Post Hair Loss Questions and Get Answers

The goal of hair transplant surgery is to give patients more hair than they had prior to surgery. However, unlike other cosmetic procedures, sometimes patients look worse after surgical hair restoration before they look better.

Some patients are plagued by a temporary hair loss condition known as telogen effluvium or “shock loss” which can occur anytime hair is transplanted in between or around existing hair.  This is true whether the hair is natural or previously transplanted. This often causes great concern for those who don’t expect it, and even those that do; it can be a real brain buster causing mild anxiety.

View this hair loss discussion thread to learn and discuss why shock loss occurs and how to get through the doldrums while waiting for new hair regrowth.

Bill Seemiller – aka Falceros
Associate Publisher/Editor

Technorati Tags: hair transplant, hair restoration, hair loss, telogen effluvium, shock loss, hair regrowth

In the past I have been told that hair density of 50 follicular unit grafts per square centimeter should not compromise graft survival.  However, I was wondering would transplanting hair at 55 FU/cm2 or 65 FU/cm2 compromise vascularity or hair growth yield? Also, is any graft survival compromised leading up to achieving natural density? Cheers.

This insightful information was posted on our hair restoration forum by Dr. Brad Limmer of San Antonio, TX who is a member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians.

I agree with what has been on the hair loss forum discussion thread “Graft Survival and High Hair Densities” by various members regarding percentage yield.  As Coalition member Dr. Charles points out a very important point regarding this question, “there are countless variables that go into this equation.” Some are hair transplant patient dependant and some are hair restoration clinic/technique dependant.   Thus, the outcome can be different between patients even though they go to the same clinic.

We have typically approached the problem of yielding densities higher than 50 FU/cm2 by a 2 pass approach. While more conservative than some (who produce nice results), I feel it minimizes 3 important risks to the patient:

1. Less than optimal hair growth
2. The Potential for ridging (dermal fibrosis below the skin – which is basically scar tissue resulting from the multiple recipient sites create in such a small area)
3. Permanent neovascularization (redness that won’t go away – resulting from capillary proliferation during the healing process)

Recently, we published a well written summary of the follicular unit extraction (FUE) procedure, its advantages, and its disadvantages by Coalition member Dr. Ron Shapiro who recently started to experiment with FUE at his clinic.

Follicular unit extraction (FUE) has been notoriously overhyped online by some hair restoration clinics while other clinics underestimate its potential advantages in some circumstances. Reading this well balanced article was extremely refreshing. For those of you who are interested in considering the FUE procedure as a strip alternative, you are encouraged to read ” The Evolution, Advantages, and Disadvantages of Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) Hair Transplant Surgery“.

Feel free to offer your input on this thread.

Bill Seemiller – aka Falceros
Associate Publisher/Editor

Technorati Tags: FUE, Follicular unit extraction, hair restoration

To date, surgical hair restoration is the only proven solution to grow hair in completely bald areas. However, like any other surgical procedure, it’s important to understand the possible risks that go along with it.

In optimal candidates, those who undergo a follicular unit hair transplant procedure end up with a pencil line scar easily concealed by existing hair on the sides and back of their head. However, during the initial healing phase, almost everyone is worried about the possible risk of scar stretching.

So what if anything can be done to minimize and even eliminate this risk? How long after a hair replacement procedure do patients have to worry that scar stretching may occur? Visit this hair loss forum thread to read other’s input and join in on the discussion.

Bill Seemiller – aka Falceros
Associate Publisher/Editor

Technorati Tags: hair restoration, grow hair, bald, hair replacement

Are young men with extensive hair loss more suitable for follicular unit extraction (FUE) due to the lack of a linear scar?  After all, I can always just shave my head later right?

This hair loss question was answered by Dr. Cam Simmons of Toronto, Canada, who is one of our recommended hair restoration physicians.

I think patients need to be just as cautious about starting follicular unit extraction (FUE) hair transplantation as they would be about starting follicular unit transplantation (FUT) by strip.

FUE is still a relatively new technique and it is too early to know all of the long term consequences. There are not a lot of hair transplant photos of patients who have had thousands of follicular unit extraction grafts transplanted. I have not seen one photo of a class 7 patient on the Norwood scale of hair loss treated by scalp FUE alone. I have been quite disappointed by the results I have seen online and in conferences of extensive body hair transplant FUE.

More and more I hear the notion that it may be OK for someone to have FUE transplantation into their hairline then shave the head later if they lose their hair and don’t want or can’t do more surgical hair restoration. If a patient had a hair transplant then went quite bald and buzzed their head or shaved it slick, they would still have a five o’clock shadow in an unnatural pattern. The texture of the skin in the recipient area may be better than it would have been in the old days of the bigger graft but it won’t be perfect.

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

Can I get body hair transplanted to my scalp?  How effective is this solution?

This hair loss question was answered by Dr. Cam Simmons of Toronto, Canada, who is one of our recommended hair restoration physicians.

There are other hair transplant doctors who have done a lot more body hair transplants than me. I have performed body to body hair transplantation in rare situations but do not usually recommend transplanting body hair to the scalp for the following reasons:

• Body hair is not the same quality of hair as scalp hair and does not look as good or as natural.
• The life cycle of body hair is different than for scalp hair so it takes longer for the transplanted hair to grow.  Also transplanted body hair will spend less time in the hair growth phase and more time in the resting phase than transplanted scalp hair.  See the normal scalp hair growth cycle for more information.
• Body hair transplantation is still quite new in medical terms, so there is not a lot of data about results or survival of the transplanted hair.  FUE for body hair is usually technically more difficult than for scalp hair.
• So far, I have been disappointed by the few results that I have seen of other surgeon’s body hair transplants.
• Most men still have scalp hair available for transplantation.

Hundreds of hair loss questions are answered on our discussion forum and received in our inbox on a weekly basis. 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 restoration forum or privately by using the contact form.

Is Finpecia (Generic Finasteride) as Effective as Propecia?

Can Doctors Predict Future Hair Loss?

Dealing with Hair Restoration Complications (Dr. James Vogel)

What is the Difference between Rogaine and Minoxidil?

How Many Grafts are Needed to Restore a Balding Crown?

Bill – aka Falceros
Associate Publisher/Editor

Technorati Tags: hair loss, hair transplant, hair restoration

Many balding men and women waste time using hair restoration products that promise hair regrowth but seldom deliver. Get past the hype and learn what really works to stop hair loss.

Recently, we asked several of the world’s leading hair restoration physicians to answer a number of frequently asked hair loss questions. Below, we share what the medical experts have to say about hair loss and today’s available treatments.

Is Propecia (Finasteride) Effective When Applied Topically (Dr. Tim Carman)? Read this Q&A blog and learn if finasteride can be an effective DHT blocker when applied topically.

Compare Today’s Non-surgical Hair Loss Treatments to Surgical Hair Restoration (Dr. Mike Meshkin): Learn about today’s non-surgical treatments and how they compare with today’s revolutionary hair transplant procedures.

How Do You Properly Care for Your Hair Transplant Right After Surgery (Dr. Paul Shapiro)? Immediately following hair replacement surgery, it’s important to apply tender care to newly transplanted grafts. Read this article to learn how to prevent damage and optimize hair regrowth.

What are the Risks Involved in Surgical Hair Restoration (Dr. Mike Beehner): Read this article to learn about some of the risks involved with hair transplant surgery.

Why Won’t My Doctor Prescribe Proscar for Hair Loss (Dr. Ricardo Mejia)? Proscar and Propecia both contain the same active ingredient finasteride. But some doctors won’t prescribe Proscar. Read this article to find out why.

Men and women with hair loss are rightfully excited by the prospect of being able to restore a natural looking head of hair with surgical hair restoration. However, understanding the limitations and risks of hair transplant surgery is just as important as counting its benefits. One important but controversial topic worth discussing is hair transplant dense packing, which enables the appearance of a thicker, fuller head of hair.

Though most surgeons agree that a certain level of dense packing is appropriate in some patients, not everyone requires large quantities of hair packed in a single area. Whether or not a balding man or woman is eligible for and how much dense packing is appropriate largely depends on the patient’s current and risk of future hair loss, donor hair availability, long term hair restoration goals, and what can realistically be accomplished.

A few hair replacement clinics have made claims that they can pack up to 70, 80, and even 100 follicular unit grafts (hairs as they occur naturally in the scalp) per square centimeter (FU/cm2). And though men and women  suffering from baldness are often intrigued by a physician’s ability to pack hair closely together due to dreams of recovering a full head of hair, too much dense packing might inhibit healthy hair regrowth.