Is there an association between balding, obesity and heart disease in young men? The following link is to an abstract of the article that shows that such an association is probable.
Previous investigations have revealed an association of androgenetic alopecia (AGA), especially in younger subjects with severe early-onset AGA, with ischemic heart disease.
I saw the previous comment about obtaining hair follicles from a donor (another person than yourself) transplanted to the patient. I’ve looked on the internet and did a search for “immunoprivileged follicle” and found dozens of articles that suggest that the follicle of the hair seems to fall in the category.
They’d even claim that it is also trans-gender: www.nature.com/nature/journal/v402/n6757/full/402033a0.html
and the Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium: www.nature.com/jidsp/journal/v8/n2/full/5640115a.htmlDoes this mean that it is possible,after all, to obtain hair follicles from a donor? Thanks!
It may be possible, but for all practicality, not probable. Even with the best case scenario, where would you get the donor hair? Could this give a new meaning to selling your hair for money?
Generally hair transplantation from one person to another carries the same risk as organ (liver, heart, kidney) transplants. There is a risk of rejection and failure and life long anti-rejection medication. You may accept the risk of rejection when faced with threatening situations such as heart/ liver/ kidney failure, but most people spending thousands of dollars for a cosmetic (hair transplant) procedure may not accept the failure risk. One might think that hair from a newborn baby might be immunoprivileged (it seems to work for a heart transplant), but again, who would endorse such a donor?
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I asked this questin eariler but got no response- I am a 21 year old male and have been using 30% minoxidil for a month now cause of severe thinning all over. Are the new hairs that are suppose to be growing in vellus hairs or are they going to be terminal hairs. In addition are new hairs unaffected by MPB and untreated by any drug or anything say in the back of the head thinner and lighter in color as they emerge through the scalp or are they regular terminal hairs? In addition is it possible for miniturization to occur all over the head or only in areas affected by MPB. Thanks
I also have noted some patients reporting hair loss after starting minoxidil. While the exact mechanism is not understood, it is thought that hair cycle is “reset” as you start using minoxidil. So the hair follicle is accelerated to a telogen (hair loss) phase as it gets ready to go into the anagen (growth) phase. If you use minoxidil on your arm, for example, it will produce vellus hair. A 30% solution is high, so be careful for side effects, which will be more common.
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Hello-
What is your recommendation regarding the use of Minoxidil post-op on the newly transplanted hair?
Does Minoxidil really do anything to speed the growth of the new transplanted hair?
It seems like half of the guys use this and half do not.
Thank you.
You can use minoxidil after a hair transplant surgery, but there is no conclusive proof that it will speed the growth of the newly transplanted hair. In the end, if your hair transplant was a success your hair will grow with or without minoxidil.
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I am what you call a Class 7 pattern with black hair. I am 55 years old and I dye my hair black. I know that if I came to see you, you would want to do thousands of grafts, but I am a bus driver and just would not be able to afford a large transplant. I might save up enough for a second surgery, but I would want to enjoy the hair while I am still young. I just got a divorce and want to start dating so my bald head really bothers me.
I am going to show you a Class 7 patient who is about your age with just about the same problem you had. Although I would have recommended 3,000 grafts because of the large balding area, I gave this man 1677 grafts instead. Here are photos of his before and after (1 year) results. Click to enlarge.
He has a frame for his face and uses a ‘comb-back’ to cover the area which was not transplanted. After a year, it almost covers the entire bald area. Many doctors are reluctant to perform smaller sessions on people like you, but with a good artistic feel, the doctor should and can produce an acceptable result in one session (in most circumstances) with a thin look (as if he is losing his hair). It is important for prospective patients to be aware of these results. They can help by not dying the hair black and keeping it either salt and pepper or white, or even go sandy blonde, as it will always look fuller.
Please also note the scar on this man. We used a trichophytic closure of his wound with exceptional results, but as I have said before, the wounds are a reflection of not just the surgeon’s skills and the techniques used, but also the healing ability of the patient. Scar photo below. Click to enlarge.
Does twirling the hair at the front of the head cause extra hairloss? I am 37 and have had male pattern baldness.
Only if you pull on it while you are twirling it. If you have not seen hair loss in the area you are ‘working’ I would not worry much about it.
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Dear Doc,
Can pulling on and pulling off a motorcycle helmet every other day cause hairloss or weaken hair at the root so it falls out? I try to be as careful as possible but rubbing my hair on the sides is unavoidable! Thank you.
Usually hair loss from motorcycle helmets if fitted properly should not occur. However, I recently saw a patient who wore a very tight (not properly fitted helmet) for a few months and he had hair loss on certain areas where the helmet was rubbing on his scalp/face. This type of hair loss is caused by traction and is known as traction alopecia, commonly seen in women who braid their hair too tightly. This type of hair loss may be permanent, depending on how long the insult has been occurring.
How many years are we from a transplant without a noticeable scar (Donor Scar) around someone’s head? Im sure that a lot more people (especially people with shave fades or short hair) would get a transplant if there wasnt a large ugly permanant scar around their head.
The answer is NOW!
We have a follicular unit extraction (FUE) technique called the FOX Procedure that has been pioneered by me in the early 2000s, and was presented at the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) conference in 2002. In fact, a company in San Jose is currently working on a robotic system to accomplish this task. This technology was invented and patented by Dr. Pak and I back in 1998.
The FOX/FUE technique leaves virtually undetectable scars. It is important to understand that all surgical cuts will create a scar but the FOX/FUE technique involves extracting single hair follicles, one at a time, leaving a scar the size of a small dot. Since these dots are random and small, you would not notice the scar even if you buzz cut your hair. In other words, there will be no linear scar. If you look at this earlier posting, you will see a patient who had no detectable scar even with a shaved head.
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I have been told my a so called hair expert that hair that fell out from iron deficiency could have caused the hair follicle to atrophy and die. What is the chances of this happening. My hairloss lasted about 4 months. Thanks
I would need to know whether you are male or female and if the iron deficiency resolved (you commented that it ‘lasted about 4 months’). Generally, if you are iron deficient, reversing the process should bring the hair back after a hair cycle has occurred. I do not know enough about your history to answer your questions more specifically, though.
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I’ve been reading some of the postings about hair loss on calf. You commented about not knowing age & also about role of DHT & hair being one of the benefits.
With that in mind, here’s another one for you. My fraternal twin & I have both lost the hair on the calves of our legs. Happened in late 30s-early 40s. All the males on father’s side are pretty hirsute, as we are. In my case, I have all the hair I’ve ever had everywhere else, including the tops of my feet and toes! I’m a little thin on top, too, as is my brother. But, I’m also now dealing with rampant eyebrow hair growth & hairy ears needing trimmed. I have pitting edema of lower calves as well, but normal warmth and good pedal pulses. What do you think?
Thanks!
Pedal edema (swelling of the feet) usually reflects some medical problem. With swollen feet, there may be a connection. Does your fraternal twin have pedal edema? Good chance that there is some genetic cause, but I am stumped.
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