Month: November 2011

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Use of Nails in Hair Implantation (with Video) – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

This is a video I received which shows the use of nails to dilate the incisions in the scalp. This was more common years ago when doctors were learning the process. The nails were used to force open the recipient holes so that the doctor or his staff could place the grafts into the balding scalp easily.

Few, if any other doctors, use these today and those that did do it, eventually learned to do so with more delicacy. The use of dilators reflect the doctor’s comfort with the technique of placing grafts.

The first minute is worth watching… the ending part is an advertisement that I do not endorse. I’ve embedded the video below:

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Could I Have BHT If I Plan to Keep My Hair Very Short? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I understand that you do not like the results of body hair transplants but do you think it would be an option for patients that were interested in keeping their hair cut very short and did not want the scar from FUT surgery?

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Body hair transplantation (BHT) should be considered as a last resort (if you’re out of scalp donor hair, for example). It’s not just an issue of growth cycle, but the texture of body hair is different than that of scalp hair. The idea is to have the most natural looking result on your head, and I’ve yet to see anyone that has had BHT with a perfectly natural look.

If you don’t want the linear scar from traditional strip surgery, you can look into FUE, which uses scalp hair and would provide a better visual result than BHT would.

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What Happened to the Removable SMP Pigment? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi,
I read in March of this year on this blog you were soon to be trialling a new SMP pigment that was possibly reversible in one laser treatment. Are there are further developments with this?

Thank you

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The initial laser-reversible pigment we obtained was tested on a very limited basis and in small cases. Unfortunately, we were unable to obtain more than the test supplies and have been unable to find a substitute… so it’s not something we pursued much further.

We currently only use permanent pigment in SMP sessions.

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If I’m 30 Years Old with No Hair Loss, Could I Still Be Bald in 10 Years? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hey Doc,

Just a quick question (trying to understand more about MPB). Would it be possible for a 30 year old with a juvenile hairline to be a norwood 7 by age 40? Just wondering.

Thanks

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Norwood 7I don’t recall ever seeing a patient that had a juvenile hairline at 30 years old go to the baldest Norwood class 7 within a decade.

So to answer your question — it’s very doubtful!

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Is My Receding Hairline from Wearing a Bandana? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hey Doctors,

I already saw the post from 2005 concerning bandannas and hair loss but I would really like some clarification. I am 21 and have been wearing a bandanna around my head since I was 16 every single day. My mom called me out this past weekend at home concerning a receding hairline I seem to have developed, despite having absolutely no family history of hair loss on either side.

I imagine this must be linked to my bandanna, but what I need clarification in understanding is whether or not the hair loss is actually related to my bandanna. I question this because my bandanna sits right above my eyebrows under my hair

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Thanks for allowing me to post the photo you sent. Click to enlarge.

 

From the looks of it, it appears that you have typical hairline recession commonly seen in genetic hair loss. If it was due to extreme bandana wear, you would likely have some form of traction alopecia where the hair loss would occur around the tight pressure spots where the bandana constantly rubbed on your scalp. I don’t think you wear the bandana that high up on your hairline, so I wouldn’t expect traction is the cause.

Overall it seems strange that you would wear a bandana every single day and I wonder if you wore this due to early perceived hair loss recession. Finally, having no immediate family history of hair loss does not necessarily mean you are immune from genetic hair loss.

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Did Actor Ray Liotta Have a Hair Transplant? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear Doctor.

Did Actor Ray Liotta get a hair transplant? If you compare the pic 1 with the pic 2 and 3 it looks as if he did. What is your view?

Thank you.

Photo 1 – Photo 2 – Photo 3

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What I see could be a transplant, but I have no firsthand knowledge. His hairline certainly appears thicker in photos 2 and 3… but there’s no dates on these and the lighting is different. It could be that with styling and color (and better lighting), it’s the same hairline. Maybe he’s using a concealer in there to give it more visual bulk. I really don’t know, as the photos are pretty small and difficult to compare.

I’ve presented the photos 1 and 2 below for easy viewing:

Ray Liotta

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How Many Balding Men in the US Have Hair Transplants Each Year? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Dr. Rassman:

Do you have any statistics on the number of hair transplant surgeries that are done each year in the US, and what percentage of men with male pattern baldness that represents?

From just casual observations, it seems the vast majority of men with MPB never treat it and have no interest in treating it. As you know, many either shave their heads, wear their hair short, or just ignore it.

I’ve been told not to bother treating my hair loss, that it looks fine as is, and that if you have a nice face you don’t need hair restoration anyway. Any thoughts?

Thanks for the great site!

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The ISHRS released their census with extrapolated figures, showing over 100,000 hair transplant surgeries in the US were performed last year. You can find all their released stats here (PDF file).

Hair restoration is a personal choice. If you don’t want to have surgery and don’t mind your hair loss, then by all means don’t have the procedure. It’s a lifelong commitment, and it certainly isn’t for everyone. It can also be cost prohibitive for many people.

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Best Way to Dry My Hair? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello, I was wondering if you recommend blow drying, towel drying, or air drying hair when one is suffering from male pattern baldness and is thinning out/losing hair? For purposes of getting ready in the morning, air drying is not really an option. Thank you!

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If your hair is coming out because of the balding process, you must be gentle with the drying process. Do not rub your hair with a towel. Just pat it dry. When using a blow dryer, be sure not to use it on a hot setting, as it is best with low heat or no heat at all.

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Did I Actually Get All the Grafts I Paid For? (with Photos) – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear Dr: can you help me estimate the number of grafts and hairs I receive based on the following photos? feel free to download and use them.

The doctor said, in a very random manner, he did 2900 grafts. Then plus post-op meds, this number exactly matches what I have paid before the surgery and we do not owe each other a penny. I won’t argue about it if there’s only a little discrepancy.

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Thanks for sending the photos and allowing me to post them. I’ve chosen one photo to post that will give readers an idea of what you had done. Click to enlarge:

 

I have actually counted the grafts on patients that have doubts like you expressed in your question. If peace of mind is what you want, then a visit to a doctor who is willing to count the grafts is probably a good idea. On a few of the patients where I counted the grafts, wide discrepancies have been found, confirming their suspicions.

But counting the grafts in the photographs or counting them after the third day of the surgery will not get you what you want. You should have written to me right after the surgery and then I could’ve given you an accurate count within 1% of what you got.

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SMP to Fill In Scalp Scars? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I have several scars on the back of the head, a recent procedure gave me yet a big new one to cover and deal with..

I am concerned about the look, once my hair is wet- these now are very visible, unnatural and difficult to explain-a subject I’d rather not discuss at all. Is the Micro Pigmentation a possible “fill in fix” to these scars, and if so, how do I deal with the way my hair color will look in say, 10 years when I am completely grey/white and thinning yet even more in the back? Matching skin, hair color is important.

I currently have dark brown/grey hair which I dye for the time being. Thank you.

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The pigments have their limitations, but are particularly good for men who want their hair shaved to almost scalp level (closely cropped). You are correct that as you gray, the pigment may produce problems, but usually these pigments gray a bit anyway. I would have to see you, at least see the pictures of your scars and their locations before rendering more thoughts.

Repair of scalp scars takes experience and your situation of having a surgical correction that made it worse is common when the surgeon does not really understand scalp repairs. I have seen many scar repairs by well known plastic surgeons and still they get wider after the surgery. If you are in the Los Angeles area, there is no substitute for a good examination, as it may be possible to fix these scars.