind of at a loss there, too.

As for whether you’re a surgical candidate, again, that’s not something that can be determined without an exam. A hair transplant into the eyebrow will reflect the thickness of the hair in the donor area where it is taken from (back of the head area).

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Hair Loss InformationWeeks After Hair Transplant, I Had an Impact Injury On My Scalp – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

i had a hard impact injury to the top of my head after 5 or 6 weeks after transplant surgery. I had a big bump on top and a small amount of bleeding. I was wondering what the chances of damage to the implants. Do you think I should be that concerned about this accident? Thanks so much for your comments and advice on hair transplants.

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Since the injury occurred 5-6 weeks after your hair transplant, I do not think that it will be any risk to the grafts. Of course, if you have concerns and are able to make a follow-up appointment with your surgeon, that would be the best thing to do (at least for peace of mind).

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Hair Loss Information20 Years Old and Concerned About My Hairline (with Photos) – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi, I’m a 20 year old Caucasian male, and for the last few months I’ve been concerned about my hairline. I had never paid much attention to it before, as I’ve always had thick wavy long hair that mostly hid it, but after getting it cut short I realized that the corners extended a little bit higher than I’d like them to. The left only extends a little bit above my juvenile hairline, but the right corner is a little bit higher than the left. In both corners above the juvenile hairline mark I have short dark vellum hair.

I’m worried because I have more of this hair on the left than the right. The left almost hits my juvenile hairline while the right does not… Any advice you can give me would be much appreciated.

I give all permission to use these photos.

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Thanks for allowing us to post your photos. Click them to enlarge.

You shouldn’t worry about having more hair or less hair on left or right corners of the hairline. Many people have asymmetry, so what you’re seeing isn’t uncommon. With respect to hair loss, I cannot give you a diagnosis at this stage since you’re only 20 years old and anything is possible. This could just be a case of the hairline maturing, but honestly, it is impossible to tell how/if your hair loss will progress just based on looking at photos. There needs to be more hands-on examinations of the hair.

My advice is that if you are concerned about hair loss, see a doctor. First, get an objective measurement — miniaturization studies and bulk analysis of hair on different parts of the scalp). Then get a diagnosis and a suitable Master Plan that will follow you for the years to come.

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Hair Loss InformationAfrican American Female Hairline Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi I am a thirty year old African American Female. From my early childhood, I have been exposed to tight ponytails, braids, weaves and chemical services applied incorrectly. Surprisingly, I still have a head full of hair with the exception of my thinning hair line. My hair is currently chemical free and has been that way for over seven years. I normally wear wigs as a protective style. My hairline is still thin. Is surgery my only option?

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Norwood 4AUnfortunately, there’s no medication that can restore a hairline and surgery might be the only option. Hair transplants for the frontal hairline work well, even in African Americans. Unfortunately, many African American women I’ve seen with traction alopecia have lost much of their frontal hair, even the hair that goes into the temple peaks on the side, creating a concave look similar to a Norwood Class 4A pattern (see image at right). The problem is that the larger the area, the more hair it takes to get a thick result.

African Americans usually are born with less hair than Caucasians (about 65% by hair count) so the supply is often more limited. In your case, if the hair loss is just in the frontal 1 1/2 inches, you may be able to get it back. A good examination is important, especially when made by someone who has considerable experience capable of giving you realistic expectations.

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Hair Loss InformationIn the News – Cold Caps to Help Cancer Patients Keep Their Hair? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Snippet from the article:

A handful of San Francisco breast cancer patients are donning frigid skullcaps to test a device designed to keep hair tightly rooted during chemotherapy. Researchers hope the study, run by UC San Francisco and Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., will eventually lead to Food and Drug Administration approval for the chilly caps.

There is now no way to hang on to one’s tresses during chemo for any kind of cancer, says study leader Hope Rugo, an oncologist at UCSF. The prospect of baldness is distressing to many patients, particularly women. Some choose a less-drastic drug regimen more likely to leave hair follicles alone, potentially at the cost of getting the best possible treatment. It’s a fact that women frequently make treatment decisions based on risk to their locks, says Rugo’s colleague Michelle Melisko, another oncologist investigating scalp-cooling systems.

The caps’ low temperature, 41 degrees Fahrenheit, keeps poisonous chemotherapy drugs out of the hair follicles. But some doctors worry that in so doing, it makes it more likely that cancer will take root in the scalp.

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Read the full story at the LA Times — Cooling caps tested to help cancer patients keep hair

Freezing the scalp to prevent chemo-related hair loss has been around for 30 or more years, though it doesn’t work for everyone and most people will still see some loss.

On the bright side, the article points out that “the results from 53 studies using various devices and methods were mostly positive“.

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Hair Loss InformationCan Stress Cause a Child’s Hair to Stop Growing? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

My 4 year old has blonde hair and in the last year I have noticed that the hair on her left side has seemed to stop growing. It appears to have a different texture and feel to it and i often notice in the morning after she sleeps that it is pushed forward, but it doesn’t seem to go back easily. On that side of her head she seems to have more broken ends and shorter pieces. Is this a concern? In the last year and half we have moved and she had a brother born with a Congenital heart defect with a lot of needs in the beginning of his life, could it be stress?

Thanks

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I would not look at stress as the cause of your daughter’s hair loss/abnormal hair growth. See a good doctor, possibly a pediatric dermatologist if you are in a big city where such a specialty may be found.

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Hair Loss InformationHair Transplant Pricing, Wigs and Hairlines, Time Between Surgeries – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am sorry to ask so many questions and I did try and search for the ones I have. If they are redundant, I apologize. Also, if you could keep my info as anonymous, I would appreciate it.

  1. For pricing is the $6 for 2,500 and $2.50 per session or per patient. As in: If you do 2,800 one session and 2,900 another. Would I still be paying $6 for 5,000 over 2 sessions or is it $6 for the first 2,500 and $2.50 for the rest, no matter how many grafts or session I have after?

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  2. Second, I know you can’t technically answer this without a master plan. But I am going to be 23 in a couple months and my hairline is shot/receding pretty bad. I’m quickly starting to realize I may become a Norwood 3 to a 6. I’m still not sure yet. Anyways, no matter the Norwood I still want to start building a strong hairline. I’m impressed with the wig technology now, except for one thing…the hairline. If I would get an amazing hairline back and then wear a piece to hide the rest until something logical comes by, I think that would be the best option right now. If I saw you and you said I was a good candidate for this would you say this is a decent plan?

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  3. Theoretically speaking, if I got one surgery with 2,800. Do I have to wait for the 2,800 to completely grow in the 12 to 18 month span to get another or could I schedule another session closer to the other a couple months later.

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TaxiI believe there is confusion with respect to the NHI surgical fees. That pricing applies to traditional strip surgeries performed by us in our Los Angeles office. The standard fee is $6 per graft up to 2500 grafts. Anything beyond 2500 grafts would be charged at $2.50 starting with the 2501st graft. So graft #1-2500 are one price, #2501+ are lower. Like a taxi ride, the meter starts all over again on the next trip.

Some men (who are completely bald) choose to have hair transplants in the frontal hairline so that they can wear a wig on the top and still keep a natural looking hairline. It could be a decent plan for you.

Generally, patients need to wait about one full year before they can have another hair transplant surgery. This is because we need to assess how the new transplanted hair has grown and also to make sure the donor scalp has returned back to its flexible/elastic state. Some people can accelerate that timeline to 8 months.

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Hair Loss InformationPropecia Halted My Hair Loss, But My Doctor Said Avodart Has Better Results – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I’m a 24 years old been on Propecia for 2 1/2 years. Dr. Bernstein told me back then I have early frontal loss. I’m a NW2 but the corners & center of my hairline and my mid anterior are thinning. Ever since being on Propecia my hair loss remained exactly the same as then. So it halted it completely at least to my eyes.

I’m thinking of getting on Avodart since it has usually better results my dermatologist said, but I’m worried if I were to get side effects and get off and go back to Propecia, will my hair return to the way it was on Propecia (if I gain more hair on Avodart that is) and will the side effects go away or will I need to stop a DHT blocker completely? I have zero side effects on Propecia except I remember the first week I had a super high sex drive which passed!

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In my practice, I rarely recommend Avodart (dutasteride). It’s not FDA approved for treating hair loss, and there is the potentially higher risk of negative side effects, such as libido loss and erectile dysfunction, than that of finasteride. Plus, we are still unclear about sterility issues with Avodart, as there are suggestions that this may be a problem in a small number of patients. If you’ve seen good results with no side effects from Propecia, why push it by taking a much stronger medication like Avodart?

I don’t know for sure what would happen if you switch from Propecia to Avodart and then back to Propecia (or vice versa). I’ve received emails about it over the years, but each person is different.