Post Hair Loss Questions and Get Answers

As the publisher of the Hair Transplant Network, I know first hand (see my “recovery” story) that hair transplants can work great when done right. Since restoring my hair I’ve helped thousands of hair loss sufferers successfully restore their hair by helping them get past the hype and find proven hair loss treatments and hair restoration physicians.

Many of them have posted their experiences and photos on our hair restorationdiscussion forum, while others have documented their experiences with patient weblogs. The evidence is overwhelming – most hair loss sufferers can now restore their own real hair if they make wise choices.

Helping people make wise choices is what our popular and respected online community is all about.

I invite you to visit our before and after photo gallery of over 500 people who successfully restored their hair. Also get advice and support from hundreds of other hair loss sufferers on our discussion forum and learn which hair restoration physicians are really producing world class results for their patients.

2007 can be the year you reverse your hair loss and achieve the look you really want – if you make the effort. Our community has all the support, information and resources you need to make it happen.

Best wishes for successfully restoring your hair in the coming year.

Patrick Hennessey, “Recovering Bald Guy” and publisher of the Hair Transplant Network, Hair Loss Learning Center, Hair Loss Q & A Blog

Could someone tell me as to what MSM is? I have heard a lot of people mention that they are taking it to treat here hair loss and increase hair growth.

The following response is provided by our very active discussion forum member – “Cousin It”. Thank you Cousin It.

MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) is a compound derived from DMSO. Back in the 70’s DMSO was thought to be a “cure all” of many conditions, from arthritis to constipation, anything that ailed could be helped by this substance. Though it does have a basis in medicine for conditions such a cystitis (bladder infection) it did not live up to its claims.

Anyway, it was found the body converted a portion of DMSO into MSM. Chemists believed this was the active component responsible for these “medical miracles” so they began synthesizing this compound as the next “miracle” supplement. Simply put it is a sulfur compound thought to have beneficial effect on several processes. One of its so called benefits was faster hair and nail growth. Some people swear by it, while some find it does nothing. No actual scientific studies had been done to prove its efficacy. The usual dose ranges from 1-3 grams, some scientists argue it is innocuous, simply a way of supplementing sulfur, while others contend long term use may not be safe.

To learn more visit the Hair Transplant Network or the Hair Loss Learning Center

Technorati Tags: MSM, hair loss, hair growth

Many physicians claim to be true pioneers in advancing hair transplantation. But no informed person would dispute that Dr. Bill Rassman is a true pioneer in refining and widely advocating the adoption of Follicular Unit Hair Transplantation.

For his significant contributions to the advancement of hair restoration surgery Dr. Rassman was awarded the highest honor in hair restoration surgery in 2004 – the “Golden Follicle Award”.

The innovations that he fought for, such as microscopically prepared follicular unit grafting, are now widely accepted and practiced. Myself and all other patients who today benefit from natural follicular unit hair transplantation owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Rassman, directly or indirectly, for fighting the good fight to make this procedure the acknowledged “Gold Standard in Hair Transplantation”.

Dr. Rassman has always been willing to point out when the emperor had no clothes even when it made him unpopular with his colleagues. He was willing to put himself in the line of fire for what he believed in as a major in Vietnam. As a hair restoration physician he once again stood up under fire and was finally awarded the Golden Follicle Award.

Dr. Rassman has also been a true pioneer in using the Internet to educate patients about cutting edge hair restoration techniques. His New Hair Institute website is an incredible resource for any person considering a hair transplant. Today he continues to be on the cutting edge of online patient education and authors the most popular and respected hair restoration blog on the Web – the Balding Blog.com.

I’m interested in hair transplant repair information. I’ve had over 10 hair transplant procedures over a 15 year period from 1985 to 2000. During that period, I suffered a major head trauma. Part of the trauma was the destruction of part of the transplanted area. I tried to repair the damage in 2000 with little success. Another problem has is my lack of donor hair. The donor area is pretty much a mess. I have comb over the holes to make them less visible. What can you offer?

My friend it sounds like you have really been through the hair transplant mill. Apparently your early procedures were small sessions of 100 to 200 round punch grafts (normally containing 15 to 25 hairs per round graft) removed from your donor area using round punches. As you probably know, this hair transplantation technique is very outdated and is now thankfully discontinued. The good news is that current techniques are vastly more refined, natural and non invasive.

There is now a much more refined and updated version of this punch graft technique in which a much smaller punch (approximately 1mm in diameter) is used to extract naturally occurring 1, 2, 3 and 4 hair follicular unit grafts. Due to the small size of these holes they typically contract when they heal leaving tiny scars that can be hard to detect, especially when the hair around them is not shaven. This much more refined technique is called Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE).

I am looking seriously into getting a hair transplant in the next 6-8 months. Is there a general price that you can provide? I will be looking to get the most possible grafts to look the most natural. I have a receding hair line and I want to know if I can create my old hair line and want to know how natural it will look. Also, with all these hair transplant physicians I see, how come so many of them look bald?

When it comes to restoring the hairline, hair transplants are one of the only ways to regrow hair in this area, since Propecia and Rogaine typically do not regrow hair in the hairline. But be very picky about the hair restoration physician you choose as their skill and results do vary widely. But done right no one should ever be able to tell that you’ve had a hair transplant. I strongly suggest that you spend time on our Hair Restoration Discussion Forum and discuss hair transplant surgeons who you are considering with their actual patients. Prices typically range from $3 to $6 per graft. However, some hair transplant clinics discount the per graft price to $2 per graft after 2,000 grafts. This does make it more affordable to do large sessions.

As for why some of the surgeons are so bald, I think that some of them just don’t have enough donor hair to surgically restore their hair.

Best wishes, Pat

Does massaging hair with a brush prevent hair loss? The people who sell
Toppik also sell a special hair brush for massaging the scalp and claim it
deters balding.

In my opinion brushing your hair, with a special brush or not, does not deter balding or hair loss. In the “Hair Loss Myths” section of the Hair Loss Learning Center it reads – “The idea of brushing the hair 100 times a day to stimulate the scalp circulation is a fantasy. . . This myth stems from the thought that hair loss was due to poor circulation and that brushing or massaging would improve blood flow and nutrition to the follicles. The truth is, bald or not, there’s no major difference in scalp circulation.”

I think this is accurate. Others have wondered whether brushing your hair can accelorate hair loss. I think that reasonable hair brushing will not accelorate or decrease hair loss.

Best wishes for restoring your hair, Pat

Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q & A Blog. To share ideas with other hair loss sufferers visit our Hair Restoration Discussion Forum.

Technorati Tags: balding, hair loss

Does smoking cause hair loss? My hairs are thinning and its looking like rubbish.

Typical “male pattern baldness” is largely determined by our genes. To learn more about the causes of hair loss, visit the Hair Loss Learning Center.

But it is possible that smoking could play a small role in accelorating hair loss by restricting the circulation and blood flow in the scalp. It is well known that smoking ages the face and can contribute to sexual dysfunction due to its effect on circulation. So if lung cancer, erectile dysfunction and aging skin are not enough motivation to give up smoking perhaps its marginal contribution to hair loss will make you think twice before you light up.

Best wishes for your general health and your hair.

Pat

Technorati Tags: hair loss, male pattern baldness, causes of hair loss

My hairline has begun receding. I started taking Propecia about a year ago and since then the hair loss has stopped. Is there any type of transplant that can be done to restore the hair on my temples?

I’m glad to hear that Propecia has halted your hair loss. However, Propecia typically can’t regrow hair that has been lost in the hairline area. However, hair transplantation, WHEN DONE RIGHT, can restore a very natural hairline that will grow for a life time.It certainly worked for me (see my hair transplant story) and it has worked for thousands of others (Visit the Hair Transplant Network patient photo gallery to view hundreds of hair transplant photos).

But it is critical to find a hair transplant surgeon who has a proven track record of performing very natural looking hair transplants. To learn how to do it right and find a top hair restoration physician visit the Hair Transplant Network.Pat

Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q & A Blog. To share ideas with other hair loss sufferers visit our Hair Restoration Discussion Forum.

Technorati Tags: Propecia, hair loss, hair transplantation, Hair Transplant Network, hair transplant, hair transplants, hair restoration physician

Thanks to all who share on our hair restoration discussion forum.

The Holidays are a good time to count our blessing and be thankful. The active members of our discussion forum have given us all a lot to be thankful for all year long. They are the heart and soul of our community and have given perhaps the most valuable gifts of hair loss advise, support and understanding.

Many hair loss sufferers found their way into safe hair restoration clinics and benefited from treatments that really work due to the active members of our forum.

Over the past five years thousands of people have registered as forum members, while thousands more have quietly read our forum and benefited without ever joining or posting. It’s virtually impossible to acknowledge all those who have contributed and shared.

I’m hesitant to mention names because no doubt I will forget to mention other important members. But in the past year a few very generous members standout for their consistant willingness to help others with excellent and thoughtful advice. They have not only helped hundreds of people with their posts and private messages but they have helped me evaluate potential new hair transplant physicians like an unofficial advisory board.

To view their names, click here.

Although we meet only online our exchanges can often be more important and life changing than those that happen face to face.

I look forward to another year of sharing and caring in 2007.

I had a hair transplant about five days ago. My scalp is fine – hardly any redness at all. In fact, it barely looks like I have had a hair restoration procedure done at all. However, before the hair surgery I used Toppik to cover the thin spots in my crown. I go back to work in about a week and I’d like to know if it would be safe to use Toppik or any other hair loss concealer without damaging the hair grafts.

Congratulations on your recent hair transplant surgery. I used Toppik successfully after my own hair transplant surgery with no problems whatsoever. If you want to use Toppik when you return to work, make sure that you are at least ten days post-op before doing so. I say this because it takes about that much time for the transplanted hair grafts to become permanent in the scalp. If they are subject to too much shifting (for example, when patting the Toppik into place) before that you could stand the chance of losing some or changing their carefully-placed angulation. Additionally, it is crucial to allow as much oxygen as possible to permeate the scalp in the days immediately following a hair restoration surgery. Since some Toppik tends to settle between the hairs and directly on the scalp, it is possible that it may impede precious oxygen from reaching the grafts.