Post Hair Loss Questions and Get Answers

Our popular hair loss forum community includes dozens of active patient and physician members devoted to answering your hair loss questions daily.  Get past the hype and learn about proven treatments that really work to stop baldness.

Below, we’ve compiled answers to hot topic hair loss related questions we received from our Associate Publisher Bill Seemiller and expert hair restoration physicians. 

Feel free to ask your own questions and get answers on our hair restoration forum or privately by using the “contact us” form. 

Do All Good Doctors Shave the Patient’s Head for Hair Transplant Surgery? (Dr. Glenn Charles)

Can Saw Palmetto Really Reduce Hair Loss?

Can Oxygen Deprivation Cause Hair Loss? (Dr. Scott Alexander)

Creating a Natural Looking Female Hairline with a Hair Transplant (Dr. Bernard Nusbaum)

Bill Seemiller – aka Falceros
Managing Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog, and the Hair Restoration Forum
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Technorati Tags: hair loss, baldness, Bill Seemiller, hair restoration, Bill Seemiller, Falceros

This insightful article was written by Dr. Michael Meshkin of Newport Beach, CA who is one of our recommended hair restoration physicians.

Cosmetic hair products for grooming and styling can help you improve your image and your life style. They can change your look, reshape your face and thereby make you look younger. If you are experiencing thinning hair, there are some products that can be used to make your hair look fuller and thicker. Styling and grooming products such as shampoos, conditioners, hair spray, gel, mousse and blow dryer can be used to manage the hair into the desired style. They can also add more body and make the hair look shinier, thicker and voluminous. Hair coloring agents make you look younger and are used to minimize the contrast between the hair color and the color of the skin, thus creating the illusion of more hair. Perming and curling can make the hair look thicker by camouflaging some of the thinning areas.

The hair shaft is made of keratinized cells, and subjected to various environmental aggressions and chemical products. Hair shaft is broken into three major layers which include:

1. The cuticle (outside)
2. The cortex
3. The medulla (central layer)

The major characteristics of the shafts that affect its function and appearance are elasticity, texture, and porosity. Hair has three major chemical bonds which include disulfide bonds, hydrogen bonds and salt bonds. These characteristics will affect the permeability of the hair to the hair products, such as types of shampoos and conditioners, hair coloring agents, permanent waves and relaxers, styling aids, hot combs, etc. Hair is made of Sulfur, Carbon, Oxygen, Nitrogen and trace elements. Hair specialist will assist and educate his clients with understanding of these hair products for preserving healthy hair.

This insightful article was written by Dr. Bernard Nusbaum of Coral Gables, Florida.  Dr. Nusbaum is a member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians. 

Hair transplantation for hairline reconstruction is gaining popularity among women with hair loss, thinning hair, high hairlines and those who have undergone cosmetic facial procedures which can alter the hairline, such as face and forehead lifts.  While male hairline patterns have been described in the medical literature, these parameters, when applied to women, do not achieve appropriate facial framing and a “feminine” look.

There is a general lack of   information describing natural hairline patterns in women.  Most descriptions only address the height of the hairline by evaluating vertical facial proportions. In order to develop guidelines for female hairline restoration design, we studied 360 female volunteers at an informal hair salon setting and determined the most common features necessary to achieve a feminine, natural look.  The average age of the subjects was 41 with a range of 16 to 70.  This type of extensive survey has never been done before and we hope that with greater awareness of what occurs in nature, hair restoration results in women will improve.  Below you will find the results.

Every week, hundreds of hair loss questions are answered on our hair restoration forum and received in our inbox. Below, we’ve collected some of these hot topic questions of the week and posted responses by veteran hair transplant patients and leading hair restoration physicians.

You can also ask your own questions and get answers on our hair forum or privately by using the contact page.

Which “All Natural” Treatments Are Most Effective?

Do Higher Hair Transplant Densities Affect Hair Growth Survival? (Dr. Beehner)

How an Underactive Thyroid Can Contribute to Female Hair Loss

Is it ok to take Finasteride and Dutasteride Simultaneously to Treat Baldness?

Contradictory Reports: Does Nioxin Cause or Stop Balding?

Technorati Tags: hair loss, hair restoration, hair transplant

We receive a number of emails from women looking into hairline lowering procedures due to having a high forehead. Recommended physician Dr. Shelly Kabaker of Oakland, California has become world renown for his excellent forehead lift procedure, which women with naturally high foreheads in particular can benefit from.  We think women with this high hairline attribute would benefit from learning more about this procedure.  The below describes procedures available for women with a high forehead interested in lowering their hairline.  The article is long, but well worth the read. 

Objectives:

To review a technique and to make quantitative analyses of the senior author’s 20-year experience with his preferred technique to correct the high female hairline.

Methods:

A retrospective review of 29 female patients with a high forehead who underwent the hairline-lowering procedure performed by the same surgeon (S.S.K.). We analyzed preoperative and postoperative standardized photographs by taking measurements from the medial and lateral canthi to the anterior hairline. Facial height, from the menton to the hairline, was also measured. We calculated mean values and then used a 2-tailed, paired to test to evaluate for statistical significance. Patients also underwent evaluation for satisfaction, complications, and aesthetic result. We reevaluated the measurements from the profile view and compared them with the original data.

Results:

Certain medication can cause temporary or even permanent diffuse hair loss, a type of balding distinct from genetic pattern baldness.

Though providing a list of all medication that has reported hair loss as a possible side effect is virtually impossible, anyone considering taking medication for any reason should become fully aware of the potential side effects before taking it.

Learning about your medication should include consulting with your doctor and researching it online.

Join this hair restoration discussion to discuss how and which medication has been known to cause hair loss. Your experience and/or input may just help others save their own hair. Remember, information is power.

Bill Seemiller – aka Falceros
Associate Publisher/Editor

Technorati Tags: diffuse hair loss, balding, baldness, hair loss, cause hair loss

Before recommending a treatment, balding men and women must discover what’s causing their hair loss. In most cases, hair loss is due to genetics, causing hair to be vulnerable to the male hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Though DHT is more prominent in men, it’s also found in women and still the number 1 cause of baldness in the world. However, other conditions can contribute to or even cause non-genetic hair loss.

Due to promotional propaganda and misinformation spread through the internet, differentiating fact from fiction can be difficult. Below, we expose the legends and distinguish what can and cannot contribute to or cause thinning hair.

Stress Causes Hair Loss: If you ask just about everyone, most would tell you that stress can cause you to go bald. Read this article to learn whether or not there is any truth to this highly popular belief.

Daily Hair Washing and Hair Loss: Due to the amount of hair men and women find in the shower, some have conjectured that daily washing can cause your hair to thin. Learn if there is any truth to this concern.

Accutane Acne Treatment and Baldness: Learn why Accutane treatment for acne might be detrimental to your hair.

Hair Pulling, Styling, and Hair Loss: Not everyone pulls their own hair out. However, excessive hair pulling or styling can be the cause of isolated balding. Learn why and whether or not this is temporary or permanent.

Getting your hair loss questions answered quickly and accurately is what draws balding men and women to our site’s resources. Thankfully, our sites include plenty of information and a great multitude of knowledgeable patients and quality physicians regularly contributing their expertise to our Hair Loss Q & A Blog and hair loss discussion forum.

Below you will find answers to 5 of this week’s hot topic hair loss related questions provided by educated hair loss sufferers and physician experts. We encourage you to contribute your thoughts to any of these articles by adding comments to the blog articles. Some of this week’s hot topics include:

Real Solutions for Female Hair Loss Sufferers: The high esteemed Coalition member Dr. Keene gives advice to female hair loss sufferers and how to successfully combat baldness.

How Permanent is a Hair Transplant? Learn whether or not a hair transplant is really permanent and what, if anything you can do to contribute to its success.

Can Young Hair Loss Sufferers Get Hair Transplants? Learn why hair restoration surgery may be suitable for young patients in certain circumstances.

Warnings about Possible Side Effects with Rogaine (Minoxidil): Coalition member Dr. Paul Shapiro cautions patients on the possible side effects of Rogaine (minoxidil) and what to do if you experience them.

How Much Hair Can be Transplanted in a Single Session? Patients are often enamored with large hair transplant megasessions. Learn how many grafts can be realistically harvested and transplanted and the reasons and conditions why.

Hair loss not only affects men and women physically but can often be a confidence killer, turning the outgoing into introverts. Whereas all men and women have their personal preferences and tastes, often times balding men and women feel ugly and as a result won’t take the plunge to proactively pursue someone they’re romantically interested in.  But is hair loss or a lack of self confidence the real culprit?

In this discussion, balding men wrestle with the emotional detriment alopecia has caused them and whether or not women could ever really find the bald man attractive. Share your own experience with losing hair and how it has or has not negatively impacted your social and dating life.

Bill – aka Falceros
Associate Publisher/Editor

Technorati Tags: Hair loss, balding, alopecia, bald, losing hair

I’m trying to determine if I’m balding due to genetics or an iron deficiency.  Can hair loss really be caused by a lack of iron in the body?

This question was posed by a hair loss sufferer seeking hair loss help on our hair restoration forum and answered by Dr. Steven Gabel of Hillsboro, OR who is an elite member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians.  His professional answer is below.

Iron deficiency is a real cause of hair loss. I have seen several cases of iron deficiency as a causative factor for alopecia in women. When I see women for hair loss, one of the things I investigate, along with other blood tests, is their iron levels. For men, a blood work up is rare, however, if their history and examination are not consistent with androgenetic alopecia, then I will investigate further.

A while back, I went to a lecture about hair loss by an expert dermatologist who specializes in alopecia (she was one of the original physicians in the phase trials for Propecia before it went to market) and she reports that even low iron levels contributes to hair loss. Women do have a higher degree of iron loss because of their monthly cycles, but I think you may want to have your physician work this up.

Steven Gabel, M.D.

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Bill – aka Falceros
Associate Publisher/Editor

Technorati Tags: balding, iron deficiency, hair loss, hair loss help, alopecia, androgenetic alopecia, Propecia