Hair restoration patients with more advanced patterns of hair loss usually desire to have the maximum number of hair grafts transplanted in as few surgeries as possible. At Hasson & Wong we classify any hair transplant surgery requiring 2000 or more grafts a megasession. Our patients enjoy more dramatic results with fewer hair transplant procedures when we perform these megasessions.
Follicular unit transplantation combined with dense packing in megasessions are providing patients with previously unimagined results in a single surgery. At Hasson & Wong we believe this type of surgery represents the future of surgical hair transplantation and we continue to push the envelope to achieve even more profound results.
Baldness, also known as alopecia, is hair loss, or absence of hair. Baldness is usually most noticeable on the scalp, but can occur anywhere on the body where hair grows. The condition is more common in men than in women.
There are a number of hair replacement techniques that are available, although hair replacement surgery cannot help those who suffer from total baldness. Candidates for hair replacement must have a healthy growth of hair at the back and sides of the head. The hair on the back and sides of the head will serve as hair donor areas where grafts and flaps will be taken.
There are many causes of hair loss in men and women, including disease, nutritional deficiency, hormone imbalance, and stress. However, by far the most common cause is what is called adrogenetic alopecia. Alopecia is simply the medical term for hair loss. Androgenetic refers to the fact that both a genetic predisposition to balding, and the influence of androgens, or male hormones, play a part in this type of hair loss.
In fact, there is a third factor, which is the passage of time, or aging.
Hair does not really serve any important function since a person can certainly live without it! Yet, our hair and how it looks is a very important part of our self-image. So when a person loses their hair, it is a disturbing event.
The life cycle of a single hair can be divided into a period of active growth, lasting several years, and a resting stage, which last 60 to 90 days. Of the normal scalp's 100,000 hairs, as many as 15 percent are in the resting mode, soon to be lost at the rate of about 75 hairs per day (hardly noticeable to people). The rate of hair loss does increase dramatically when the growing hair follicle is subjected to different types of internal stress, such as high fever, severe flu, surgery, crash diets, and certain medications.
Most abnormal hair loss in younger people is caused by one of five conditions: alopecia areata, tinea capitis, traction alopecia, trichotillomania, and telogen effluvium. (Dermatologists love fancy names for their diseases!)
We normally have, on average, 100,000 hairs on our scalp. And as evinced by our changing hair lengths, roots and visits to our hairdressers, those hairs grow; in fact, 90 percent of our hair is actively growing at any given time. Hair is the second fastest growing tissue in our body after (I'd love for you to guess) ... bone marrow. To keep its place on your head, your hair needs the right conditions. (Note I didn't say conditioner.) You may find that you're unexpectedly losing hair if you impose restrictions on hair growth or if your genes are such that continued hair growth is not in your destiny.
There's a simple test you can do to help determine whether you are losing hair, it's just thinning or you are damaging it by abusive hair products or pulling it too tight (which can occur with braiding). Pull on several strands of your hair - do they come out easily at the root? If so, it suggests that the hairs are indeed "shedding" and have gone into what we call an excess telogen phase.
For men who are concerned at the earliest indication of hair loss, it might be well to consider the last question first: “If I begin to develop male-pattern baldness, how soon should I begin to consider hair transplants?”
The decision to have hair transplantation should not be made as a snap judgment. No ethical physician hair restoration specialist would allow you to do so. No one should use your concern about hair loss to sell or pressure you into a decision to have hair transplants.
Hair loss and baldness, which doctors call alopecia, is a common problem for both men and women and has many causes.
People's reaction to hair loss is a very personal issue - different people react differently. Some people become very distressed as they believe it makes them look older and less attractive, affecting their body image and self-esteem. Others are not as concerned. However, treatments are available for many of the different types of hair loss.
When used with oral contraceptives, the male hair-loss medication finasteride (brand-named Propecia) may also help improve hair loss in women, Italian researchers report.
"This treatment was well accepted by the patients, who judged the results to be even better than the investigators," a team from the University of Bologna reported in the March issue of the journal Archives of Dermatology.
The study included 37 women, ages 19 to 50, who took 2.5 milligrams of finasteride by mouth daily, along with an oral contraceptive. The contraceptive was necessary because finasteride is known to cause birth defects. The contraceptive used in the study was a type that also reduces levels of male hormones (which also circulate at small amounts in women). The researchers believed that might also help reduce hair loss in the women.
Recent evidence indicates that male-pattern baldness is associated with an increased risk of heart disease. Since most people reading this book suffer from androgenic alopecia, it's a good idea to review what the current medical literature has to say about the association between male pattern baldness and heart disease. In addition, what we can do to lower the risk of heart disease will also be discussed.
I would like to clarify one thing before proceeding. As an author, my primary goal in the process of writing this book was to provide the reader with as much information as possible on the subject of hair loss. As a physician, I cannot ignore the association between heart disease and androgenic alopecia. Although this chapter does not directly discuss hair loss, I strongly urge you to read it. In many ways, it just might be the most important chapter in this book.
Taking full care of your hair but can't stop it from falling? Scared, that you might just end up going bald, but don't know the reason behind hair loss? Well, the reason, if you are a woman, is your stressful life.
A survey into women's attitudes concerning health, beauty and celebrity culture carried out by vitamin supplement makers Vitabiotics Perfectil, has found that a large number of women are going bald and it is all because of their busy lifestyles and modern diets.
Alopecia, which means hair loss, is of epidemic proportion for many women of color. Although there have been magazine articles and television segments about alopecia, it continues to be poorly understood by many women. There are many different causes of alopecia that affect women with brown skin. However, there are two types of hair loss that women with curly or tightly coiled hair are plagued with: central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia.
Alopecia is a devastating condition for all women, despite the cause. All women want to have their own healthy hair. Hair loss effects self-esteem, social interactions and relationships.
People whose skin has been scarred by burns, certain diseases, radiation therapy, or other injuries may develop cicatricial alopecia.
Scar tissue forms when some part of the dermis is destroyed. The dermis is the second layer of the skin, and contains the hair follicles. In addition to burns and other injuries, cicatricial alopecia can be caused by certain types of infections, called granulomas; lupus erythematosus; recurring bacterial or fungal infections; a skin disease called lichen planus; and scalp ringworm.
Results released today from an informal investigation conducted over the last four years indicates that individuals who suffer from hair loss believe their appearance negatively impacts virtually every part of their lives.
Conducted by Farrell Hair, an international company with salons that specialize in custom, non-surgical hair replacement systems, the study reinforces the trend which Richard Farrell, President of Farrell Hair, has been witnessing first-hand.
"The pain of hair loss knows no age limits, no ethnic or gender exemptions," said Farrell. "Imagine waking up one day and realizing you are drastically losing your hair, or worse, that you are bald? These people feel disfigured and devastated!
While your mom will tell you it's what's inside that counts, the simple fact is that appearance has an important impact in both business and social situations. For men, one of the key factors in projecting an air of youth, power and virility is a healthy head of hair.
Unfortunately, for 50 million men in the United States, male pattern baldness, the most common cause of hair loss in men, is in their genes. Some men experience male pattern baldness while still in their teens, and it becomes more common as men age. Forty percent of men have noticeable hair loss by age 35; by age 60, it's 65 percent.
About 90 percent of hair on the scalp grows continually. The other 10 percent of scalp hair is in a resting phase that lasts two to three months. At the end of the resting stage, this hair is shed.
Shedding 50 to 100 hairs a day is normal. When a hair is shed, it is replaced by a new hair from the same follicle and the growing cycle starts again. Scalp hair grows about one-half inch a month.
As people age, the rate of hair growth slows.
(CBS) The average person loses between 50 and 100 hairs a day. But, as we know, many folks lose a whole lot more than that. And while some are comfortable with that prospect, others are not.
We've all know some of them: the men and women coping with thinning or balding hair any way they can. While there have long been many options to choose from, never before have the results been so realistic. Technology's come a long way, but then again, never before has a shaved head been so sexy.
Telly Savalas may have kicked off the trend in the 1970s as the bald police detective with the lollipop in Kojak, but today everyone seems to be taking it off.
Eyebrows frame the face. Your entire appearance can change if you lose your beautiful brows. Have you been told that you lost your eyebrows because you over-plucked? While over-plucking may certainly lead to diminished growth of the brows, did you know there are a variety of conditions that can result in the temporary or permanent loss of eyebrows?
Hair will be lost by a variety of situations that affect its growth cycle, or the area from which it grows. Should you take medication that stops hair growth, such as chemotherapy, you can lose hair. Or if you have a skin condition that causes significant inflammation within the area, the hair can fall out in response to the problem. A skin disease in which foreign tissue or cells come into the area may push the hair out in attempt to overtake the area. Certain hormonal or endocrine conditions can also wreak havoc on the hair follicles in this area. Autoimmune disease in which the body turns on itself may also lead to a loss of hair. So too, can some infections.
Dr. Robert Leonard, Founder and Chief Surgeon of Leonard Hair Transplant Associates with offices in MA, RI and NH, announced today the availability of a new genetic test for male pattern baldness. Dr. Leonard is the only hair surgeon in New England to offer this to patients.
Dr. Robert Leonard stated, "Fifty percent of men in America will be affected by genetic male pattern baldness. This exciting new tool enables young people who may be concerned about hair loss to genetically view their 'family tree'. Then we can make informed decisions and be proactive in
treating male pattern baldness."
It appears that balding men have more to worry about than their vanity. The largest study to date concludes that male pattern baldness is associated with an increased risk for heart disease.
The more the hair loss, the higher the possible risk, according to researchers from the Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Age seems to make no difference.
Chances are, you've seen the commercials for Propecia, the newest treatment for male-pattern baldness. Along with all the glowing testimony from men who say it has changed their lives comes a warning that it is for men only and that women should not even touch the tablets. Sounds pretty scary, doesn't it? You may have nightmares about waking up one morning with two heads if your husband even brings the stuff into the house. Well, worry no longer. The truth about Propecia is here.
Propecia, chemical name finasteride, is produced by Merck and was cleared by the FDA in late 1997 for sale in the U.S. It is available only by prescription to male patients.
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