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Hair Transplant Patients That Keep Their Hair Cut Short?

Hey! I realize that the whole idea of a hair transplant is to make less hair look like more as there is only a limited donor supply. This seems to work great for those who grow their hair out but I have never seen a transplant patient keep their hair short. I know there are scars that need covering, but just out of curiosity, do you have any examples of shorter hair post transplant? I just can’t imagine it working with less than 50% density.

I generally do not recommend keeping the hair short (crew cut length) after a hair transplant because the hair transplant does not create enough density. For a hair transplant, we generally target about 15 to 25% of the original density. If the transplants is limited to a specific small area, that number will be increased to possibly 35% of the original density. A second or third procedure can bring the density up to ~50% (maybe), but although that density often looks good with longer hair, it does not look very full when cut short. Some of our patients have tried to cut their hair short, and all of them eventually let the hair grow out unless they had Scalp Micropigmentation to diminish the contrast between the dark hair and fair skin. We target fullness, not density. Fullness is a reflection of the (a) thickness of each hair shaft and (b) density. The thicker the hair (e.g Coarse hair) the less density is needed. Fine hair produces a real fullness issue in some patients. If the hair is fine and dark against a light skin, even a 50% density may not look full enough with longer hair. In conclusion, we generally recommend that our patient exploit length to maximize fullness and minimize the number of procedures that are needed to obtain the results that they desire. One must understand the limitation of a hair transplant surgery which is where you are basically rearranging your hair from one location (back of the head) to another location (front of the head). If you move too much, the original area will be bald.


2014-07-10 15:27:28Hair Transplant Patients That Keep Their Hair Cut Short?

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Using Estradex in the Long Term?

(female)
I would like your expert advice for a product called Estradex. I know you have ingredients already. I have been using this product for a yr and I’m happy with results but I’m worried if any side effects long term could happen? It’s a very expensive product. When I tried to ask my doctor she didn’t even want to know about ingredients and said only recommended product for hairloss is Regaine. I’m just paying every week with no one checking me. Thank you in advance.

Your doctor is correct in that the only proven recommended treatment for female hair loss is Rogaine (known as Regaine in some countries). The generic name for that medication is minoxidil. Now I’ve written about Estradex before, but quite simply, it’s not something that I’m too familiar with because I don’t think it’s sold here in the United States.

I am having a tough time finding an exact ingredient list, but it seems that Estradex is just a boutique version of minoxidil. So essentially, you’re paying for a more expensive version of the product your doctor recommended. Since I don’t know what the exact ingredients are, I’m not sure of long term side effects.

I also don’t understand who you are paying every week or for what reason. If your doctor is going to analyze your hair loss, it doesn’t need to be done on a weekly basis.

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Hair Transplant Review of Norwood 5 Patient Before After Photos

This is a review of a hair transplant result performed at New Hair Institute by Dr. Jae Pak. This is a patient in his 60’s who looked 70’s before he had a hair transplant. His grey hair actually helped with the overall result. Grey hair on fair skin helps disguise the thinning by the low contrast between hair color and skin color. We think that the hair transplant makes him look at least 10 years younger than his real age!

He is currently thinking about another hair transplant versus a SMP procedure for fullness. There is no right answer or choice. Real hair is always better, but SMP is not surgery and there is no recovery with instant results! He may choose both like this patient HERE.

Before and After 2491 Grafts

Before and After 2491Grafts

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Using Nizoral and Propecia Together

Hi Dr.,

I have a question concerning Nizoral shampoo. I take Propecia once a day, and have been using Nizoral every few days for the past month since there seems to be a great deal of praise for it as a supplemental item when using a treatment like finasteride (no decent clinical studies to back that up, I know). My question is, have you come across any recent evidence that suggests it has negative consequences/interactions as part of being on a regimen like Propecia.

Thanks

NizoralThe use of both Nizoral (ketoconazole) and Propecia (finasteride) together seems to have great popularity to many of this site’s visitors. I have not seen negative reports from using both of these products together, so that’s good. There was a small study published in Journal of Dermatology in August, 2002 about using a ketoconazole and finasteride combination. From the study:

    “One hundered male patients with AGA of Hamilton grades II to IV were enrolled in an open, randomized, parallel-group study, designed to evaluate and compare the efficacy of oral finasteride (1 mg per day), topical 2% minoxidil solution and topical 2% ketoconazole shampoo alone and in combination. They were randomized into four groups.

    Group I (30 patients) was administered oral finasteride, Group II (36 patients) was given a combination of finasteride and topical minoxidil, Group III (24 patients) applied minoxidil alone and Group IV (10 patients) was administered finasteride with topical ketoconazole. Treatment efficacy was assessed on the basis of patient and physician assessment scores and global photographic review during the study period of one year.

    At the end of one year, hair growth was observed in all the groups with best results recorded with a combination of finasteride and minoxidil (Group II) followed by groups IV, I and III. Subjects receiving finasteride alone or in combination with minoxidil or ketoconazole showed statistically significant improvement (p<0.05) over minoxidil only recipients. No signifcant side-effects related to the drugs were observed. “

There are possibly more recent studies on using ketoconazole as a hair loss treatment (there’s one from 2007 with no abstract available), but this one from 2002 includes combining the medications and was the first such study I could find. If anyone using both treatments together has a story to share, feel free to send it or leave it in the comments section.

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Hair Transplants for 20 Year Olds?

do you do procedures under the age of 25 im 20, because for some reasons other surgions like bernstein wouldnt……also is there another alternative other than propecia that doesnt have side effects to prevent further hair loss?

At 20 years old, you’re likely not a candidate for surgery unless there is obvious recession and you are realistic in your expectations. When Dr. Bernstein turns down a 20 year old, I generally follow his lead as we both are very concerned about your long term prognosis. Hair loss is progressive, so transplanting you now without planning for future hair loss is a bad idea, particularly if your future pattern is uncertain. You have a finite amount of hair that can be transplanted, so you don’t want to use it all up now and then continue to bald years down the line without enough reserves to follow the hair loss. There are many doctors eager to get your money, so you can find other doctors willing to transplant a young man of any age.

As for Propecia’s (finasteride) side effects — they are overblown. Propecia is easily the best medication for those men with early hair loss. The only alternative I recommend is minoxidil (Rogaine), as it is also FDA approved to treat hair loss. Minoxidil will not prevent hair loss in the same way that Propecia will, and has it’s own issues with side effects. Remember, each and every medication has the potential for side effects (look at Tylenol, for example), as each person is different and will respond differently to it.

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What is the value of a conditioner in a person with hair loss?

I heard shampooing everyday isn’t good so I am trying to space it out more and do twice a week or so. However, on the off days, I plan to use conditioner but not sure which one. Does conditioner help with hair loss? I never proactively used it in the past so I am not sure. Also how long do you guys keep the shampoo and conditioner in for?

One of the problems that make hair loss of fragile hair worse, it combing and brushing hair that pulls out miniaturized or weak hairs early. The use of good conditioners, solves the pulling problem because the comb and the brush glide through the hairs with less pulling.


2019-02-01 15:10:57What is the value of a conditioner in a person with hair loss?

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Haircut After Hair Transplant

When is it OK to have a haircut after a transplant, especially for the transplant area? Thanks.

After a couple of weeks you should be able to get a regular haircut. Don’t expect that the transplanted hair will grow out in less than 5 months.


2007-10-10 08:34:21Haircut After Hair Transplant

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Very Low Dose of Finasteride (Less than 0.25mg)

Dear Dr Rassman,

Have you had any patients who have taken very low doses of finasteride (i.e. less than 0.25mg)?

I am not keen to take propecia because I’m concerned of the effects to my internal body chemistry but would also love to keep my hair for longer. I have had issues with my sex drive previously and do not want to mess with my hormone balance too much as a man still in my 20’s. Another reason being that I’m an athlete and want to be at my peak physically. I’ve read a lot about how finasteride affects the hormones, particularly the obvious reduction in DHT but also the decrease in free (not total) testosterone and the rise in estrogen.

Then I read this forum post: Hairlosstalk.com

It seems that taking a dose as low as 0.05mg is enough to lower scalp DHT considerably while keeping 20% more DHT in the blood. Like the original poster in the forum thread who is considering crushing a pill and measuring smaller doses – this prospect is more appealing to me. If I could just lower my blood DHT by 40-50% instead of 70% then surely my hair would still get some benefit and I would be able to keep my hormones at a more normal level. I have ruled out taking 1mg but am really curious about taking 0.05mg if only I could just measure it accurately each time (I wouldn’t want to take fluctuating dosages each day).

It makes me wonder why propecia isn’t available at a much smaller dose (0.05mg or 0.1mg)

Could you comment please? I’d very much appreciate it. Thanks for such an informative blog.

Propecia (finasteride) at 1mg was determined to be the ideal dose for treating hair loss. Lower doses do work, but how low? I’ve said that 0.5mg produces 80% of the benefit, and 0.25mg probably give 50% of the benefit. I don’t have a clue about lower dosages.

But by dosing the 1mg level, it is the most effective treatment level to use… so why dose lower unless there are significant side effects?

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Patient with scar after losing some hair following a hairline advancement surgery (photo)

The scar that shows, is the result of hairloss from the surgery, a non uncommon happening after any facial or hairline surgery. The way that you fix this is to have a hair transplant which will cover the entire scar and put your hairline in the proper position, burying the scar in the newly created hair. Because of this complication, many women and all men (whose hairlines almost always recede from an advancement surgery) choose hair transplant lowering surgery for their hairlines.


2018-01-25 12:56:00Patient with scar after losing some hair following a hairline advancement surgery (photo)

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Vietnam Veteran Kept Losing Hair and Getting Transplants to Keep up with the Hair Loss. His Hair Is Now Where He Wanted It to Be (Photo)

Self-esteem is what hair transplants are about for most men. This man kept up with his hair loss with 4 hair transplants over 20 years and married a younger woman. He now has 2 wonderful children and does not feel his age.




2019-02-20 07:24:10Vietnam Veteran Kept Losing Hair and Getting Transplants to Keep up with the Hair Loss. His Hair Is Now Where He Wanted It to Be (Photo)