September 2014 – Page 2

September 24, 2014

Hair Loss InformationCan I Swim After I Have SMP? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Can I Swim After I Have SMP?

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You have to wait about 3 days before you go swimming (ocean, lake); however, if there is chlorine in the water (typical swimming pool) you should wait at least 30 days to be sure there is no connection between the pigment and the water. When SMP is properly done, the pigment settles below the epidermis within 30 days, so the chlorine from the swimming pool can not reach the pigment. Chlorine can bleach the pigment and change its color. Ocean or lake water should be fine.

September 23, 2014

Hair Loss InformationCan a Laser Be FDA Approved For Hair Loss Treatment? – Balding Blog

I saw a website from a ‘company’ in the field of hair restoration, where the doctors were advertising several types of lasers for the treatment of hair loss saying that their devices are FDA approved. Does this mean that these devices have been tested by the FDA and actually work?

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We addressed the subject of FDA regulation with hair lasers many years ago here and here. The FDA never really approves such a device confirming that it grows hair, but in this case they cleared it to be safe for sale. It is unfortunate that some doctors seem to promote the idea that such devices are ‘approved’ by the FDA for certain hair loss treatments. The FDA does not actually test these devices on its claims of growing hair, but place the burden on the seller or manufacturer to demonstrate safety and effectiveness. In this situation, the FDA clearance for use of terminology for Low Level Light Laser Therapy seems to have faltered.

September 23, 2014

Hair Loss InformationIs There A Typical Mature Female Hairline – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am 21 years old and my hair is everything to me. I don’t want to lose it, even when I grow older. Is there a mature female hairline like the mature male hairlines you write about that I should worry about?

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Unlike the male’s mature hairline which is V shaped, the female hairlines are usually rounded. The rounded hairline may move upward and in most women who are under 40, the upward movement does not change the rounded shape. If by chance you do not follow this rule of thumb, you can always have hair transplants to restore your rounded hairline. Check it out with a doctor who understands the female patterns of hair loss.

September 23, 2014

Hair Loss InformationNot Hair Loss News – A Supercentenarian Talks – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

The body of a supercentenarian expands science’s appreciation for the physiological limits of aging.

This article was Published in The Scientist:

Two interviewers chatted with the now 113-year-old van Andel-Schipper back in 2003. The interview was also repeated at age 111 (neuroscientist Gert Holstege) and again at 113. She was amazing with memories going back to the details of a soccer game in 1898 when she predicted that her favorite soccer team was not going to be successful and she was right.

“She knew exactly what was going on in politics, in sports,” recalls Holstege”… “She could explain … exactly what happened in 1898 when Wilhelmina became queen [of the Netherlands].” She remembered the details of the parties she’d gone to with Dutch soldiers as WW1 began in 1914. “She was completely alert.” She died at age 115.

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I (Rassman) had a great grandmother who lived to 114 years of age and I remember her well. Like Andel-Schipper, her brain functioned reasonably well, but unlike her, she was not in a nursing home. She lived with her daughter (my grandmother). Every Sunday, the family would get together with her. She was born before Lincoln became president and was alive when I went to medical school. She gave me the following advice. “Marry a rich woman until you get established and she puts you on your feet. Then get a divorce and marry for love the second time.” It could be modern day advice for many of our peers.

September 22, 2014

Hair Loss InformationI Have Low Hair Density, Am I Able To Have A Hair Transplant? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I have already gone for tricho analysis they told that I have a very low hair density I.e 100 per square cm. So now I would like to go for hair transplantation is it possible now

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Low hair density means you will have less hair available for a hair transplant and your expectation and results will have to be discussed with your doctor. In general a normal hair density for a Caucasian male is 200 hairs in a square centimeter. It is also important to establish a diagnosis of your hair loss type and why you may have a low hair density. If you have a Class 3 pattern (just frontal corner loss), you should be able to have a hair transplant with your low donor hair. But if you have a condition such as diffuse unpatterned alopecia (DUPA) you will not be a candidate for surgery as the condition of the hair in the donor area is not healty. It is not normal to have 100 hairs per square centimeter. I never trust a single measurement, so you might have someone else reaffirm the density numbers.

September 22, 2014

Hair Loss InformationHow Dense Can Hair Really Be Transplanted? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

In a very recent question, asked about hair cloning, you mentioned that “theoretically you will have an endless supply of hair and your hair density can be as high or higher than what you started with”. In another entry of yours, Dr. Rassman, we read that “Hair can be transplanted at a density that approaches 35% of the original density in many people.” and that “the ability to place such densities depends upon many factors which include: hair thickness, skin characteristics, the size of the instruments for making sites, the skill of the surgical team at placing grafts tightly together and the processes that reflect the quality management of the surgical team.”

What is different about hair cloning different, which allows us to place the grafts so tightly together that you will end up with a density of 100%

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Perhaps there is a misunderstanding that I would like to clear up.

There is no limitation on the density of transplanted hairs, except on a per session basis. How close you can put the grafts together during surgery depend on the width of the grafts (not hair). Some grafts can be 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch wide.

You must understand that hair transplant surgery involves moving hair from one location to another location. It does not create new hair. Let’s say that you got 35% of your original density in one session, then you want the same number of grafts transplanted again, assuming that the donor supply is as good, you can probably come close to doubling the 35%. Again, if you then wanted to do another 35% equivalent grafts, you will be getting close to 100% of the original density. There is actually some limits to this process, for example, what is the size of the donor area, the blood supply and the availability of grafts from the donor area. When grafts are placed very, very close together, we call this term “dense packing”, a term I defined in 1994 in the Hair Transplant Forum.

If you are a completely bald Norwood 6 patient and want your original density of 200 hairs in a square centimeter, where would the donor hairs come from? You only have a limited number of donor hair and the surgeon has to use judgement to create the most effective use with limited number of donor hairs you have. Unless there is cloning, putting in an unlimited number of hairs is impossible.

If you are a Norwood 3 and want the original donor hair density, then it may be possible with multiple surgeries.

September 22, 2014

Hair Loss InformationCan Driving Fast In A Convertible Cause Traction Alopecia? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Say you often drive fast in a convertible when on the freeway. Can all the wind blowing your hair around cause traction alopecia or otherwise damage the follicles?

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Assuming this is a serious question: would driving on the freeway, with the top down cause, hair loss?

Seriously, the simple answer is: NO.

September 19, 2014

Hair Loss InformationScalp MicroPigmentation (SMP) Review with Depleted Donor Area, Scarring & Thinning – Before & After Photos – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

This patient had almost everything that could go wrong with hair transplantation including: Scalp reductions, multiple hair transplants and depletion of his donor area from the multiple surgeries in the past. More hair transplants were not an option. His results showed thinning but on the brighter side of things, he felt that he did not look bald when he kept his hair longer and styled it appropriately. He was still not satisfied with his hair and the coverage of his hair restoration procedures. He did not like the large multiple white scars on he back of his head which showed up on windy days or with swimming. He decided he would try Scalp Micropigmentation (SMP) to enhance his appearance, address the scars and have SMP under the thin hair on the top to make it look a bit thicker. He still has thinning hair but SMP helped hide the scar and gave him the illusion of more fullness on the top of his head.

Scalp MicroPigmentation to scar

September 19, 2014

Hair Loss InformationNHI Hair Transplant Review of Mid 70 Year Old (Before & After Photos) – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

This is a review of a mid 70’s retired healthy active man who wanted to look like the way he felt.
He had 1657 grafts to the front areas to give him a younger non-balding frame to his face.
The results were better than the patient and his wife anticipated. Actually his wife complained that when they went on vacation people came up and asked if they were mother and son!

New Hair Institute Review of 1657 graft Hair Transplant

September 19, 2014

Hair Loss InformationNew Hair Institute Review of 1420 graft Hair Transplant – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

This is a review of a mid 30 year old who wanted to have his hair line back. He had 1420 grafts to establish a hair line. He will likely return to make the corner areas more dense.

New Hair Institute Review of 1420 graft Hair Transplant