Hi guys, I’m 21 years old and have been taking Propecia for hair loss for about 4+ months. The results are simply amazing as my hair looks like it did years ago before it started thinning rapidly. What I have noticed, being a heavy weight lifter, is that my muscles have softened, not necessarily lost size though. Have there been any studies or does this seem to be a heard of side effect of taking Propecia?

Also, after taking Propecia for a certain time period, does there come a time where when you stop taking the Propecia, the hair you have regrown will stay (or at least fall out at a normal slow pace)?

Softening of the muscles is not a documented side effect of Propecia (finasteride) but some men do claim to have experienced a noticeable softening of the muscles while taking it.

Unfortunately, Propecia must be taken for life in order to maintain hair growth. Stopping finasteride will eventually result in catch-up hair loss. In other words, your hair will rapidly take on the balding pattern you would have developed had you never started using the drug in the first place.

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In this article, recommended hair transplant surgeon Dr. Parsa Mohebi shares his expert advice regarding stress and hair loss.

Many of my hair loss patients who come for their first consultation associate their hair loss to the beginning of a stressful event or season in their lives. Several of these individuals explain they began to notice thinning hair when they moved to a different city or country, went through a divorce, or had difficulties at work or in their personal lives. The situation always revolved around some type of emotional trauma or sudden change of life’s routine pattern. Usually, they have been right in their assessment that these types of events have the potential to accelerate hair loss.

Looking at the situation more critically, hair loss would not have occurred to these same individuals if they were not genetically predisposed to balding. For example, someone at the age of 20 or older, may have the hair loss gene which will cause male or female baldness. From the age 20 and older, if they are involved in a major surgical procedure, a traumatic event, or stressful situation, it can accelerate the hair loss process. So the loss expected to be seen in 10 years could come around much earlier.

Trauma, stress, other medical conditions, or major surgeries may cause hair loss in individuals not prone to lose hair, in the form of hair shedding.  This is due to a signal their scalp hair received to push them to the resting phase, or telogen phase.  However, the condition is merely temporary, and the missing hair will grow back after the passing of the stressful circumstance, or treatment of the medical condition.

This hair restoration article was written by recommended hair loss physician Dr. Carlos Wesley, who is recommended on the Hair Transplant Network.

Factors Influencing Postoperative Hyperesthesia (Discomfort)
in Hair Restoration Surgery

Summary

Background While esthetic outcomes in hair restoration surgery (HRS) have improved markedly since the advent of follicular unit transplantation (FUT), various undesirable sequelae persist. We investigated the technical and demographic variables that may contribute to the frequency of postoperative hyperesthesia.

Methods A multicenter retrospective chart review involving 552 patients undergoing HRS from 1999 to 2009.

Results A total of 19 patients (3.4%) reported postoperative hyperesthesia in either the donor or recipient area of their scalp. Although many trends emerged, one variable significantly influenced the rate of this neurosensory symptom. While no patient who had all previous and current HRS sessions performed entirely within the same investigated surgical practice (n = 42) experienced postoperative hyperesthesia, 14% of our patients who underwent prior HRS by a physician outside of the investigated surgical group (n = 35) developed this complication (P = 0.0404). The amount of intraoperative electrocautery to maintain hemostasis (P = 0.0897), degree of tension upon donor wound closure (P = 0.3044), and extent of donor wound edge undermining (P = 0.4420) influenced the frequency of this sequela to a lesser degree.

Conclusion These results suggest that physicians planning repair sessions on patients who have undergone prior HRS by a physician at a different surgical center should include the specific caveat of increased incidences of postoperative hyperesthesia in their preoperative consultation.

Acclaimed hair restoration physician Dr. Alan Feller is a pioneer in the field of modern follicular unit hair transplantation and an esteemed member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians. Dr. Feller is widely known as one of the world’s foremost experts in follicular unit extraction (FUE) and is the inventor of the “Feller Punch“, a tool that has been adopted by many leading hair transplant surgeons around the globe.

Recently, Feller Medical announced the launch of their new, state of the art multimedia website. The new site features a unique, interactive patient results gallery, a patient video gallery, testimonials and more. Balding men and women seeking a solution to hair loss are encouraged to visit their new and improved website at Feller Medical to learn more about their experience, technique and high standard of patient care.

To discuss Dr. Feller’s new website, visit the discussion forum topic, Feller Medical Debuts New and Improved Website.

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David (TakingThePlunge)
Forum Co-Moderator and Editorial Assistant for 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 the Hair Restoration Social Network and Enhanced Discussion Forum

Get Proven Treatments at the Best Prices by visiting our new Online Hair Loss Treatment Shop.

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Technorati Tags: hair restoration, Dr. Alan Feller, hair transplantation, Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians, follicular unit extraction, FUE, Feller Punch, hair transplant, Balding, hair loss

I’ve read a lot on the Internet about the dangers of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate in shampoos and other products. Could this be what’s causing my hair loss or at least accelerating it?

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) is a chemical foaming agent present in many hygiene products like shampoos, soaps and, toothpaste as well as in cleaning products such as detergents and degreasers. It has been rumored to cause everything from scalp irritation to hair loss and even cancer. However, according to Coalition hair restoration physician Dr. Bill Rassman, these warnings are overblown and it is nothing to be concerned about due to the very low levels of the chemical in these hygiene products.

Shampoos contain very small amounts of SLS (typically less than 15%). Combined with the fact that these products are normally diluted with water and remain in contact with the skin only briefly, there is very little opportunity for it to absorb into the skin and cause systemic damage. Thus, it is very unlikely that SLS has caused or has in any way exacerbated your hair loss. In the vast majority of cases, balding is the result of androgenic alopecia (genetic hair loss).

If you are a man with thinning hair, I recommend you discuss Rogaine (minoxidil) and Propecia (finasteride) with your doctor. These drugs are the only two clinically proven and FDA approved medical hair loss treatments currently available. Only Rogaine is approved for treating female hair loss. Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant should not take or handle broken finasteride tablets due to the risk of birth defects.

With her angelic face, unattainable physique and signature, flowing blonde locks, Mattel’s Barbie has epitomized the American standard of beauty and glamour since her “birth” in 1959. But, if one group has its way, at least one aspect of Barbie’s iconic look will receive a makeover this year. A grassroots movement born in the age of social media has created a Facebook page petitioning the toy maker to create a bald Barbie to “help young girls who suffer from hair loss due to cancer treatments, Alopecia and Trichotillomania” as well as for those who are having trouble coping with their mother’s hair loss from chemotherapy.

Balding men and women of all ages understand the psychological effects of hair loss. Those suffering from androgenic alopecia or one of the many non-genetic causes know the feelings of helplessness and loss of self-esteem that can accompany thinning hair. But, this pales when compared to a child who is not only balding but also suffering from an incurable and potentially life-threatening illness.

As a community by and for hair loss sufferers, the Hair Restoration Forum and Social Network is committed to educating balding men and women about effective and proven hair loss treatments and we support the creation of a Bald Barbie. Perhaps we can’t cure cancer but we have a unique opportunity to help alter society’s perception of hair loss and, most importantly, put smiles on the faces of little girls who have forgotten what it’s like to feel like a princess.

This article was submitted to us for publishing and was partially written by Dr. Carlos Wesley, who is recommended on the Hair Transplant Network. For a complete list of contributors to this article, scroll down to the bottom of this article.

Hair Transplantation Procedures

Overview

Background

Hair transplantation procedures are used to treat various forms and degrees of permanent alopecia in both men and women. Intact hair follicles may be harvested from within the safe donor area of a patient’s scalp by either strip method or follicular unit extraction (FUE); each harvesting method has unique advantages and disadvantages. The refinement of follicular unit transplanting over the last decade has led to markedly improved hair survival and natural-appearing results.

This article provides a broad overview of the techniques used by various hair transplant surgeons throughout the world. Founded on the principal of donor dominance (ie, hair follicles continue to grow in the new recipient area to which they are introduced as long as they would have in the donor area from which they are extracted), the field of hair restoration surgery (HRS) has evolved considerably since its inception in the 1950s. Natural-appearing results are consistently achievable and reflect a surgeon’s technical skill and artistic creativity.

Indications

Hair transplantation is a surgical procedure used for the correction of androgenic alopecia (AGA), cicatricial (scarring) alopecia, or any form of permanent hair loss in both men and women.^[1,2]

Each year, Baltimore Magazine publishes a list of top physicians in the region from more than 101 specialties. We are pleased to announce that, this year, Coalition member Dr. James Vogel was named by his peers as one of the city’s top General Plastic Surgeons of 2011.

Dr. Vogel is very involved in contributing to his profession and sharing hair restoration techniques with his peers. He is the past president of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) and was the chairman of the scientific committee from 1993 to 1999. He remains actively involved in lecturing and writing with many surgical societies and professional organizations.

Adding to his list of accomplishments, Dr. Vogel has recently been asked by The Aesthetic Surgery Journal to serve as their international section editor on hair transplants. The Aesthetic Surgery Journal is the official journal of The International Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

Dr. James Vogel is a highly respected member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians and recommended on the Hair Transplant Network. To learn more about Dr. Vogel and his ultra-refined follicular unit hair transplant procedure, click here to view his Coalition profile on the Hair Loss Learning Center.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Vogel by clicking here and adding your comments to the discussion on our popular Hair Loss Forum.

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David (TakingThePlunge)
Forum Co-Moderator and Editorial Assistant for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q & A Blog.

Recently, Coalition member and highly acclaimed hair restoration surgeon Dr. Bessam Farjo of Manchester, United Kingdom was interviewed by the Times of India for a lifestyle article about hair loss.  Topics discussed include advancements made in hair loss research, state of the art hair transplant surgery and hair multiplication (cloning). In the article, Dr. Farjo discusses why he chose to specialize in hair restoration and his role in shaping its future through the ongoing research and development of new techniques.

Dr. Bessam Farjo has a long history of performing state of the art, ultra-refined follicular unit hair transplantation with outstanding results. Along with his wife and colleague, Dr. Nilofer Farjo, he founded the Farjo Medical Centre in 1992. Since that time, the Farjo Clinic has become the UK’s premier center for surgical hair restoration, medical hair loss treatment and research.

Dr. Bessam and Nilofer Farjo are both highly esteemed members of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians and recommended by the Hair Transplant Network. To learn about our criteria for recommending physicians, click here.

Click the image below to see the full article.

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David (TakingThePlunge)
Forum Co-Moderator and Editorial Assistant for 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 the Hair Restoration Social Network and Enhanced Discussion Forum

Get Proven Treatments at the Best Prices by visiting our new Online Hair Loss Treatment Shop.

This insightful hair loss information was posted on our Hair Restoration Social Community and Discussion Forums: by Dr. Jerry Cooley of Charlotte, NC who is a member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians.

I hair restoration doctors talk about transplanting the crown border (I am talking about sides and not the bottom of the crown) with less density than the middle of the crown. When I get my crown fixed eventually as it is not all that bad yet, I feel that the center crown would not be all that important to me but rather the outside/sides of the crown would need more density to properly frame the head when viewing from the side. I know the crown side border typically is less dense even in non-balding men so maybe this is the reason?

It is complicated because there are many factors for the hair transplant surgeon to consider including the patient’s age, hair characteristics, current baldness, rate of hair loss, whether they are on Propecia finasteride, donor supply, etc. The goal is to produce not only a look that satisfies the patient in the short term, but also one that will stand up over time. It is best to be evaluated in person to get an individualized recommendation for you.

Dr. Jerry Cooley

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David (TakingThePlunge)
Forum Co-Moderator and Editorial Assistant for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q & A Blog.