Post Hair Loss Questions and Get Answers

This question was posed by a female hair loss sufferer seeking hair loss help on our hair restoration forum and answered by Dr. Michael Beehner of Saratoga Springs, NY who is one of our recommended hair restoration physicians. His professional answer is below.

The total number of hair grafts planted in a hair transplant procedure simply refers to the number of “building blocks” used in that case, whatever their size or composition. In modern hair transplantation, that usually can range from a 1-hair follicular unit graft up to usually a double follicular unit graft of 4-5 hairs, both dissected under microscopes. Ordinarily the number of grafts equals the number of recipient site incisions with two exceptions.

One, if extremely tiny incisions are made over the entire planting area and the physician feels that 3 or 4-hair follicular units are too large to use and instructs the assistants to split them into two smaller hair grafts each. Actually, two 2-hair grafts made by splitting a 4-hair follicular units will still count as two grafts, because the work was taken to cut them into separate units and two separate incision sites are made to place them in.

Two, if a patient has a larger percentage of naturally occurring 1-hair follicular unit grafts in the donor tissue, often two 1-hair follicular units will be “paired up” and placed into a single incision, which then becomes a 2-hair site, as opposed to making two separate sites and placing 1 hair into each one.

Technorati Tags: hair loss, hair loss help, hair grafts, hair transplant, hair transplantation, follicular unit graft, follicular units

When you hear the word “makeover”, what do you think of? From fashion shows to makeup design, women work hard to change their appearance and become more attractive. But here at the Hair Transplant Network, the word “makeover” takes on a whole new meaning. Balding men and women suffering from hair loss desperately long for fabulous locks of hair that properly dress and frame the face. Now, with the recent developments in hair transplant surgery, this dream has become a reality for many.

In the last few years, a select group of surgeons such as those of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians have revolutionized the hair restoration industry because patients have demanded only the best results. Thanks to the patient revolution driven by our online hair loss forum community, many bald men and women can successfully restore a full looking natural head of hair.

Below we introduce to you a few of the great multitude of men and women who have successfully gone from bald to bushy with a hair transplant makeover.

Meet hair replacement patient and hair loss blogger Coopcoopcooperman. We can only surmise that the multiple “coops” in his name signify his exhilaration in drinking from the hair fountain of youth. After receiving 4108 grafts in one hair transplant session with Dr. Victor Hasson, his baldness is now a thing of the past after only 7 months. Mr. Coop states emphatically, “It’s so great to have my hair back”.

Technorati Tags: Balding, hair loss, hair transplant, hair restoration, bald, hair replacement, baldness

Yes, it’s true; our very own Associate Publisher Bill who posts as Falceros on our hair loss forum was interviewed recently on “GetLaidRadio.com” about our online hair transplant community and how to restore your hair.

Now let’s be clear about one thing right up front:

DISCLAIMER – We make no implied or explicit guarantee that restoring your hair will assure that you will “Get Laid”.

But we all know that looking good doesn’t hurt. It’s all about getting it done right and then getting on with life and putting our obsession with hair loss behind us.

Most of what Bill shares on this radio show a dedicated “hair geek” will already know. But kudos to Bill for sharing accurate information with the horny listeners of “GetLaidRadio.com”.

Thanks for Get Laid Radio for sharing the photo of Kevin Costner, who obviously had successful hair replacement surgery with a surgeon who has been sworn to secrecy (sorry I can neither confirm or deny whether it was with a surgeon recommended on the Hair Transplant Network.

My favorite part of the interview is when Bill gets asked about pubic hair transplants. God, I’m glad I’ve got Bill to do these interviews :-)

Duration of interview: 56 minutes

Technorati Tags: hair transplant, hair loss, hair replacement, hair transplants

For some people, hair loss is a fact of life.  However, baldness can be the source of great anxiety and depression for many balding men and women.  Whereas real hair restoration solutions are available, dealing with the emotional impact of hair loss can be quite challenging.  Below are a few tips for handling the emotional and psychological impact of hair loss.

Find a Few Close Confidants:  The emotional hair loss struggle is ultimately about acceptance.  Balding men and women are constantly trying to conceal their baldness from the world for fear of judgment and ridicule.  Whereas this is perfectly understandable, it is helpful to find a few confidants that can be there to support and remind you of your worth and value regardless of how much hair you lose.  Communicating your hair loss struggle to others can in itself be therapeutic.

Relate and Bond with Other Balding Men and Women: Comfort can be found in groups.  Relating to other balding individual(s) is a good reminder that hair loss is common and that you are not alone in your struggle.  Our hair loss forum can be a great place to find support and encouragement in your hair loss struggle.

Consider Real Hair Loss Solutions that Really Work: Deciding to restore your hair or go bald gracefully is a choice before every balding man and woman.  Though there is no hair loss cure and realistic expectations must be developed and maintained, real hair loss treatments are available.

Technorati Tags: hair loss, baldness, balding, hair restoration, Hair Loss Solutions, bald, hair loss cure, hair loss treatments

Dr. Sharon Keene of AZ, an elite member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians has been working with HairDX on the testing and prediction of androgenic alopecia (genetic hair loss) in men.  Below, Bill Seemiller (Falceros), Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center and Dr. Keene collaborate in writing about the benefits and limitations of this genetic hair loss test.

Hair loss is an unpredictable and progressive condition that affects men and women worldwide. Treatment options such as Propecia (finasteride) for men only and Rogaine (minoxidil) have been around for some time, but typically, balding men or women only start to use a hair loss treatment after visible signs of baldness has already started. According to Dr. Sharon Keene, ”hair loss is typically not visible to the human eye until about 50% of the hair has already fallen out”. Because of this, to treat baldness successfully becomes more difficult because by the time its recognized by balding men and women examining their hair in a mirror, they have already lost a lot of hair and hair regrowth may or may not be possible.

But what if there was a way to predict whether or not you were going to suffer from androgenetic alopecia (hereditary hair loss) before it even starts? Though there is currently no hair loss cure, starting proper treatments early could help you preserve your hair.

Technorati Tags: HairDX, androgenic alopecia, genetic hair loss, hair loss, balding, baldness, treat baldness, hair regrowth, androgenetic alopecia

In those who experience male or female pattern hair loss, what happens to the hair follicle after it stops producing hair?  Does it Completely Die?

This insightful hair loss article was written by hair restoration forum member “HLBD”.  Below he shares with us a piece of what he has learned in researching real hair restoration solutions for his hair loss condition. 

Hair Loss Myth: Hair follicles which have endured the end stages of female or male pattern hair loss are dead.

Many recent studies have been able to determine what some balding men and women have suspected for a long time: hair follicles do not actually “die”, not in the literal sense anyway. Truly, a hair follicle that has stopped producing a hair due to hair miniaturization has simply reverted back to the same inactive state it was at during infancy.

Technorati Tags: female pattern hair loss, hair loss, hair restoration, Hair Loss Myth, Hair follicles, male pattern hair loss, balding, hair miniaturization

Step One: Stop your hair loss. We recommend that you start your hair restoration journey by focusing on halting your hair loss and possibly reversing it using non surgical hair loss treatments. Hair loss drugs such as Propecia (finasteride) and or Rogaine 5% (minoxidil) can be very effective in holding the line on future balding.

Step Two: Restore hair you’ve lost. Hair transplantation can be very effective way to restore the hair you’ve lost – but you need to choose your hair transplant surgeon very carefully since their results vary widely. Over the past ten years we have carefully reviewed hair restoration physicians by visiting their clinics and gathering hundreds of real hair transplant patient experiences to determine who to recommend on the Hair Transplant Network. We encourage you to carefully evaluate any hair transplant clinic you may be considering for surgery.

You can read all patient reviews for any hair transplant clinic on our hair restoration forum by clicking on the “Find” feature and entering the hair transplant doctor’s last name.

To learn about the physicians with proven track records who we recommend, click here.

If you take the time to create a sensible hair restoration plan you can take control of your hair loss and make progress in restoring a natural head of hair.

Additional ideas and resources:

• Learn and understand the real causes of hair loss and clear your mind of all hair loss fallacies.

Technorati Tags: hair restoration, hair loss, hair loss treatments, Hair loss drugs, finasteride, minoxidil, balding, Restore hair, hair restoration physician, hair transplant patient, hair transplant clinic, hair transplant doctor

Balding men and women have been fooled before by promises of hair loss solutions that could supposedly cure baldness.  But a recent breakthrough indicates that a miracle cure for hair loss may be possible.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, while studying the relation of stem cells to skin regeneration, accidentally discovered that they could regenerate new hair follicles in adult mice.  The compound they used in combination with stem cells is still being kept a secret at this time.   Given what has already been previously discovered however, this “secret” compound may very well contain the Wnt protein.

Whereas Propecia (finasteride) and Rogaine (minoxidil) work to maintain existing hair or help reverse the hair miniaturization process, this potential hair loss cure may be able to reproduce new hair follicles.  According to Dr. Nancy Snyderman, this treatment could be available within three years. 

A certain level of skepticism must remain however, as human studies have not yet been conducted.  Additionally, the question remains as to whether or not the newly produced hair follicles will be DHT resistant.  Also, the newly grown hair follicles in mice grew in without color.  It is conjectured that this is due to the lack of pigment in the skin of a mouse which wouldn’t be a problem in humans.  Three years however, seems a bit optimistic and assumes high success in all of their tests for safety and efficacy.

Technorati Tags: Balding, baldness, cure for hair loss, hair miniaturization, hair loss cure, DHT

The Hair Transplant Network is a patient driven hair restoration community giving hair loss sufferers and hair transplant patients a chance to learn about and share their hair loss and hair restoration experiences, results, and photos online. Balding men and women seeking real hair loss solutions can view these hair transplant photos or share their own experiences by visiting www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/blog.

In addition, we will be featuring a few hair loss weblogs each week for our Hair Transplant Network newsletter subscribers.

This hair transplant patient received a hair transplant megasession of 4000 follicular unit grafts with Dr. True, a well respected member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Surgeons. These hair grafts were spaced out over a large bald area covering his entire head. Be sure also to check out his hair restoration video posted on our hair restoration discussion forum. This hair transplant procedure is a perfect example of how hair characteristics play an important role in the overall appearance of the result.

Another hair transplant patient received over 7000 follicular unit grafts in 2 hair transplant megasessions with Dr. Hasson, also a well respected member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Surgeons. This patient went from a level 5 on the Norwood Scale to receiving virtually a full head of hair. Needless to say this hair transplant patient is very satisfied with his results.

Bill - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

Technorati Tags: hair restoration, hair transplant, hair loss, Balding, hair transplant megasession, follicular unit grafts, hair grafts, bald, hair transplant procedure

Having attended the annual International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) meetings over the past ten years, while publishing the Hair Transplant Network, I now seem to know or be known by almost all of the prominent hair transplant physicians.

Those who have become famous online for doing outstanding work typically greet me warmly, while others who I have chosen not to recommend often stiffen up and scowl when they encounter me.  One hair restoration physician last week even took me aside in the hallway and threatened to sue me for having his recommendation discontinued.

But, like it or not, most physicians have come to realize that our patient based community and our open forum are here to stay and that we will continue to say when the “emperor has no clothing” even if it may be awkward or embarrassing. As the publisher of this community, I will continue to critique various techniques, treatments and those who perform them, while keeping an eye out for top-notch hair transplant physicians and clinics. I know the active members of this community will also continue to do the same.

In this report I’d like to share highlights from the 15th annual ISHRS scientific meeting that was held in Las Vegas from September 26th to the 30th.

I will focus on what may be of most interest to hair loss sufferers and patients such as presentations on the potential dangers of Dutasteride (Avodart), new advances such as hair multiplication (follicular cell implantation), the effectiveness of low light laser therapy (LLLT) in treating hair loss, the pros and cons of FUE (follicular unit extraction) and other topics.

Technorati Tags: Hair Restoration Surgery, hair transplant, hair restoration physician, hair transplant physicians, hair loss, Dutasteride, Avodart, hair multiplication, follicular cell implantation, low light laser therapy, LLLT, FUE, follicular unit extraction