Hair Transplantation – Page 110

July 15, 2008

Why Can Some Men Have Less Grafts and Still Have a Fuller Look? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am 36yrs old and am considering getting a HT. I need a little in the front and some on top. What are the risks of shock loss in males over 30? I would also like to know why some men receive less grafts and their hair look fuller than some who receive more.

Risks of shock loss following hair transplantation occurs in young men, but Propecia/finasteride usually prevents it.

The value of a hair is not equal amongst all hairs. A fine hair may have 1/4 of the bulk of a coarse hair, so a transplant in a coarse haired person will be fuller (hair for hair) than on a fine haired person. A good character wavy hair will cover better than a straight hair. A kinky hair will have even better coverage. Also, the difference between the color of the hair and the scalp (contrast) has a lot do to with the result of a transplant. Add to that, the artistic skill of the surgeon and the distribution of the transplanted grafts and one patient can have a very different result, all things being equal, from one surgeon to another.

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July 9, 2008

My Newly Placed Grafts Are Itching Like Crazy! – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I have just had a hair transplant on Tuesday 1st July, so only 2 days ago. I am itching where my grafts are placed and i know it takes about 7 days before i can touch them incase they come out. it is driving me mad, with this itching, is there anything i can put on or you can recommend please. Thanks

While I am flattered you’d turn to me for advice, I am also shocked how there seems to be no relationship between a patient (you) and his doctor. This is a perfect question for the doctor that performed your surgery!

In general, you can touch your head or lightly tap on it to alleviate the itching. Please follow up with your doctor. There may be other issues (aside from general itching) that may be causing your problem. I really don’t know, as I was not your surgeon.

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July 8, 2008

I’m 21 Years Old and My Doctor Is Rushing Me Into Hair Transplants for a Mature Hairline – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dr. Rassman,

I had a question regarding traction alopecia. I’ve always had a widows peak/high forehead. For years I had really long hair. Yet, I never knew the affect of tightly tied back hair would result in hair loss. I recently worked a job for a year where I would tie it back quite tight. Everyday it seemed I was breaking hair and after a few months I started to notice my front corners looking thinner and broken. I saw a dermatologist a few months ago. He gave a quick glance and asked about my family history. I do infact have some family members who have baldness and others who don’t on both sides. I was instantly given the MPB diagnosis. I was prescribed to Propecia on the spot and basically told good luck and that I should look into hair transplants. As I’ve been reading more about shock loss in young men. And as I’m 21 years old. I’m curious to know if I should begin looking into it, or wait and hope the propecia can help what’s been thinned. I’ve read that you’ve seen some patients reverse frontal loss with propecia.

Is it likely to help a hairline that’s intact but thin?

Thanks for your time and most importantly for having this blog. It’s a place that gives many hope.

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Do not rush to transplant your frontal hairline. You can just say no!

Stop pulling on the hair and get a caring doctor who is not so much interested in your wallet and get one that is more in your welfare. Get a proper examination. If you are just having a loss of the mature hairline accelerated by the traction, then there is nothing to treat. If you do indeed have MPB, you should take Propecia for a year or so before you even consider a transplant. Then again, at 21 years old and with early hair loss, most respectable surgeons wouldn’t transplant you anyway (you may continue to bald and you don’t want to use up your valuable donor hair just yet).

July 8, 2008

23 Year Old Running Out of Donor Hair After 3 Hair Transplants! – Balding Blog

Hi i started balding when i was about 19 and now i am 23. I have had 3 transplants within that time period and have got some coverage on the front of my scalp, but it still is thin and it makes my forehead look big. My problem now is the crown is balding and i don’t think i am going to have enough donor hair for the crown. Is there something else i can do or what do you think my best option is because it still is thin in the front but is getting alot worse on the crown. Thank you

You may be in big trouble. I would want to know things like:

What was your Master Plan for hair loss?
Did your doctor tell you about the possibility of running out of your donor hair?
Were you led to believe that you could get all of your hair back with good coverage?

Regular readers of this site may notice that I’ve written time and time again about the problem with transplanting younger men with early hair loss — and it is for precisely this reason. I am concerned about a 23 year old (who is probably still balding) asking me a question like you did. If you ran out of donor hair (or are about to), then you need to sit down with a really good doctor (hopefully you have one) and get some basic answers to questions about your future. An in-person exam with an expert is key for you right now. You should be worried.

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July 7, 2008

Hair Loss InformationHair Transplant Doctor Credentials? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Good Morning Doctor,

My husband is consider hair restoration surgery. We are looking for a qualified surgeon. Are there training programs for hair restoration surgery I SHOULD be asking our doctor if he or she attended? It seems like a lot of dermatologists are doing this surgery, but I don’t see a training program or fellowship in hair restoration in their title or advertisements. Is this something the doctor learns on his/her own? What should I look for to be sure I’m getting a good doctor?

Thanks.

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I’ve written about this many times. The first link below is probably the most comprehensive of the articles I wrote on the subject, but the others should also prove helpful:

Many doctors do learn this on their own and some of those doctors learned it well, while others never learn it. I’ve discussed how to select a doctor and what to look out for in the following posts:

July 7, 2008

Bald Spot Since Birth – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

im 18 years old and i have a bald spot since birth. i was wondering if anything could be done about it if so what . my mom told me the part of my hair was damaged because of where the doctor put the heart monitor.

It is highly probable that you could have hair transplanted into the bald spot. I would need to examine you or at the least see some good pictures of the bald spot with a ruler next to it so I can get perspective on the size of the area.

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July 3, 2008

Can Hair Transplants Just Take Longer to Grow For Some People? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I had a hair transplant of 1200 grafts about 6 to 7 months ago and I am not really noticing any hair growing in yet other than what i already have is this normal? and does it take longer to grow in for some people than others? I am currently taking Propecia with Minoxidil and the EXT Extreme Hair Therapy From Hair Club.

A hair transplant can take as long as a year to completely grow. It is not unusual to observe growth at 6-8 months. I usually tell patients that by the 8th month, 80-90% of the new hair is usually 1+ inch in length and you should see the value by that time. In 1 out of about 20 patients, the hair grows immediately without going through the sleep phase that delays the growth normally. Different parts of the scalp may produce hair at different growth rates initially (e.g the crown may grow faster than the front or visa versa). If you have specific issues or concerns regarding your particular transplant, I would follow up with your doctor who performed your surgery.

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July 2, 2008

Hair Transplant and Cigarettes – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

On June 2nd i had my procedure done, a total of 3000 grafts divided between the frontal area and back. My question is after day 14 i started to use minoxidil, and every time i use it and rub it into the scalp a large amount of hair falls out into my hand as i am rubbing it in. Is this normal? Can the minoxidil be doing more harm than good?

The other question i have is the fact that i am a smoker has me worried sick that the grafts will not grow because of this. My doctor never asked me if i was a smoker, or warned me not to smoke because it may harm grafts. However after doing some research it seems like i should have stopped prior to surgery and at least 10 days after, is this true? I am now 3 weeks post op and trying to quit, i definatly have cut down, is it to late?

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If rubbing minoxidil on your transplants causes hair to fall out, stop the rubbing process. Although it is usually safe to use minoxidil two weeks after a hair transplant, in your case it may not be good. Minoxidil is a known irritant in some people.

With regard to smoking and transplants, it is thought that there is a connection between hair growth from transplants being less for smokers than for non-smokers. The scientific evidence on this is not substantially strong, however. I do have patients that refused to cease their nicotine habit before or after their procedures and the results still turned out great. I’m certainly not suggesting you continue on with smoking as normal though (not to be preachy, but quitting should be something to consider with or without a hair transplant).

July 1, 2008

Restoring a Frontal Cowlick? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

If we have collacks in the front of our hair, can a hair restoration physician imitate that when restoring hair?

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I assume you mean a cowlick. I have restored these ‘licks’ a few times. Generally they are found in the juvenile hairline and fade into normal direction about 2/3rds of an inch from the highest crease on the furrowed brow. The decision to restore them is a decision between the doctor and the patient.

June 30, 2008

Hair Loss InformationRheumatoid Arthritis and Hair Transplants – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi Dr. Rassman

I’m a 46 year old male and had an operation about 2 years ago with apprx. 2000 grafts. I had pretty good results after 1 year my hair had grow in fairly thick in the front where most of the grafts were placed. I have Rheumatoid arthritis so I’ve been on Methotrexate, Embrel, prednisone and a lot of vitamins for about 4 years. I’ve also been taking Finesteride for about 6-7yrs. On 5/14 to 5/17 I had tried a new drug (hydroxychloroquine) it is suppose to help the methotrexate for the RA. I had to stop it due to the many unpleasant side effects, which I think has something to do with my recent dramatic hair loss. Just in the last month my hair has been shedding dramatically and has thinned everywhere and very thin on the top crown area now. We are not sure if it is the hydroxychloroquine that caused the hair loss, but it’s very suspect. I’m still shedding 1 month after I stopped the (hydroxy- ) maybe a little less, but maybe because there is less hair now. Have you heard of hydroxychloroquine and hair loss?

1. My concern is does it hurt the chances of the hair that fell out from the medicine, if the case, from growing back when we put new grafts in or on top off the potential dormant hair?
2. Should I wait a little longer to see if some of the hair grows back before I do another procedure?
3. My other concern is would I have two scars or do you take just below the 1st donor area and somehow minimize the size of the 2 scars into one.

Thank you for your time…I’ve found some great info on this blog!

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Yes, hydroxychloroquine (marketed as Plaquenil) can cause hair loss as a side effect (see About.com). In your situation, waiting a little bit on a hair transplant makes sense. It does not pay to have a hair transplant when you’re experiencing active hair loss, possibly from a drug. I can not comment on your scarring without seeing you. Usually, we can minimize the scars into one, but it depends upon what kind of scarring you currently have.

As you indicated that you are in Los Angeles, I would be pleased to see you and give you an opinion in my LA office.