Doctors on Hair Loss & Hair Transplant surgery.

I am 27 and first noticed that i had hair loss about 24..My dad also has hair loss so its should be caused by genetic. About 1 year ago,i already had very little hair . I have been using Minoxidil 5 %, and Propecia, and it helps to control the hair loss but recently i realize that there is excessive hair loss even though i use it faithfully. I tried other ways of different treatment but i dun see any results. I recently saw this product “provillus’,its main ingredient is saw palmetto. It is said that it is similar to propecia but it doesn’t affect your sex drive ,Is this true? Can you please advise me on what other methods can i try,i recently just bought a laser set,do you think it will be useful?

Hair Loss is a multi-factorial problem. This is probably why some people respond well to DHT inhibitors such as Propecia and why others do not respond as well. Some people respond well to Minoxidil or Rogaine, while others do not. We recommend treating your hair loss with as many options as possible to cover as many potential causes of hair loss as possible.

You can purchase saw palmetto over the counter in a health food store and take the pills each day. Saw palmetto is a DHT blocker. We recommend you use this.

We also recommend you shampoo with Nizoral Shampoo at least once a week. Leave the product on for 5 minutes prior to rinsing. The product is a topical agent so it needs skin contact to do its job. We also recommend Hair Cycle shampoo and conditioner 4 to 5 times per week. Again, leave this product on 5 minutes prior to rinsing. Hair Cycle is an anagen stimulator so it will help you keep the hair in the growing phase longer. This should help you prolong the life of your hair. Hair Cycle is also healthier for your scalp since it lacks sodium laurel sulfate, which is the agent creating lather in most shampoos. This lather is the equivalent to engine degreaser and it is not healthy.

Other products you might consider include topical spironolactone.

The laser comb is expensive, but should help. We are working on a less expensive model.

You might find that decreasing the dosage of your Propecia to three times a week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday has less of an affect on your sex drive.

Please note that Rogaine Foam is a new version of topical minoxidil and seems to produce less skin irritation. It also is better absorbed and does not leave your hair oily or greasy the way most minoxidil solutions do.

Tags: anagen, anagen stimulator, dht blocker, hair cycle, hair loss, hair loss treatments, minoxidil, nizoral, Propecia, results, rogaine, saw palmetto

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I’m told by various strip physicians that the strip scar is a thin as a pencil mark. Is this true?

This is completely dishonest. The average strip scar is 2 to 3 mm wide and it can stretch from ear to ear. If you plan to cut your hair short, this can be a problem for you as it is obviously a man made scar. It is an obvious sign that you had a hair transplant. No one wants anyone to know they’ve had a hair transplant, however. No one wants anyone to know they had hair loss or that they ever considered hair restoration surgery. Even shorter hair styles can expose the strip hair transplant scar. Frequently we are told that a hair cut of a number 3 or shorter exposes the strip scar form a strip hair transplant.

There is a new fallacy you are hearing from strip surgeons, as well. They claim that their new trichophytic closure technique produces pencil thin scars that are invisible. We’ve seen 5mm wide scars produced by this technique. Five millimeters is ¼ inch wide. It is a huge gap with no hair in it. When the trichophytic closure works, it rarely works in the rear of the scalp. You will not see an advantage along the sides of the scalp usually. Furthermore, the tighter you make the scalp by performing successive strip procedures, the more likely it is that your scar will widen and stretch out. Furthermore, these strip scars can turn whiter than the surrounding skin or bright pink. This produces further contrast to the scars should they be exposed by a short hair cut or by a medical illness that causes thinning or loss of your hair.

One other problem you will never hear about from your strip surgeon is that strip procedure causes irreversible changes in your donor area hair growth angles. A strip is nothing more than a scalp reduction in the donor area. It alters hair growth angles for the rest of your life.

There is no reason to have a strip procedure. It really is up to the patient to demand the alternative, which is far better. Patients should begin to demand CIT, which is an advancement over our older FIT procedure. There is CIT and no quite CIT. Many physicians will tell you they perform FUE. This FUE procedure does not meet the quality of CIT. CIT is a proprietary procedure with quality instrumentation. Only CIT has proven results day in and day out with all types of hair including wiry, kinky hair seen in men of African decent.

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Tags: cit, cole isolation technique, donor area, fue, hair cut, hair growth, hair transplant, hair transplant surgeons, hair transplant surgery, instrumentation, physician, scalp, scar, strip, strip hair transplant, strip scar, thinning, trichophytic closure

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What is Maximum Medical therapy for hair loss?

People with hair loss, and certainly anyone even CONSIDERING hair transplant, may want to use a regimen of maximum medical therapy. This just means using a number of different medications that have different mechanisms of action to try to “cover all the bases”, so to speak. Attacking hair loss by targeting different aspects of the process is a way of using the synergy between various agents to maximize the effects.

Finasteride (Propecia and Proscar) is an agent that blocks the formation of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone that has been implicated in male pattern baldness (androgenic alopecia). This is a first line drug for men with thinning hair or balding. It is not beneficial for women; in fact, it can cause birth defects if a woman is exposed to the drug and gets pregnant. It has few side effects in men and has been used for about 25 years with a good safety record.

Minoxidil (Rogaine and many generic versions) is topical, or placed directly on the scalp. Side effects are few, and it has a synergy when used with finasteride. This may be used in men and women, and is considered by many to be the drug of choice in women with hair loss.

There is some evidence that an anti-fungal shampoo containing ketoconozol (Nizoral) may help slow hair loss. It can be used twice a week and has the added effect of decreasing dandruff and itching of the scalp. There are also a variety of over the counter preparations (Hair Cycle products) and internet-marketed preparations that are available. Many of these contain minoxidil and other ingredients. Some of these are topical androgen (male hormone) blockers; there is little scientific proof of their effectiveness, but many men swear by them, and they may work for some.

The most important thing one can do with these latter agents is read and read some more. Information from sources other than the manufacturers is likely to be more objective and may help one with informed decisions.

Tags: androgenic alopecia, anti fungal shampoo, balding, finasteride, hair cycle products, hair loss, hair loss solutions, hair loss treatments, hair transplant, hormone, male hormone, male pattern baldness, medical therapy, minoxidil, nizoral, proscar, rogaine

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My mother had esophageal band surgery a couple of years ago due to her excessive weight problem. Following this she has noted progressive hair loss and a change in her personality. I’ve read that band surgery and stomach stapling can cause hair loss. Is this true?

Bariatric (Weight Loss) Surgery: Metabolic, nutritional, psychological and physiological Consequences Bariatric or weight loss surgeries have become commonplace in the USA and in other countries, in part due to an ever increasing incidence of obesity in the context of a societal standard of beauty that emphasizes a thin, shapely physique. Lobbying by various organizations, as well as medical studies detailing the present and future consequences of untreated obesity, has led to insurance coverage for these surgeries, which were previously deemed “cosmetic”. This article will detail some of the physical and mental aspects of the often rapid weight loss which occurs after bariatric surgery.
The bariatric surgery community utilizes a number of procedures to promote rapid and hopefully permanent weight loss. Some of the earlier methods have been abandoned or modified due to unacceptable morbidity in the post-operative period, both immediate and long-term. Currently used techniques most often decrease absorption of calories or promote early satiety (feeling of fullness), or some combination of the two.

Unfortunately, the decreased absorption of calories is accompanied by decreased absorption of macro- and micro-nutrients. This often leads to nutritional deficiencies of varying degrees of severity. Sometimes these deficiencies may go undetected for some time, until they have had a profound effect on the patient. Many of these deficiencies can be very difficult to treat (refractory) once established. They may cause significant derangement in the patient’s physical, mental and emotional health.

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Tags: anxieties, bariatric surgery, calcium, caloric, calories, cosmetic surgery, depression, emotional distress, endocrine system, hair follicles, hair loss, hyperparathyroidism, iron, magnesium, medical therapy, metabolic, nutritional, obesity, patients, physiological, protein, psychological, psychotherapy, surgery, vitamin, weight loss, zinc

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I see on your website that you offer a Hairdx test, what is it and how is it helpful to prevent hair loss?

Hairdx is a genetic marker test to determine your risk for hair loss and to determine whether you might not loose your hair. The test evaluates a specific marker on the X chromosome. As you know, the X chromosome arises from the mother of the male. The marker is on the androgen receptor gene located on the X chromosome. Men who carry this gene variant are at a 60% risk of loosing their hair by age 40. Men with the less common genetic variant have a greater than 85% probability of not going bald before age 40. Ninety-five percent of bald men have the high risk androgen receptor variant.

It is known, however that androgenetic hair loss is polygenic in inheritance. One receives genes from both the mother and the father and it is felt that hair loss is not sex linked. This means that you can receive the risk for hair loss from either the mother or the father, but the specifics are still poorly understood. To date there are 4 major genes that determine your risk for hair loss, age of onset, eventual hair loss pattern, and rate of hair loss progression.

This test is only a prediction of future hair loss. It does not rule in or rule out the probability of future hair loss entirely. If you test positive, you should be evaluated for other signs of hair loss. These include miniaturization of the hair follicles and loss of hair shaft pigment. If you show signs at any point after testing positive for the marker, you might want to consider medical therapy such as Propecia or Minoxidil. You might also want to begin using Haircycle shampoo and conditioner to prolong the anagen duration, which is known to slow down the rate of hair loss progression. Instituting medical therapy at an earlier stage in life may limit the rate of your progression and the ultimate degree of loss you will suffer from.

We are happy to send a test kit to you if you like. The cost of the test is 149.00. This is the first diagnostic test to help you determine if hair loss may be in your future.

Tags: genes, hair follicles, hair loss, hair loss pattern, hairdx, medical therapy, minoxidil, pigment, Propecia, x-chromosome

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