Balding Blog

My hair stopped shedding about 6 months ago. When I’m in the shower now I get maybe 1-3 hairs on my hands between shampooing and conditioning. However, my hair definitely looks thinner at the crown and temples than it did a year ago.

My question is: Even though I’m not shedding, can the miniaturization process still be occurring and causing me to lose hair?

Here are my stats: -48 years old -noticed thinning at crown about 12 years ago

• hair is now visibly thin at crown and temples. You can see scalp through the hair.

• started shedding just over a year ago when urologist prescribed a testosterone booster and an AI. I quit taking them about 11 months in when I noticed shedding (10-12 hairs when I shampoo’d). I quit the meds and shedding stopped 4-5 months later.

• I eat healthy, take a men’s multi vitamin and shampoo with biotin and nizoral.

• I haven’t tried finasteride or min yet because I’m scared of the side effects.

Yes, you can experience miniaturization without shedding.

Here is a hairline I repaired and created a Brad Pitt hairline in one surgery: https://baldingblog.com/repair-of-hairline-transplants-photos/ We do this all of the time, see here: https://newhair.com/before-and-after/hair-transplants-men/#results

The dot size is controlled by the operator (hold time in the skin and how deep they were placed) as well as their skills and the size and needle configuration in the hand piece of the device; however, many of the dots spread because of the size of the pigment particles themselves dictate the spread. The new laser tattoo device has even more precise control over it, if the operator is not as skilled and doesn’t have the years of experience, see here: https://newhair.com/wp-content/uploads/data/docs/pubs/Tattoo%20Pigment%20Delivery%20with%20a%20laser_final.pdf

Are hair systems really unnoticeable? I am considering gluing the system on, is this the best way to apply ? What’s the best shampoo/ conditioner to use? Do you think that I should just rock the bald? (Devil’s advocate) Any tips/advice? I am planning on going scuba diving in September, will I be able to do this with the system in place ? For those that have used a system before, what was the first time after like? Has it ever came off at an inopportune time? How long do the pieces actually last? I’m hoping for it to last about a year, is this a reasonable expectation?

Hair systems or wigs are expensive over the long haul, running in the thousands of dollars forever. They are usually detectable and hard to keep in place unless they are heavily glued and with long term use they tend to develop an odor from your sweat. You can’t scuba dive or swim freely and you always look at people’s reaction trying to see if they can detect that you have a wig on. They do have challenges when you are with a woman who might want to grab you by your hair, not good. The average hair system last 2-3 years and then must be replaced. The less expensive ones last a year or so before they fall apart. The advantage of a hair system is it almost looks like real hair but most people can tell it is a wig.

The Scalp MicroPigmentation alternative: https://scalpmicropigmentation.com/bold-shaved-look/.

Scalp MicroPigmentation gives you absolute freedom from your extreme balding and freedom to do whatever you want to do, swim, scuba, make-out with a lady as she grabs your head.

Follicular Unit Excision (new name) was pioneered by me in the mid to late 1990s. I published the first article in the world on this surgery in 2002. This is a great surgery if the surgeon knows how to do it. Fortunately today, there are many surgeons who have mastered it; however, there is a limit as to how many grafts a person can have with FUE without developing a see-through donor area. I have published the answer to this on my website here: https://newhair.com/resources/#tab-id-4

Yes, there is far more patchiness than I would expect to see. This was caused either by donor over-harvesting or vascular complications of the donor area which may reverse within 6 months of the surgery, so by that time you will know more. I also noticed that the grafts were harvested very high and also too low, probably outside the permanent zone. If you should develop any advanced balding, these grafts may not be permanent. The donor area is usually no more than 3 inches high (see here: https://baldingblog.com/2017/08/04/permanent-zone-hair-lasts-lifetime/). If the patchiness remains, then you might consider scalp micropigmentation, something we do all of the time, see website: https://scalpmicropigmentation.com/

This is a good and important question. People who have early miniaturized hairs can pull them out with rough combing or brushing. When you brush, use a coarse hair brush with wide spacing so you don’t pull on your hair.

Combing too hard? from tressless

Thinking about a hair transplant, but I have some doubts about terminology: what is the difference between a graft, a follicle and a hair?

Hairs are the product of the body and is created in the manufacturing apparatus called a hair follicle. Hair follicles grow in groups and each group is called a follicular unit (often called grafts when moved in hair transplants).