I have examined many of my patients over decades who have had miniaturized hair, went on finasteride, and then reversed the miniaturization.
2019-02-12 05:20:582019-02-20 08:30:27Is It True That Finasteride Does Not Reverse Miniaturization?
Is It True Dermarolling Can Hurt Potential for a Future Transplant?
I doubt that the dermaroller will harm your skin because it does not go very deep. Future transplants are much deeper in the scalp than the dermarollers.
2019-01-31 05:09:172019-02-20 07:04:20Is It True Dermarolling Can Hurt Potential for a Future Transplant?
Trigrowthic Suturing Technique
Dear Dr. Rassman,
I’ve asked you this question before but had not received an answer. I recently read about a so-called new “trigrowthic” suturing technique that promises to leave no visible scarring post strip op. Have you looked into this procedure before and is it to be believed? Thanks.
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other word would smell as sweet.”
-From Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)
The use of trichophytic closures have been around for years — in fact, that closure has been used in plastic surgery for more than two decades. The hair industry adopted it recently as a standard of wound closure. You could change its name and correctly say that you invented that name, but it would be improper to say that you invented the procedure. The doctors you have referenced here are recycling techniques under a new, original name and as such, if they are claiming inventiveness, then they might be deemed dishonest.
There is NO such technique that can provide results with no visible scarring. ALL cuts on the skin will leave a scar and the scarring is unique to individual patients. Some patients have minimal scarring, while others have more scarring — it is dependent on their genetic makeup, which no one can tell with just a physical examination. Some of our patients heal well and have very minimal scarring that is hard to detect with a regular hair style, but even these patients will have a visible scar if they shave their head bald.
We routinely use a trichophytic closure which I assume is similar to what you have read. For more information about the trichophytic closure, please see:
Tricks of advertising in the hair business (photos)
A clinic posted two pictures and labeled one as theirs and the other as the competitor. What you are looking at nothing more that two examples of different hair transplant densities. The one on the left had twice the density as the man on the right and probably paid twice the cost. The advertising is clearly misleading and I suspect that it was a set-up because both sides look like different sides of the same patient. The surgeons then would have added more density after the photo on the right was taken so as not to victimize his patient.
Trichup Oil
Dear Sir,
I came to know about this website thru one of the search engine. I am 52. I was getting bald because of stressful life. One of my friend in London recommended me one very interesting product. The name of the product is Trichup Oil. It is a special kind of hair oil I used for a month and I found my hair loss stopped. In the second month I saw new hair growth. It was really surpriced for me but now I am regularly using this oil and my hair is very healthy.Thanks for including my letter on your website. Best wishes.
I don’t know much about the chemical in this product. It does not have the science I like to see, so I can not recommend it. If it works for you, then that sounds good. Those interested can look at: VasuPharma.com
2006-03-08 12:28:082006-03-08 10:29:01Trichup Oil
Trichotillomania-by-Proxy?
My neighbor is in his 50s with no known history of hair loss until about 5 years ago when he first noticed he was developing gray hair. He had his wife pull out every gray hair he could see daily, and it could’ve been as many as 20-30 hairs a day over the years! His daughter researched the condition of trichotillomania and does not feel he fits the diagnosis as the pulling was not done by him.
He claims he is not compelled or driven to have his hair plucked, and that as soon as he realized he was visibly thinning, he had his wife stop doing it. At that time he began to color his hair at the suggestion of his daughter. He states there has been no plucking for the past 2 years now and he has more hair on his head now than 2 years ago, when the plucking was stopped.
This sounds like maybe trichotillomania by proxy (like Münchausen syndrome by proxy, a well known phenomenon)… but I’m not sure that would fit either.
It usually takes quite a few “pulling sessions” to produce the traction required for permanent hair loss, often over years. So if his hair has regrown over the past 2 years, it sounds like he was lucky that the loss wasn’t permanent.
Trichotillomania and microneeding
Some people see regrowth from microneedling coupled with finesteride. If somebody’s hair loss is not entirely related to dht then would just microneedling have a better chance of working then for somebody who has dht related loss? For example some women experience this trichotillomania related hair loss issue and they most likely don’t have dht related loss. Do you think it’s worth a shot to try only microneedling? I already started but I wanted to know what you think.
At the end stage, trichotillomania causes traction alopecia and it is usually permanent. IF the person still has growth potential, all they need to do is to stop picking on the scalp and then wait for 6 months, when the hair will usually grow back. Adding microneedling to this might accelerate the growth of hair that is not ‘dead’ but will come back normally after 6 or so months
Trichotillomania
I have been picking my hair for years. I would like to think that I stopped, but I know that I keep picking at it. I now have a series of bald areas where the picking has taken out some hair. Is this permanent? Will it come back if I stop picking at it? Can it be transplanted if it does not grow back?
The medical condition is called trichotillomania. Children or adults sometimes twist or pull their hair, brows, or lashes until they come out. This hair pulling is sometimes a coping response to unpleasant stress and occasionally is a sign of a serious problem of an obsessive disorder. If the picking stops early enough, then the traction alopecia that results will reverse. However, this is not what usually happens as most of the people with this disorder continue to pick on the hair until it eventually becomes lost permanently. The best way to determine permanence is to look at the area with a high-powered microscope. Active areas of trichotillomania show blunted, short hairs which are signs of recent regrowth of plucked hair. When these short hairs do not show up under microscopic examination, the traction alopecia is probably permanent.
Yes, hair transplants can put the hair back in the area of alopecia produced by trichotillomania, but the problem with doing it is that the person will just pluck out the same hair again and again and produce the bald spot. What is the point of transplanting the area of alopecia only to have it returned? The key is to address the trichotillomania from a medical/psychiatric medication or therapy approach and solve the underlying problem. Once the patient knows that the cause of the trichotillomania has been fully addressed, then the reward can be a hair transplant to put their hair back.
Trichotellomania (pulling disorder of the hair from the scalp) Photos
Taken from Wikipedia:
Trichotillomania (TTM), also known as hair pulling disorder, is a mental disorder characterised by a long term urge that results in the pulling out of one’s hair.[2][4] This occurs to such a degree that hair losscan be seen.[2] Efforts to stop pulling hair typically fail.[1] Hair removal may occur anywhere; however, the head and around the eyes are most common.[1] The hair pulling is to such a degree that it results in distress.[1]
The disorder may run in families.[1] It occurs more commonly in those with obsessive compulsive disorder.[1] Episodes of pulling may be triggered by anxiety.[1] People usually acknowledge that they pull their hair.[1] On examination broken hairs may be seen.[1] Other conditions that may present similarly include body dysmorphic disorder, however in that condition people remove hair to try to improve what they see as a problem in how they look.[1]
Trichoscopy for Dx of LLP and FFA
Trichoscopy, the examination of the scalp with magnification for diagnosis, is critical to be able to detect the presence of diseases that might be a contra-indication to hair transplantation. A hair transplant done on a person with FFA or LLP will fail. A biopsy of the scalp confirms the diagnosis.
The first picture on the left, shows a patient with genetic hair loss and a disease called Lichan Pilnopilaris (LLP). If this patient is not examined with a Trichoscope to make this diagnosis and had a hair transplant, it would fail. Note the crusting around each of the terminal hairs that are typical of LLP. This is an autoimmune disease of the scalp.
The picture on the right shows a man who is 33 years old, and had corner recession typical of a genetic Norwood Class 3 pattern of balding, but Trichoscopic examination showed Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia (FFA) which is highly unusual in a 33 year old male but if he had a hair transplant, it would fail as the former patient with LLP. The picture shows the absence of vellus hairs which is typical of FFA. This is an autoimmune disease of the scalp that killed off all of the vellus hairs.
2021-04-02 02:35:292021-04-02 07:26:56Trichoscopy for Dx of LLP and FFA