Hair Transplantation – Page 108

August 19, 2008

I Don’t Want Shock Loss, But I Don’t Want to Take Drugs – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am a 25 year old male due to have a hair transplant in a months time mainly to restructure my hairline, but also to thicken my hair on top.

I am worried about shock loss to my thinning hair on top. I am aware you recommend propecia to prevent this, however I do not wish to take any hairloss drugs due to the associated side effects. After telling this to my surgeon he suggested that I treat my recipient areas with minoxidil every day during the week before my transplant, and then to continue it 3 days after my op.

In your opinion does this sound like a good idea? I have not taken minoxidil before. I have read that minoxidil should be avoided for 1-2 weeks after a transplant? Also how long do you think I should continue taking this after my procedure to minimise the chances of shock loss?

Many thanks

I don’t think minoxidil will prevent shock loss to the same degree as Propecia (if at all), which a 25 year old is prone to following transplantation. Just thinking about side effects and experiencing them are different. Most men (98 out of a 100) will not have negative sexual side effects. You can try minoxidil since you are not willing to take Propecia. You clearly have a big decision, considering the investment you are about to make.

I’d suggest that you didn’t use minoxidil directly on the recipient area for 5-7 days following the transplant, but I don’t really have a recommendation of how long to take minoxidil to prevent shock hair loss (as I stated, I’m not sure it’ll do much for preventing shock loss anyway). You may want to discuss this with your surgeon and come up with a good plan tailored for your particular needs.

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August 18, 2008

Can My 2 Year Old Son Have Hair Transplanted into Scalp Scars? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

what age is ok to have hair transplant? i have a son who’s 2 years of age and he has two scars on his scalp about 1 centimeter (diameter) each…

thanks..

It might be traumatic to do it now. I would wait until he’s older and if this becomes a social issue, then it is something to consider. I have performed surgery on children, but most don’t care until they approach their teenage years when looks are important to them. I would not suggest this is something you should pursue at this time.

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August 15, 2008

Seborrheic Dermatitis After a Hair Transplant – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello Doc. can you please answer this question please. Can a flare up of seborrheic dermatitis during the growth period (3-9 months)following a hair transplant procedure,in the recipeint area(itching,redness,swelling, etc..) lead to poor results of the transplant?? Also if the scar from a strip harvest is still pink and tender 6 months after procedure, will it always be like that or will it eventually toughen and turn all the way white? thx

Seborrheic dermatitis should not impact hair growth from a hair transplant. Scars can be judged by their width, and scars that are greater than 3mm may cause a problem. The pink color is usually gone in less than 6 months, but it can be delayed. The pink color has really more to do with the way your body heals the scar (appearance) than on the actual strength of the healed wound at six months.

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August 15, 2008

Transplanting a Norwood Class 2 to a Class 1? – Balding Blog

Thank you for all of your informative hard work! I am currently a Norwood 2 & may be progessing to a Norwood 3. I was curious to see if you could post any pictures of patients who’ve went (w/ the help of FUT or FUE) from a Norwood 3 to a Norwood 2 & some pics of those who’ve went from a Norwood 2 to a Norwood 1. Thanks in advance!

Norwood Class 2

Norwood Class 1

Most people who are young and have frontal recession are experiencing the maturing hairline and are not balding. I do not transplant the frontal hairline in these patients unless there is a reason that it has to be done. I remember an actor who had a lead role in a daytime soap opera TV series. As his hairline was maturing, he got indications that they were going to phase him out of the show because they wanted a person with a juvenile hairline, as the daytime women that watched the show apparently had fantasies about very young men (I’m not kidding). In that case, I did move him back to somewhere between a Norwood Class 1 and 2 and his million dollar a year income kept him secure.

I do transplant women routinely who have lost frontal hair and want their hairline back. Typically, a woman is a Norwood Class 1 and so to answer your question, I’d like to point you to a woman’s hairline reconstruction, which is now a Norwood Class 1. See Female Hairline Restoration After Brow Lift. There is essentially no difference in the process. Creating a female or Norwood Class 1 hairline is not an easy chore. The surgeon must be very experienced when creating it due to the direction of the hair in the corners. Look carefully at your wife, girlfriend, mother, or sister’s hairline and note the direction of the hair in the corners — it flows from the center of the hairline to the temple prominences. That growing process along with the transition from one part of the frontal hairline to another must be done right, or it will look awkward and artificial. If you are an actor or top line male model, I might consider bringing you back to a Norwood Class 1. In other words, I’ll do it, but it’s rare and we must have a meeting of the minds when embarking on this process.

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August 14, 2008

Why Is the Hairline Immune to Medication? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Dr. Rassman

I think you blog is a very wonderful thing, and most of all its like a release for anyone who is having difficulty with their hair-loss as it shows that they are not alone. I have been studying doctors, new so-called cures and intercytex therapy for about two years now. I understand why we become so aggravated with Hair-loss and I believe its our society that has put us in this small ugly box if we become bald. I have come to the conclusion that your the most qualified doctor among your piers, however due to pricing needs I have chosen Dr. Ron Shapiro, although he himself has said that your highly regarded as the best. Can you recommend Shapiro as a more then a suitable doctor?

Why is a receding hairline so immune to any forms of medicine?

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It is rare that I’ll give any kind of recommendation, but yes, Dr Ron Shapiro in the Minneapolis area is a very good hair transplant surgeon. He was one of the first doctors I trained.

With regard to your question on the frontal hairline, it is important to note that most men do not know that they are balding until the frontal recession or thinning is detected. By the time it is recognized, the hair loss is too far gone to be brought back by drugs. The first stage for most men is denial and that may take years so treatment is often delayed during this period. When treatment for balding is finally started, the frontal loss is well along the balding path, possibly too late to reverse. Medication does work in the hairline, but I believe the hair loss has to be treated earlier.

August 11, 2008

Hair Loss Information20 Year Old Wants Hair Transplants to Fill in a Surgical Scar, But There’s a Family History of MPB – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am a 20 year old male and was wondering what type of procedures there are, if any, to have hair grow where a scar is from surgery. My freshman year of college at Indiana University I was playing basketball and collided with another player resulting in a depression in my right orbital bone above my eye. To fix the depression a plastic surgeon had to peel my face off to get access to the depressed bone resulting in a scar going from one side of the head to the other. My family having a history of baldness I was wondering if its possible to have hair grow over a scar. Thanks for the help.

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I would want to see photos or meet with you in person. I have had one patient with that type of deformity and his transplanted area (including the eyebrow) did correct most of his problem, but everyone and every scar is different. Let’s start off with some photos though, as that is probably most convenient for you. Send them here and reference this post when sending, please.

Having a hair transplant to fix a scar is reasonable provided that you know what would happen to you if you should bald. That means to me that you should, at a minimum, have a Master Plan for your worst case scenario understood.

August 5, 2008

Will FUE Make the Back of My Head Look Moth Eaten? – Balding Blog

Hi,
I was wondering if you could tell me if it would be better for me to get strip or fue? I have already had 1 strip procedure 5 years ago (3300) and feel I need more hairs to fill my thinning frontal area. I am worried about fue because I heard the back of your head may appear as if moth eatin. Also, I exercise so I want to recover as quickly as possible. I used [name removed] before and that’s who I plan to use for my next procedure. Any recommendations? Thanks.

Moth The things that make a follicular unit extraction (FUE) surgery produce a “moth eaten” donor area include:

the use of larger punches
low density donor hair

If you already had a strip procedure, another strip may be a better choice for you, but if you are a hair transplant ‘virgin’ (not your case) then FUE is a much more clear decision process. Going the FUE route will make for a very fast recovery with full activity, including swimming, scuba, and professional level exercise. I do not generally make recommendations for doctors here.

August 4, 2008

I Got Drunk and Waxed My Eyebrows Off. When Will They Regrow? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

hi
i was at a party recently and got drunk. i then thought it would be a good idea to wax my eyebrows however it didnt work so well when i sobered up as there was still clumps of hair still attached. i then shaved the rest of my remaining hair off my eyebrows. i was just wonderin how long will it take to grow back?

Yes, your eyebrows should grow back, though it may take several months (possibly up to a year). Drinking and waxing is obviously not a good idea. See a good hair transplant doctor if it does not grow back in a year.

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July 31, 2008

Hair Loss InformationUsing Body Hair to Transplant Into Scalp Donor Scar? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I know you aren’t a fan of body hair transplantation because of the different growth cycles it has compared to the hair on your head and just a general difference in the type of hair but do you think it would work when used in a donor scar from a hair transplantation? I just figure it would work pretty well when you’re just trying to cover up a smaller area like that and aren’t as concerned how the hair looks just so long as it covers.

I would agree with you on this, although Body hair Transplanation in general is not ideal for Hair Restoration surgery, it would probably work ok to give some coverage in a Donor Scar.

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It may work, but as the body hair is not as thick as regular scalp hair, the coverage per hair shaft will be less than that of scalp hair. Do you have enough hair for FUE from the scalp which may be better? A stronger hair can be found in the pubic and beard areas and both of these areas can be used as donor hair sources as well.

July 30, 2008

Hair Loss InformationUltra-Refined Hair Transplant – or URFUHT, If You Prefer – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Doctor,
I had a look at thread Ultra-Refined Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT)?

I could not understand completely if Ultra Refined Follicular Unit Hair Transplantation (URFUHT) and Follicular Unit Hair Transplantation (FUHT) were same if additional care was taken while performing FUHT. My doctor mentioned that both are same and he suggests a 2 sitting complete transplant using FUHT. He also said that people would be happy with a single sitting. Is this multiple sitting (2 sittings) required for URFUHT also?

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These are just different names for the same thing. The people who defined the term “URFUHT” have a marketing agenda which is supposed to say that this is the best form of follicular unit transplant (FUT). If you do FUT correctly (as defined in our published articles from over a dozen years ago), then a classy job is a classy job by any name you give it. Any good doctor should try to get your surgery completed in one session if it is possible.

Here’s a short list of some of the earlier FUT articles:

Follicular Unit Transplantation – 1995
Follicular Unit Transplantation Megasessions – 1995
Follicular Transplantation: Patient Evaluation and Surgical Planning – 1997