Month: December 2010

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Seborrheic Dermatitis on Eyebrow – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

(female)
Hello Dr. I was recently diagnosed with seborrheic dermatitis in my left eyebrow, in which I have lost a lot of hair density. I was wondering how long I should wait to see if the hairs come back? As a general rule of thumb what is the standard time I should allow them before determining they wont grown back and opting for a brow transplant? Thanks!

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Many patients who suffer from eyebrow hair loss find hair transplantation may be a good option. Generally, I would wait at least one year to see if your eyebrows would naturally regrow before considering a transplant. You should also realize that when you transplant scalp hair to the eyebrow, the hairs will continue to grow like scalp hair. In other words, you would need to trim your eyebrow every week or so. You may also need more than one surgery to achieve the “perfect” eyebrow.

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NHI’s ACell Program – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

When will your clinical trial on ACell start? When will the first patient get hair transplant using ACell? Thanks!

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The ACell trial we’re conducting started a few weeks back and a few patients have already had treatments. As for when it will be PROVEN and be offered as a standard procedure, it will be at least one year (if it succeeds).

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I Was Told I Needed 5,000 to 12,000 Grafts – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear Dr,
I have a large patch of baldness and when I discussed with different Drs they said from 5000 to 12000 grafts. How do we know how many follicles are transplanted? Of course it is not possible to count. Is it the area of strip? Then how many units will be there if a 10cm strip with 1.5 mm width contain? Price varies with the number of units, thats why i posed this question. kindly reply

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I am very curious which doctors you spoke to, because getting 5,000 to 12,000 grafts from one surgery would be considered impossible. Maybe you are confusing grafts with hairs. One graft can contain 1, 2, or 3 hairs. So 2500 grafts can contain 5000 hairs (for example).

In general, an average Caucasian male with a 2 hairs per square millimeter donor hair density and an average scalp elasticity has about 5,000 to 7,000 grafts to donate in their lifetime (but not at once). You simply cannot harvest 12,000 grafts in one surgery. An average maximum or upper limit of a hair transplant surgery is around 3,000 grafts. I only recall a few patients in my 15 years where I was able to harvest 5,000 grafts in a single surgery, and those patients had abnormally high donor hair densities. There are some doctors who split the grafts into smaller units and this will push up the graft count, not the hair count. I tend to think that the doctors that split grafts are only doing so to charge the patient more (if they charge per graft).

You need to ask your questions to these doctors and have them explain what they are talking about to you in detail. I do not know your hair density or how flexible your scalp is, but if you were to get 12,000 grafts in a single session, you would be alone amongst all patients I have encountered.

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NFL Player Tom Brady’s Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am a big fan. I have been following y’all for quite some time now. I was hoping you would offer your assessment of recent reports that Tom Brady is experiencing hair loss. As a guy experiencing hair loss and a football fan, I am skeptical that Tom Brady is losing his hair. Apparently there are reports that he went to a hair loss treatment center in RI. Anyways, below is a CBS News article on the subject. I am interested to hear your thoughts/assessment.

CBS News – Is Tom Brady Losing His Hair?

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Tom BradyI don’t know about any possible hair loss treatment center visit by NFL quarterback Tom Brady, but the photo in that CBS News article (see right) shows his hair falling forward and covering the hairline. There’s not much I can tell from that. I did see some photos that appeared to show some hairline corner recession for Mr. Brady, but I’m unable to find any kind of timeline on the images I’m finding in Google. Some photos show him with a very juvenile looking hairline, and others appear to have a mature hairline. Perhaps styling is what has helped his hairline in the past.

So could it be that he’s losing hair and wanted to cover up a receding hairline? Possible. Could it be that he just wanted to grow his hair out? Sure. Or could it be a combination of both? Absolutely.

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Low Testosterone, Higher Chance for MPB? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

In another post, I read that men with lower testosterone have a higher chance of MPB. This seems to make no sense from a logical standpoint. How can having higher testosterone decrease the chance of having MPB? Can you explain this?

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Testosterone is not the main cause of male pattern baldness (MPB). The mere presence of testosterone produces DHT (the trigger point for MPB), but it is genetics that will ultimately determine if you’re losing hair.

I’m not sure which post you’re referencing, but I would think logically that higher testosterone (in men predisposed to MPB) would have accelerated balding. Note that I used the word “accelerated” rather than “increased”. This is because even if you have lower testosterone you would likely become bald the way you were programmed genetically, because what testosterone you have will be converted by your body to DHT.

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Reader Doesn’t Think ACell Will Work – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I don’t believe that A-Cell will work. Is there actually any proper evidence of this technology working anywhere? It seems to be just that guy with the finger which I am unsure whether has been exagerrated/fabricated. Other than this it feels like all hype.

Also, it seems like when you pluck these hairs, you have to take out so much of the hair that logically thinking I’m not even sure if they will grow back the same thickness (if at all). Now I know people will come back with how they wax their legs, chest, arms or even their head regularly and they always grow back, but I seriously doubt that when a normal person plucks/waxes, they are extracting the amount of tissue required to perform the A-Cell procedure.

In addition, Jerry Cooley states in his presentation on one slide: “you can see the thicker FUE grafts vs the thinner plucked hairs” – so this really isn’t what it is being hyped up to be?

This unfortunately to me feels like just another method of doing a standard hair transplant. Maybe it will infact become the common way as it appears to allow it to be done without any scaring at all, but right now it looks like you would actually be worse off using A-Cell method over current methods, as the hairs at the donor and recipient region will grow back thinner, that is if they grow back at all.

I don’t know of Dr Cooley’s reputation, but from watching his presentation this just doesn’t seem that impressive. The only way it might work is using beard hair that thinned out during the process and ended up like scalp hair, but even then if this worked perfectly is it really a cure? You can’t do whole units and can you control the direction?

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Perhaps you are right, but in the spirit of scientific research we have to try. That is one reason why we are trying to conduct formal IRB approved clinical research. It will either prove or disprove the concept.

The hope is that the plucking approach will yield more hair than moving the hairs around with traditional transplantation. The fact is that not only us (NHI), but the entire hair transplant surgeon community needs to be able to replicate this technique to stand up to the test.

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Hair Loss InformationPhytolium 4 – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Dr,

I read your blog everyday. It’s great. My question is simple: have you ever heard of a new treatment called Phytolium 4? [Press release here]

I’ve just seen a billboard ad in a bus stop and I guess it is being launched on a few countries (not sure if they’re already in the USA, I live abroad). They claim some numbers but I can’t find any real reviews online, so I guess we have to wait a couple of months to confirm the hype (if any).

I just wanted to check what is your opinion/expectations about this product. Thank you very much

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Phytolium 4I like to see what are called double blind studies and other controlled research that would prove value beyond a shadow of a doubt. The problem here is that there is no proof that I would define as objective, just claims that the product works.

This Phytolium stuff is a French-made, plant-based shampoo and lotion treatment, but regardless of the ingredients, they are marketing it as an alternative to the only two proven medications that grow hair (minoxidil and finasteride). And just like hundreds of other products, they claim no side effects and great results with this Phytolium 4.

The same maker of this product sells Phytocyane, which we wrote about here. I would love to believe these products work as promised, but I would need to see more proof than a slick website and the seller’s word. Please feel free to try it and report back, though.

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Do People Get Hairline Transplants Knowing Hair Loss Could Progress? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dr. Rassman,

My frontal hairline has been thinning for sometime now and I was doing a bit of research on the internet on frontal hair restoration. And I see a lot of people go through this procedure. Do most people go with this procedure knowing/assuming their frontal hairloss/receding has stabilized or do they stay fully committed to getting more if their hairline recedes further?

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Many of my patients have hairline transplants. Actually, the great majority of my patients that have hair transplants have hairline changes! I always caution the young men (under 25 years old) that many hairline changes occur with maturation of the hairline, which is often mistaken for early hair loss.

The most important thing we need to determine (a very important discussion between the patient and doctor) is how far the existing (non transplanted) hairline may recede in the future. We must plan for this and the patient must understand its consequence of possibly needing further surgery. This is what we refer to the Master Plan.

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Readers Respond to Suicidal 18 Year Old – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

We received a lot of emails about last week’s post — I’m Suicidal Over Losing My Hair at 18 Years Old! — and I wanted to share this one with the rest of the community.

Dr. Rassman,

I read this blog regularly and when I read your post yesterday about a young man dealing with suicidal thoughts, I had to write in.

Young people out there need to understand that they have options but doing something drastic (like a transplant at 18) years old or worse (harming yourself) only eliminates options. I came to your office last year young, scared and anxious about hair loss myself. I was convinced that things were only going to get worse, but a year ago there wasn’t a hair bulk analyzer or A Cell. Imagine, just a year later and suddenly I am hearing about all these innovations. Maybe I overreacted?

It is amazing what happens when you take a deep breathe, research your options and gain a little perspective. I was given great advice by the doctors at NHI and they were words I needed to hear. Hair loss still bugs me but I now have every option open to me because I did not jump into a rash decision and young guys (I am 25 and empathize with you) need to understand that, just because you are not happy with what the mirror is showing, it doesn’t mean you can’t be happy ever again.

This is not the end of the world. Balding doesn’t rob you of your vision, your hearing or your overall health. This young man still has eyes to see the world, ears to listen to wonderful music and a capable body that can laugh, love and live. Getting a quality doctor to help you deal with your problem will keep you from being a slave to your hair and will help you get on with living.

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While most of the emails (and comments) had positive messages of support, I felt the above email perfectly expresses what many compassionate people relate to. Thank you for writing.

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Could ACell Regrow Hair on Its Own as a Topical? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi there, I apologise if this is a silly question, it’s regarding the acell research that is under way at the moment: if the drug has the potential to regenerate cells including hair follicles – would it not be possible to use this drug in a preventative way by applying it to thinning areas affected by DHT in much the same as minoxidil?

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The concept with the ACell is that it will stimulate the stem cells that are present in the plucked hairs to produce another mature hair from the plucked hairs. As the original hair will regrow, you get 2 hairs from one if there is a 100% growth of the plucked hair. That’s the idea, anyway. It isn’t a DHT blocker.