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These questions were posed directly to Dr. Ken Siporin of Beverly Hills, CA who is one of our recommended hair restoration physicians by a hair loss sufferer seeking hair replacement surgery as a means to regrow hair.  His professional answer is below.

I too have lost half of my transplanted hair of 3 years and continue to lose hair daily.  All are from the bang area.  You mentioned that you have been down that road too Dr. Siporin.  I have 2 questions:  1) What did you do for your case? 2) What are the options to fix my balding scalp now showing through?  I am very upset to see more hair fall out around the hairline.  The rest of the scalp is fine.  I had a forehead reduction 5 years ago.  A fine line was cut and a strip of skin was removed and then stitched.  I had 2 hair transplant surgeries 2 years apart and are about half an inch to an inch from the stitch line.  The grafts too initially but slowly are falling out.  What are my options to fill in the hairline / bang area?  Please tell me your opinion on future options to regain hair in any yway.  Thank you!

Technorati Tags: hair loss, hair replacement, regrow hair, transplanted hair, lose hair, Dr. Siporin, balding, hair transplant

I used electrolysis to shape my eyebrows. Now I wish to regrow new hairs to achieve the natural look I’ve destroyed. Any help for this situation?

If my understanding is correct, electrolysis when performed on hair and done correctly, will permanently remove it which means that your eyebrows most likely will not grow back.  However, some hair restoration physicians specialize in eyebrow transplantation and repair which might be worth considering.  The method of eyebrow hair transplantation involves the surgical removal of hair from other parts of your body (in most cases, hair from the sides and back of the scalp) and an insertion of them into tiny incisions made in your eyebrow area while carefully managing the direction and angle of the hair so it grows in naturally. 

Like anything other surgery, there are risks and limitations that should be considered, so in your research and consultations with various physicians, be sure to learn everything you can about eyebrow transplants and then decide whether or not they are right for you.

A few eyebrow surgeons that come to mind off the top of my head and are definitely worth considering are Dr. Epstein of FL and NY and Dr. Keller of IL, both of which are recommended on the Hair Transplant Network.

I hope this helps get you started in your research.

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

Technorati Tags: electrolysis, hair restoration, eyebrow transplantation, hair transplantation, eyebrow transplant, eyebrow surgeons

Transplanting hair from the body to the balding scalp, typically referred to as Body Hair Transplantation or BHT for short, has become a subject of intense interest to many hair transplant patients (especially those who are endowed with the body hair of hairy back gorilla).

Some hair transplant physicians have been experimenting with and studying the viability of such body to scalp hair transplants, including Coalition member Dr. Bob True in New York City.

Dr. True made an excellent presentation on this subject at the recent annual ISHRS (International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery) meeting in San Diego this October. He was kind enough to provide me with his presentation so that I could share highlights of his findings on our community.

View the photos from this body hair transplant presentation.

According to Dr. True, there are up to 5 million hair follicles on the body. The follicles vary widely in hair character and behavior with the hairs on the torso generally most similar to scalp hair. Some races have very little torso hair. It is rare for a woman of any race to have much torso hair.

He finds that there is a wide variance among men who do have torso hair and that for men torso hair increases to the sixth decade of life.

Technorati Tags: Transplanting, Body Hair Transplantation, BHT, hair transplant, hair transplant physicians, body to scalp hair transplants, Hair Restoration Surgery

Hair loss sufferers seeking real hair loss help often come to our hair restoration forum asking questions about hair restoration methods that might work best for them.  This hair restoration forum member asked whether or not a synthetic hair transplant is a viable option.  This insightful answer was posted by well respected hair restoration discussion forum member “BeHappy”.

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Synthetic hair transplants are illegal in the USA because of the problems and complaints synthetic hair transplant patients were making as a result of having it done.  I looked into doing this as one of my hair restoration options because it was still being done then.  It was banned shortly after I was considering it.  The hair transplant doctor would attach hair (could be real or fake) to tiny aluminum (or or something similar such as plastic) tips, sort of like putting a small piece of metal around the end of the hair and crimping the metal so the hair stays on it. Then they make the slits in the recipient area and put the synthetic or real hair grafts in so the metal ends are in your scalp. After a few days the healing of the holes they made will grow around and over the metal tips, so they can’t come out.

Technorati Tags: Hair loss, hair loss help, hair restoration, synthetic hair transplant, hair transplant, hair transplant patients, hair transplant doctor, hair grafts

This article was written by Dr. William Rassman, one of our well respected Coalition Hair Restoration Physicians.  Dr. Rassman has given me permission to post this article on our Hair Loss Q&A Blog in order to help educate fellow hair loss sufferers.  The original article can be found here.

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Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, Volume 19, Number 2, 1996, Pages 233-235

There has been a recent surge of interest in “laser hair transplantation” that has paralleled the increased use of lasers for a wide variety of cosmetic surgical procedures. Lasers generate great enthusiasm on the part of both physician and patient, but this has sometimes exceeded the actual value of the laser as a surgical tool. An obvious example has been the use of the CO2 laser as a nonselective, destructive modality to remove tattoos which left scarring and a cosmetic deformity worse than the tattoo itself. This has been subsequently replaced by pulsed lasers with specific pigment absorption (such as the Nd:YAG, Ruby, and Alexandrite lasers) operating on the principle of selective photothermolysis that truly offers benefit in the treatment of these lesions. Super- and ultra-pulsed CO2 lasers are now being used to replace “cold steel” in generating hair transplant sites. However, before we rush to use lasers in hair restoration surgery, we should first apply logic and reason to this application, and then proceed cautiously with carefully controlled studies so our patients will only benefit from its use. The following discussion will address various aspects of current laser technology in the specific context of the most recent advances in hair transplantation techniques. The intent will be to challenge the theoretical basis for the use of existing lasers, to question some dubious claims regarding their benefits, and to suggest future areas of laser research.

Technorati Tags: laser hair transplantation, cosmetic surgical procedures, hair transplant, hair restoration, laser technology, hair transplantation

I’ve been reading a lot about body hair transplant.  This would be perfect for me since I have a lot of body hair.  How does it work?  Is it effective?

Body Hair Transplant (BHT) has become a subject of interest for many people, especially those with a lot of body hair!

This procedure is very similar to Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE), but instead of isolating scalp hairs - body hairs are extracted with a surgical instrument and are then transplanted into balding areas of the scalp.

The concept of BHT is fascinating to me to be honest.  The problem to date however, is that there isn’t a lot of public information on it.

Many hair transplant BHT patients have posted their preoperative and immediately postoperative pictures on our hair restoration discussion forum.  However, as much gusto as they had to post in the beginning, very few BHT patients follow through with posting their final results online.  

Despite the hype of BHT, it is still highly experimental in my opinion.   Many first-rate hair transplant doctors won’t perform the surgery or those who do typically offer it at a discount price.   Out of the BHT patients I’ve seen follow through to the end with their online posting - I’ve only seen one case where growth yield seemed pretty high while many other results seemed sparse at best. 

However, I believe Body Hair Transplant is not without hope.

Technorati Tags: body hair transplant, Body Hair Transplant, BHT, FUE, balding, hair transplant, hair restoration, hair transplant doctors

This insightful article was written by Pat Hennessey, the Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog.  You can also participate in this discussion by reading the following thread on our hair restoration discussion forums.

I have not heard mention on this forum of the “world famous Fleming/Meyer flap procedure” for a long time. This procedure is radical surgery in which a flap of scalp from one side of a patients head is removed except for the major connecting blood vessels. This flap of hair is then sutured into the patient’s hairline area to create a dense hairline in one surgery.

There are a number of problems and issues related to this surgery. One major problem is that the direction of the hair growth in the flap is typically not natural. The high level of hair density also typically does not look natural, especially when there is a bald area behind it. The front of the flap also has a scar that typically needs to be masked with micro grafts.

Dr. Richard Fleming and Dr. Toby Mayer, who are both highly experienced cosmetic surgeons, are the acknowledged experts at performing this procedure, which is virtually synonymous with their names. Others have tried to perform this procedure and in some cases the operation has failed when the flap failed to heal and the patient experienced necrosis (dead skin/scalp).

I did see that on one hair loss forum a patient wrote –

Technorati Tags: hair restoration, Fleming/Meyer, hair growth, hair density, bald, micro grafts, necrosis, hair loss

Hello, I was wondering if a hair transplant would be safe for the eyelids and lower eyelids? I have very thin hair on my eyebrows and eyelids. I’m only twenty though and have been considering hair transplant, but I’m afraid it won’t turn out the way I want. I’m also looking for a hair clinic that is one of the best in Oklahoma and MO, can you guys give me info on one! Thank you!

Eyelid and eyebrow transplants are a very specialized area with only a few hair restoration surgeons providing these treatments nationwide. I suggest you consult with Dr. Alan Bauman who is one of the world leaders in doing these procedures. He is based in
Boca Raton, Florida.For the right candidate these procedures can be effective and do look natural. However, I do believe that you will have to trim your eyelashes since they are normal scalp hair and will continue to grow long.Best wishes, 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: hair transplant, hair restoration surgeons

I have Alopecia areata, which affects my eyebrows. Would eyebrow restoration/transplant be an option for me?

Eyebrow transplants are becoming more common recently, since the more subtle and refined hair transplant techniques make such delicate work possible. You would need viable donor hair for use in transplanting your eyebrows. To view examples of successful eyebrow hair transplants visit our photo gallery.

Best wishes, 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: Alopecia, eyebrow restoration, Eyebrow transplants, hair transplant, eyebrow hair transplants

Hello I was thinking about whether it was possible to have hair replaced in my hairline without seeing scarring. My hairline goes back a bit and makes me feel paranoid. How much would it cost? Thank you, Debbie.

Debbie, It is certainly possible to re-establish a lower hairline with hair transplantation or surgery. Especially for women it is critical to achieve a high density of hair in the hairline since it is not natural for women to have a thinning look in the hairline. Thus if you do hair transplant surgery you will probally need at least two surgical sessions to establish the density and thickness in your new and lower hairline to make it look natural.

An alternative is doing a “forehead reduction” surgery, as shown in the photo in this post. This forehead reduction surgery was performed by Dr. Sheldon Kabaker in Oakland California. For a larger view, click here. You can read more about such a forehead reduction surgery by visiting our forum topic Optimal density in the hairline in only 2 hours.

Best wishes for achieving the hairline you want.

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: hair transplantation, hair transplant, hairline