Month: June 2011

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Are Sideburn Transplants Done? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I have lived my whole life without sideburns as I have never been able to grow them. Are sideburn transplants an option? Are they at all common where a doctor would be comfortable doing one? I would also be interested to know if you’ve done any and if there were any problems.

Thanks.

Also, any photos you have of clients before and after a sideburn transplant would be appreciated.

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ElvisYes, sideburn transplants are commonly done by experienced hair transplant surgeons. We actually do this procedure on more women than men, because many women who have facelifts lose their sideburns and often have scars that need to be hidden with the transplants.

You can see some excellent photos in our hair restoration gallery.

(It should go without saying, but the photo at right of Elvis Presley is meant to show sideburns, not to suggest that he had transplants.)

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Hair Loss InformationHow Do I Become a Hair Transplant Technician? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dr. Rassman
I’ve been a licensed cosmetologist and cosmetology instructor for 20 years. I’ve witnessed all types of causes of hair loss from simple improper hair care, chemical damage, braids and hair extention damage, alopecia, medications, lupus,chemo and radiation.

I now find myself ready to embrace a higher level in my profession. I’m eager about becoming a trichologist and a hair transplant technician and was wondering if you had and advice on how and where I should start to embark on these two career paths. My passion and curiosity about the hair and scalp has got me wanting to absorb all I can so I may better service the public and feed my need for more knowledge. Any insight you have would be greatly appreciated.

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The training of a hair transplant technician is done only by doctors who are looking for new people and are willing to take on a trainee. Most people come from a medical assistant school and most states certify MAs, although the doctor can do the training in specific cases.

You need to contact a hair transplant doctor in your area and ask if he/she is taking on new people. It is a great career and for those who master the technical skill, they are generally well paid.

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If I Shave My Head, Could Parts Not Regrow? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi .. I searched your blog to find an answer to this one, but don’t think I did.

I’m a male, 40s, losing hair since about 19 and pattern has stabilized to a bit of hair left up front and decent growth on sides.

My question is this: If I chose to shave the remaining hair atop my head to evaluate the look, is there and chance what little is there would not grow back or grow back differently?

Thanks.

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Shaving your head will not impact hair growth. The hairs that are miniaturized generally have a slow growth cycle and if the miniaturization is advanced and the hair already stopped growing, then you will see a bald area with no growth (not caused by the shave but by the advanced balding).

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Hair Loss InformationCould SMP Cause Shock Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello, I was hoping you could answer these two questions:

1. With the advent of the Scalp Micro-Pigmentation, have you had any patients experience “shock loss” following the procedure?
I’m seriously considering the procedure but am a bit wary that the trauma to the scalp caused by the needle will cause shock loss.

2. Drawing on your years of experience, have you noticed a certain threshold (or range) for transplanted grafts where a patient is more prone to experience shock loss?

i.e. Is a patient who receives 1500+ grafts in one session more susceptible to shock loss than a patient who has two transplant surgerys of 750 grafts each session, say, three or four months apart?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Best

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We haven’t experienced “shock loss” per se in patients that had Scalp MicroPigmentation (SMP). One or two patients did report some hair loss initially, but it was not significant to be noticed. The risk is probably in the use of the anesthesia, rather than the SMP.

Dr. Pak’s mother had SMP done and did report hair loss the first few days, but it was insignificant. She had her procedure six months ago and other than the initial few days of hair loss, everything else stabilized.

Patients experience shock hair loss when their hair loss is ACTIVE and dramatic to begin with. In general, shock hair loss is more of a factor in men in their early 20’s (actively losing hair) and those who are not on Propecia. Your doctor should be able to better assess your risks of shock loss to the benefits of a procedure. The number of grafts you receive in a session is probably not related to the degree of shock loss.

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My Fraternal Twin Has Been Losing Hair for Years – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi just wanted to say thanks first off for all the information provided for us. I had a quick question my twin brother (fraternal) started balding about three years ago and now is pretty bad. He tried propecia and had pretty severe side effects (sexual in nature) and it appears that I too am now starting to bald.

I was reading about NuHair DHT Blocker and reviews on the major websites seem to be a mixed bag, some people swear by it others saw some results and others said it was garbage. I was wondering if you had any insight or opinion on it. Thanks for all your help and this great resource.

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NuHair DHT Blocker is just a tablet containing saw palmetto and other herbs that likely won’t do much for your hair loss. I’ve written many, many times about saw palmetto. If you’d like to try it, go ahead… but keep in mind that as your hair loss is progressive, if it turns out that the pill does nothing for you, that’s going to be time wasted.

The only FDA approved medications for treating hair loss are finasteride (Propecia) and minoxidil, and those are the medications I recommend. If your brother experienced side effects while taking Propecia, I’m wondering how long he was on the medication and if his doctor lowered his dosage at any point. Perhaps you could try a lower dosage of Propecia. Talk to your doctor.

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Finasteride and Donating Bone Marrow – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi there. I have been taking Finpecia for about 7 months and recently I have been considering donating bone marrow. Since starting to take finasteride I have had to stop donating blood and I was wondering if you knew if this would stop me from being able to donate marrow? I cannot find information on it anywhere.

Thanks

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I am almost certain that those individuals on finasteride should not donate bone marrow, just like in the blood transfusion area.

Please explore your reasons with your doctor as their may be extenuating circumstances. If you do a bone marrow donation if you stopped the Propecia for a few weeks prior, the blood stream will have no significant blood level of the drug in it. The half life for Propecia is 4-6 hours.

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I Bumped My Head 2 Weeks After My Transplant – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Dr Rassman, big fan of your blog, lots of info very helpful!

I had an fue transplant with a good clinic about 3.5 weeks ago. On day 14 I bumped my head on my left temple, not very hard. I wouldn’t of even paid attention to it if I hadn’t undergone an HT 14 days prior. Anyway no blood or visible damage to the skin occured although it may of been slightly pink (it was pink anyway because of the op). Could this of caused any damage to the new grafts at all? My patient advisor says its unlikely, but I wanted an opinion from somebody else like yourself.

Although there wasn’t any bleeding or even a scratch, could this damage what the grafts are doing under the skin?

Many thanks

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I would doubt that you did any damage. Two weeks after your procedure, I wouldn’t be concerned about a slight bump to the head.

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In the News – Half of Taiwanese Employees Suffer Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Snippet from the article:

According to the survey results, up to 54 percent of the respondents said they are suffering from hair loss. Nearly 60 percent cited job pressure as the main factor, while 13 percent put the blame on their genes. Eating habits and health problems are also possible factors causing the problem.

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TaiwanRead the rest — 50 percent of Taiwanese employees suffer hair loss

This was a survey of 1800 people that work for a hair products company in Taiwan, with no indication of how many men vs how many women took part in the polling. Considering that about 50% of the world’s male population suffers from hair loss, finding out that half of the employees have hair loss isn’t surprising to me.

The part that is somewhat interesting is that the majority believe stress from work is the cause of their loss, and only a small percentage actually believe it is genetics. With genetics usually the largest cause for hair loss, I’d assume those surveyed are either in denial about their genes or perhaps the stress is aggravating their genetic hair loss.

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Could I Lose Most of My Hair Before I’m 21 Years Old? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I stared losing my hair at 18. I was wondering, is it possible that a male can lose most of his hair by the age of 20-21? With no receding hair line, My dermatologist has already diagnosed me with androgenetic alopecia while a few months back I was diagnosed with Serbohric Dermatitis

Insight into this would be great.

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Norwood 7I have seen a small number of young men under 22 years old who show significant balding. These men often have a family history of Norwood class 7 balding (see diagram at right) and when this occurs generally, it impacts the men under 25 years old. I don’t know enough about you or your family history to have any idea about the possibility of you going that bald but at an office examination I may be able to predict what balding pattern you are heading towards.

Starting on the DHT blockers like finasteride may alter the course of the balding. Talk to your doctor, as it is a prescription medication.