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 questions we received from our Publishers and expert hair restoration physicians.

Dealing with the Depression of Hair Loss at a Young Age: Many young men and women experiencing balding begin suffering from depression. Read this article to learn why what’s in your head is more important than what’s on it.

Are Hair Transplant Megasessions Safe? Learn why Coalition member Dr. Timothy Carman believes that large densely packed hair transplant sessions can be appropriate for some, but not all patients.

Is FUE the Solution for Young Hair Loss Sufferers? Learn why recommended physician Dr. Cam Simmons believes FUE is overhyped and why patients considering hair transplant surgery should be thinking long term.

What to Do in the Event of Propecia Side Effects: Though Propecia (finasteride) is arguably the most effective non-surgical hair loss treatment available, many men are concerned about the possibility of sexual side effects. Read this article and learn what to do in the event you experience side effects.

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
Follow our community on Twitter
Watch hair transplant videos on YouTube

Follicular unit extraction (FUE) is becoming an increasingly popular hair transplant procedure for men who don’t want a linear strip scar.  However, men with advanced hair loss are quickly learning that the available donor hair supply via FUE is typically less abundant than via follicular unit transplantation (FUT).  Thus, follicular unit extraction enthusiasts are turning to body and beard hair for alternative sources of donor hair to fill remaining balding areas.

The idea of using beard hair as a rich source of donor has enticed members of our community.  Though body hair has been notoriously inconsistent in terms of hair growth yield, beard hair is considered a viable and robust source of donor hair.  However, patients are reluctant to make use of this donor source due to risks of scarring on the face.

To learn about the benefits and risks of using beard hair for transplanting, visit “Beard Hair Transplant – Donor Scarring”.  You are encouraged to offer your input.

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
Follow our community on Twitter
Watch hair transplant videos on YouTube

Technorati Tags: hair transplant, hair loss, donor hair, FUE, follicular unit extraction, beard hair, balding, body hair, hair growth, beard hair for transplanting, Bill Seemiller, Falceros

This hair loss question was answered by Dr. Glenn Charles of Florida who is a member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians.  His professional answer is below.

My hair transplant scar is on the wider side, 3-4mm and is pretty easy to see unless hair is combed the right way.  The scar did not stretch, and I did not feel any tension after the operation, but the scar is still wide.  When I run my finger over the scar, it feels like the scar is “thinner” that the surrounding skin – like there is a impression or ridge in the middle of the scar.  I am trying to figure out why I got such a poor scar. This was a trichophytic scar from one of the best hair restoration doctors. The only scars I have seen that are worse from a virgin scalp are stretched scars.  Mine was always wide. At first it was red, and then when redness faded, now white. No trichophytic hair growing within.

This is one of the potential downsides of taking donor strips that contain 4500 follicular units. Bigger strips=bigger wounds= more tension=bigger scars. Some hair replacement patients have tighter scalp to begin with. Did your doctor recommend scalp exercises or was a two layer closure used in your procedure to close the donor wound? Scar revisions can be performed at a later time as well as follicular unit extraction (FUE) into scars. I admit I have had hair loss patients who really wanted to get a large number of grafts on the first procedure, and told me they really did not care about the scar in back. Probably because they intended to always keep their hair longer in back. 

How many follicular unit grafts on average are lost doing the trichophytic closure hair transplant donor closure technique?

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

The trichophytic part of the closure should not cause any loss of any grafts.

From the surface downward, the layers of the skin are the epidermis, the dermis, and the fat layer. We are only trimming off the epidermis or surface layer of the skin and the tips of the hairs. The trimmed hairs will keep growing.

We are not affecting the stem cells in the hair follicle bulge area in the dermis layer or the dermal papilla stem cells in the fat layer. The hair follicles will therefore be able to keep producing new hairs every 2 to 6 years for the rest of your life.

Avoiding tension is most important to keep donor scars narrow. First and foremost we have to avoid taking a wider strip than the scalp laxity allows. We can further reduce surface suture tension by using deep dissolving sutures or by undermining the skin edges.

Not doing a trichophytic closure allows me to make the donor strip 1 mm wider than if I do a trichophytic closure and that could yield another 250-300 grafts. Some patients prefer getting more grafts than having a trichophytic closure but most don’t.

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