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They say that like money, you can never have enough hair. And who on this forum would ever object to more hair on top of their head?

Call me greedy, but last week I went in and got 1,631 grafts (3,907 hairs) added to the top of my head. Yes, while others limp by with no hair transplant at all I had the nerve to ask and get even more with the masterful Dr. Ron Shapiro and his staff (Click to learn more about Dr. Ron Shapiro). So now I’m back in the post op mode with a numb head and a long wait ahead for sprouts.

Graft and Hair Breakdown of my Hair Transplant Surgery:

257 one hair grafts – 257 hairs
764 two hair grafts – 1,528 hairs
424 three hair grafts – 1,272 hairs
85 four hair grafts – 340 hairs
101 DFU grafts – 505 hairs
(Double Follicular Units with 4 to 5 hairs per graft)

Total of 1,631 grafts (3,907 hairs)

To see photo highlights visit my post on our hair restoration forum.

Dr. Shapiro played it safe to avoid any unnecessary tension on the donor suture by not going more than 1 cm wide. He varied the width, which averaged about 8 cm wide across a combined length of 28.5 cms. Thus he removed about 22.8 cm2 of donor tissue from the sides and back of my head. He also used three internal sutures to reduce tension on the skin level sutures, which were staples. He also did a trichophytic closure to minimize any cosmetically visible scarring.

We’ve had our share of hair restoration super stars on this community in recent years. But apparently the TV world is catching on and would like to produce a reality based TV show in which several men will be selected to compete for a hair transplant procedure.

Those casting this new show contacted Dr. Alan Bauman of Boca Raton, Florida to ask for his help finding hair loss candidates for this new reality show. As a long time recommended sponsor of this community, Dr. Bauman knew that our community would be an ideal place to find potential candidates for this show.

There is an urgent deadline for all submissions.

Applicants must be male, at least 20 yrs of age or older, with significant visible hair loss ( Norwood Class 3 or higher). Men who would like to participate must e-mail their name, address, date of birth, phone number and at least two photos (one showing their full face; the other, showing their hair loss) ASAP to Dr. Bauman at doctorb@baumanmedical.com.

Applicants are encouraged to include a brief description of how their hair loss affects them, what treatments they’ve had to date (if any) and why they feel they should be selected to compete. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Additional info and tactics that Dr. Bauman suggests may improve your chances:

Post your information and photos on the “Reality TV/Free Hair Transplant Contest” forum.

I have seen read some negative items on Bosley and wonder if anyone has had sucessful experiences with them. Also- I recently saw a hair transplant patient whose hairline was extremely red three weeks post- procedure- is this unusual?

I encourage potential hair transplant patients to research any hair restoration surgeon or clinic they are considering. Our hair restoration discussion forum has posts by hundreds of patients going back over six years. To research past posts click on the “Find” button and then enter the name of the clinic or physician you are curious about.

Generally the national chains like Bosley or Medical Hair Restoration do not get favorable reviews on the hair loss forums. Of course, many of their patients don’t use the Internet either and typically go to these national groups after viewing their very compelling TV commercials. I expect that some of them are indeed satisfied. However, some of those who are not satisfied seem to dig a little deeper past the TV ads and find their way on to the discussion forums like ours.

In my opinion, those who do their research online  will find independent hair restoration physicians and clinics who provide higher levels of service, refinement, naturalness and value  those who just watch TV ads.

As for post op recovery, with today’s minimally invasive and ultra refined hair transplant techniques patients heal much faster in their recipient/hairline areas. If a patient still is extremely red three weeks post op I would suspect that their procedure was not state of the art.

Normally, the donor area contains hairs of very uniform diameter (called terminal hairs). In androgenetic hair loss, the action of DHT causes some of these terminal hairs to decrease in diameter and in length until they eventually disappear (a process referred to as “miniaturization”). These changes are seen initially as thinning and eventually lead to complete baldness in the involved areas. These changes affect the areas that normally bald in genetic hair loss, namely the front and top of the scalp and the crown.
However, miniaturization can also affect the donor or permanent regions of the scalp (where the hair is taken from during a hair transplant). If the donor area shows thinning, particularly when a person is young, then a hair transplant will not be successful because the transplanted hair would continue to thin in the new area and eventually disappear. It is important to realize that just because hair is transplanted to another area, that doesn’t make it permanent – it must have been permanent in the area of the scalp it initially came from.

Unfortunately, in its early stages, miniaturization cannot be seen with the naked eye. To detect early miniaturization a doctor must use a densitometer, or an equivalent instrument, that magnifies the surface of the scalp at least 20-30 times. This enables the doctor to see early changes in the diameter of the hairs that are characteristic of miniaturization. If hairs of varying diameter are noted (besides the very fine vellous hairs that normally occur in the scalp), it means that the hair is being affected by DHT and the donor area is not truly permanent.

Pfizer recently released Rogaine Foam, a hair loss treatment that features the active ingredient minoxidil. Rogaine Foam has a 5% minoxidil concentration like traditional Rogaine Extra Strength, so it is currently only available for use by men. A women’s formula is expected to hit shelves in the near future. Rogaine Foam comes in an aerosol spray can and has the consistency of traditional aerosol shaving creams such as Barbasol.

Minoxidil has been proven time and again to be an effective hair growth stimulator that can both maintain and increase scalp hair counts.

But if the existing lotion formula is effective, then why did Pfizer release a foam version of Rogaine? Well any existing Rogaine user can answer that question pretty easily.

The directions suggest that the traditional Rogaine lotion be applied twice a day for optimal results. These application times should be at least four hours apart. Common sense tells the hair loss sufferer that the best times to apply their Rogaine would be right after their morning shower and a little while before bed at night. However common sense probably never had to deal with that infamously greasy “Rogaine head.”

I want to finally start treating my hair loss after being in denial over it for the past year since I first noticed it. But I’m not very keen on taking a pill that will cause sexual side effects. I have been looking around the internet and I keep coming across websites that advertise herbal hair loss lotions and tonics that make some pretty compelling claims. Is there any science to these herbal hair loss treatments or are they all scams?

Due to the social stigmas that surround the male-pattern baldness affliction, the practice of selling snake oils and scams to hair loss sufferers is alive and well. It was the abundance of magic lotion peddlers along with unscrupulous, unskilled, and unethical hair transplant doctors that spurred the inception of the Hair Transplant Network in the first place. It’s always sad to see just how prevalant these scams remain to be.

But I am not saying that all herbal hair loss treatments are scams. Some of these treatments do actually have scientific data to back their claims, but manufacturers will never bother to seek FDA-approval for their treatment of male pattern baldness because of the substantial monetary investment to do so. Legitimate double-blind studies cost millions to perform as well, leaving small manufacturers of treatments that lack the financial resources to cover them with little recourse but to conduct their own studies or to simply market their product without any studies whatsoever. Of course, if the treatment was legitimate to begin with one would imagine that at least one of the large pharmaceutical companies would jump at the chance to back the treatment as long as they could patent and distribute it.

I have severe dandruff and I believe that it has contributed to my hair loss. I want to have a hair transplant soon, but I’m worried that my dandruff problem may harm the transplant surgery results. Is this something I should worry about?

I believe that your primary concern at this point would be to address your dandruff problem to get that under control. While dandruff doesn’t typically cause hair loss, especially male-pattern baldness, what can actually appear as an extreme dandruff problem may actually be psoriasis, seborrhoeic dermatitis, or seborrhoeic dermatitis (eczema). These conditions can disrupt normal hair function and growth. Before beginning or continuing any topical treatments such as Rogaine for male pattern baldness or hair restoration surgery, you should get examined by a dermatologist.

Nizoral 2% is very beneficial for dandruff and itchy scalp. Other medicated shampoos such as Neutrogena’s T-Sal and T-Gel added into the rotation can help too. However, extreme cases should be treated under the care of a doctor.

Does your hair loss follow the typical male-pattern baldness loss pattern as depicted on the Hamilton/Norwood Scale? If so, then you can be 99% sure that your hair loss is due to male-pattern baldness. However, if your hair loss appears to be more sporadic and occurs in patches, you should see a dermotologist to determine what the exact cause is. You may have severe inflammation that can contribute significantly to hair loss. It is important to have your existing scalp conditions under control before proceeding with surgical hair restoration.

Does Rogaine really increase hair growth? Does it have any side affects and where can I get Rogaine?

In double blinded studies, that is where 50% of the patients used Rogaine and 50% used a fake medicine which contained no active ingredient, 15% of the men using Rogaine grew new hair versus those using the fake medicine. I do not know how many stopped their hair loss. But I assume a good many did.

There are very few side effects from using Rogaine. A few patients report oily hair, a few report dry hair and some report itching or allergy to Rogaine.

I advise you to try it. In America it is sold as Rogaine (a name brand product) and minoxidil (a generic product). I advise you to use 5% minoxidil and rub it into your scalp until it feels dry twice a day. In the USA it costs between $10 to $18 per month to use generic minoxidil.

If I can be of further help to you do not hesitate to ask.

Dr. Paul Straub

Technorati Tags: Rogaine, hair growth, hair loss, minoxidil

I’ve always been a pretty hairy guy, so you can imagine my shock when I first noticed that my head hair began to thin due to male pattern baldness. I immediately started Propecia to keep from losing too much more. That was over a year ago. Lately, I have noticed that the body hair on my shoulders and chest seem to be thinner and less dense. Almost as if I have stopped balding on my head and it moved down to my torso. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, but I was wondering if there can be a connection.

It almost seems like nature’s cruel joke: the very same element that causes male-pattern baldness also spurs increased body hair growth. DHT (Dihydrotestosterone) is the product of testosterone mixing with the enzyme 5 alpha-reductase. DHT then binds to the receptor sites of healthy scalp hair follicles, essentially choking the life out of them by limiting blood and nutrient channels. However, DHT plays a crucial role in stimulating body hair growth during adolescence, so an overabundance in the body only spurs more growth.

So it is no surprise that body hair thins when DHT is limited in the body due to taking a DHT-inhibitor such as Propecia, but it is doubtful that it will rid you of body hair completely.

Check out more information on Propecia and Avodart, another DHT-inhibitor along with more information on the mechanisms that cause hair loss in the article, Propecia vs. Avodart; Which Internal DHT Inhibitor Should You Choose?

I just stared using 5% minoxidil about a month ago. I have no good news to report so far regarding hair growth yet, but I have noticed that I am not shedding so much.

However, I have noticed that I am experiencing some sexual side effects, particularly what seems to be erectile disfunction. Is this normal for new users of minoxidil? Will it go away?

It takes a few months to see any results from applying minoxidil, so as far as that aspect of your question, everything seems normal.

However, Pfizer doesn’t list any sexual side effects that result from the use of minoxidil for hair loss. Furthermore, I have not seen any posts on the Hair Restoration Research Forums from posters that are experiencing any similar side effects. This is true concerning all available types of minoxidil: Rogaine Extra Strength Formula, Rogaine Regular Strength Formula, and Rogaine Foam.

Rogaine can, however, cause a rapid heartbeat, which is the closest side effect that I can guess would give you that sort of problem. If you really suspect the Rogaine is at play, then I would highly suggest that you discontinue use and give your physician a call, particularly if you are experiencing a higher heart rate than normal.

Here are the listed side effects from Rogaine’s website:

Stop use and ask a doctor if