Post Hair Loss Questions and Get Answers

I have been on Rogaine for 13 months with no regrowth. I have switched to hair support products because I had micropoint links done to add more hair on top. But I have went from shedding 30-40 hairs a day to 60-80 a day and it seems really brittle (More than usual). Is shedding this much hair normal? I am really concerned. Should I keep on the Rogaine also? - Dawn

Dawn,
 
Shedding up to 100 hairs a day is normal, as hair goes through various growth and shedding cycles. Your shedding may have increased after you stopped using Rogaine (minoxidil) because the hair it may have stopped from shedding typically sheds once you get off Rogaine. Call it drug withdrawal. Thus in a sense your hair loss catches up.
 
Often people see no improvement with Rogaine but don’t realize that the Rogaine may have been inhibiting further hair loss. So then when they stop using Rogaine the hair loss can accelerate at least temporarily.
 
Having to apply Rogaine twice a day can be a pain. It also can make the hair a bit guppy. So with micropoints I’d imagine using Rogaine is just too messy.
 
Rogaine’s benefits are typically slowing hair loss and in some cases strengthening and thickening hair that was miniaturizing. Most people do not get much actual regrowth of lost hair.
 
You also have to stay on Rogaine indefinitely to maintain the hair it may or may not have preserved. Thus until a person stops using it they often don’t know if it was working or not.

Technorati Tags: Rogaine, minoxidil, hair loss

I’m new to the website and am encouraged that you have this website for those such as myself searching for real options.  I recently went to MHR in Houston Texas and was given “info” but found your site and became discouraged as to the reputation of Dr. Carlos Puig and the chain hair restoration centers.

I am an African American male, 27, Norwood Scale 5 and I assume I have a good donor area as the dip is not low and doesn’t seem to be going that far down.  Please help me to find a decent surgeon being that I am from Lafayette, La. - Irvin

Irvin,
 
Thanks for your post. Having lost virtually all my hair on top by age 30, I agree that hair loss can be very depressing. But fortunately there are good options for stopping hair loss, such as the pill Propecia, and hair transplants for restoring the hair you’ve lost.
 
The most important thing is too be very careful about which hair transplant clinic you choose because the results vary widely from very poor to outstanding. I think the best single resource is our hair restoration discussion forum, where patients share actual experiences, results and critiques of their hair transplant surgeons. As you’ve learned already, the big hair mills do not typically get good reviews.
 
Since there are no high level hair transplant surgeons in Louisiana, I suggest you consider consulting with the very best clinics nationally and plan on traveling to get it done right. Some times the very best clinics also offer the best pricing too since they are ethical and patient oriented. In my opinion the top physicians are in the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians.
 
I suggest you read about them and then spend time on our hair restoration discussion forum researching the physicians you are interested in. Use the “Find” feature to search for posts about a physician by entering their last name.
 
I also encourage you to post your question on the forum for multiple opinions. Mean while keep your chin up and knowledge will set you free.
 
Best wishes for restoring your hair.
 
Pat - pulisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center

Technorati Tags: hair loss, stopping hair loss, Propecia, hair transplants, hair transplant clinic, hair restoration, hair transplant surgeons

Hi Patrick,

I am 24 and I have been slowly thinning in my frontal areas for the last 5 years or so. I have tried many things over the years like minoxidil and finasteride but nothing could stop the inevitable. I was wondering if it is a good idea for me to have my thinning areas in the front filled in with a hair transplant. Are hair transplants a good option for someone my age? -Joe

Joe,
 
Both Propecia (finasteride) and Rogaine (minoxidil), as you’ve discovered over time, are not as effective at stopping or reversing hair loss in the hairline as they are in the top mid scalp and crown areas.
 
Ultimately hair transplantation will probably be your only viable option for restoring your hairline. Fortunately the new ultra refined hair transplant techniques use smaller incisions that are less disruptive to the surrounding existing hair and thus “shock fallout” (post surgical effluvium) of existing hair is less of an issue than it was a few years ago.
 
However, some of your existing hair in the front could shed, especially the thinning hair that has already become miniaturized. Typically most of the hair that you may loose in the grafted area regrows within a few months. So sometimes doing a hair transplant into existing hair that is thinning is like going two steps back initially to eventually go several steps forward.
 
I suggest you consult with a Coalition hair restoration physician since they all perform ultra refined follicular unit hair transplantation with proven results. Since you are 24 years old it still be too early for you to do surgery. But when the time comes you will be that much more prepared if you have done your research and consulted with a top notch hair transplant surgeon.
 
Feel free to post your current photos on our hair restoration discussion forum to get feedback from me and other members. Getting multiple opinions from experienced patients can be very useful.
 
Best wishes for restoring your hairline.
 
Pat - pulisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center  

Technorati Tags: minoxidil, finasteride, hair transplant, hair transplants, Propecia, Rogaine, hair loss, hairline, hair transplantation, hair transplant surgeon

Those who are long time regulars on this hair restoration community are probably familiar with Dr. Alan Feller’s reputation for providing ultra refined results using both strip and FUE procedures. He has specialized in Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) since 1994 and Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) since its introduction in the U.S. in 2002.

Dr. Feller has embraced and implemented many of the techniques he first saw Hasson and Wong using in 2002 and now provides large ultra refined hair transplantation with excellent results. His well documented results and numerous patient accolades on our hair restoration discussion forum have made him a favorite choice among patients who have done extensive online research.

Technorati Tags: hair restoration, Alan Feller, FUE, Follicular Unit Transplantation, FUT, Follicular Unit Extraction

I was wondering if weightlifting causes hair to fall out. I am a 33 year old
mail with a full head of hair. I go through a period of shedding after I
work out for a few months. Once I stop working out and stop taking creatineand protein, a few weeks after, the shedding stops. All year I’m fine until I start working out again. After three or four months I notice some
shedding again. The strange part is that it happened around the same time
of year last year, July - September.

I’m not sure if weightlifting is causing my hair loss or high protein intake or creatine. I do not take creatine or protein during the year when I am not lifting. The only problem is that I hear people say that weightlifting doesn’t cause hair loss because it doesn’t raise t-levels enough to do so.

Thank you for your help.  Dan

Dan, You ask a good question. But I don’t have a clear answer. If the creatine combined with the protein alters your hormone levels then perhaps it could be a factor in your hair loss.
 
I did do a search on our hair restoration discussion forum and I found an interesting post about the possible effects of weightlifting on hair loss. In short this person makes the case that the effects of strenuous lifting could increase DHT levels.
 
Comment by poster:

I have worn a hair system for over 10 years. It looks pretty good and I have been successful in hiding this fact from all but my family. Now, realizing that a hair transplant will take time to start showing results, I am concerned with the sudden transition from a full head of hair to the stubble that I will have right after the hair transplantation. My degree of baldness is pretty severe in the front and most of the way to the crown.

Has anyone else been down this path and if so how did you deal with this?

Nine years ago I was you. I had been wearing a hair system for seven years and was ready to jump into hair transplants. However, back then a big mega session was only 1,500 grafts. But I basically did two hair transplant sessions to restore the frontal area, while still wearing my hair system.

What I did was switch my attachment to clips so I could remove my system at night (i.e. grass grows better without being covered by carpet) and I cut the tape very thin and placed it at the very front of my tape tab and then I wore the front edge of the system just in front of my newly transplanted hairline.

The amount of laxity (flexibility) in the donor area of a hair transplant patient’s scalp largely determines how large a donor strip can be safely removed during a hair transplant surgery. Some patients are blessed with great laxity and their surgeons can typically removed wider strips of hair bearing follicles from the back and sides of their head for transplantation.

But almost all patients can optimize the laxity in their donor area by performing “scalp exercises” everyday a few weeks prior to their surgery. These exercises were first popularized by the world renown hair transplant clinic – Hasson and Wong. Reports from Hasson and Wong patients and other patients who have done these scalp exercises is that they really do work.

Recently Joe Tilman, who is both a patient of Dr. Wong and a patient advocate/educator for the clinic, created a short video showing how to do these scalp exercises on a daily basis. Joe’s scalp exercise video is hosted on You Tube. To view it, click here.

These exercises can be done easily while watching TV, showering, or hanging upside down in a closet (when ever you have down time or upside down time). Doing them religiously will increase your scalp laxity and the potential size of your next session.

Best wishes for maximum laxity and an optimal size hair transplant session.

Technorati Tags: hair transplant, hair transplant surgery, Hasson and Wong, scalp exercise

I’ve seen your informative website the Hair Transplant Network and I’m currently deciding who to go with. But I don’t see Bosley as a recommended physician or clinic. They claim to be the best in their TV ads.

I live in Florida (Miami) and want to know if you recommend their
clinic in Miami or Boca Raton.

Like many hair loss sufferers, I first got interested in hair transplantation after seeing a Bosley TV infomercial. When I saw my first Bosley infomercial over ten years ago I thought I had just found the Moses who was going to deliver me from the slavery of hair loss. His infomercials, tapes and brochures became my ten commandments. I virtually slept with his video under my pillow.

But in time I came to realize that outstanding promotions do not equal outstanding hair transplants. What I did learn is that the best value (quality and price) is not to be found at the heavily advertised national chain clinics. Rather the best values are the gem in the rough hair transplant clinics that do virtually no advertising and get patients from good word of mouth on and offline. Unlike the national chain clinics, these quality independents often do just one patient a day and focus on quality rather than quantity.

I have a large bald area in the crown (top/back) with more hair in the front, but still thinning with a high hairline. I am concerned that a hair transplant in my case will show significant improvements in the front but I’ll still have a large bald spot on top/back.

Here’s an example of my concern about hair transplantation - Sen. Joe Biden. He looks like he’s had a hair transplant (if you compare now to old photos) and looks pretty good in front. But when his head is tipped forward, the top and back are quite sparse compared to the thickness of the front… that does not look natural.  I would think a U.S. senator could afford the best hair restoration procedures so this is concerning me.

This is what I’m afraid of. Thoughts…? Joey

Senator Biden in the past had a transplanted hairline that looked like it was put in by a pop rivet gun back in the 70’s -  a real diplomatic disaster and could have potentially provoked a nuclear conflict.

But clearly someone did some decent hair transplant repair work on him. So now as long as he’s facing the camera he looks ok.

Is this country ready for a transplant repair patient for President? I say yes. McCain survived a North Vietnam prison. Biden survived 70’s hair transplantation. Which one endured more suffering? Who developed more character? Perhaps the voters will soon decide.

No where is the expression “splitting hairs” more fitting than during a gathering of hair transplant physicians. At the international meetings I’ve attended over the years graft sizes, hair counts and hair transplant session sizes have been hotly debated.

From these debates follicular unit hair transplantation has emerged as the recognized “Gold Standard” in hair restoration surgery. But this standard has evolved over the past few years into an even more refined procedure, which is referred to on this community as “Ultra Refined Follicular Unit Hair Transplantation”.

This ultra refined procedure involves creating smaller and more minimally invasive incisions, which enable surgeons to transplant more grafts in one session, often at greater densities.

But with grafts now ranging is size from very tiny and closely trimmed to plump, measuring a session size by “grafts” does not really provide a standard of measurement that is consistent across various techniques and hair restoration clinics.

Ultimately it is the amount of hairs moved to the top of the head, not grafts, that determine the finally result. Therefore myself and members of this community have been advocating that hair counts by graft be used rather than simple graft counts.

For example rather than a patient or physician presenting their surgical session as 3,715 grafts, we would prefer a more detailed presentation of this surgery such as:

Surgical Session #1 on 03/07/2005

1,212 one hair grafts (1,212 hairs)
1,756 two hair grafts (3,512 hairs)
567 three hair grafts (1,701 hairs)
180 four hair grafts (720 hairs)