Hair Restoration Blog

Q.

Dr Mohebi,

I hope you are well. As we get closer to my surgical date I have put together some questions for you.

I have been reading a lot on the hair restoration network and found this 1 individual called Megatron with a similar makeup to myself.

I have looked at his very detailed journal and find many similarities to myself. Because of this I have several concerns.

If you look through his journal you will notice that he has a similar hair type to myself. It appears he got acne throughout the donor and recipient area that looks horrible at about 2 months after hair transplant and continued for several months. I was very prone to acne as a child and as I mentioned in our consultation I have incredibly sensitive skin and very thin tissue. If I went to a spa and received a facial not only would my face become very red and inflamed but the benefit of the facial would not be realized for sometime due to the fact that I would most certainly get a breakout the following day. Seems like my skin does not like to be touched, squeezed etc. It also appears that he was treated for several infections around the 2 month mark as well which may have affected or increased his shock loss.

I am also concerned about the level of shock loss that he had. What are the common reasons for this and is there a way to minimize this other that the propecia you have already prescribed? It appears as if he lost a good portion of the density at about 2-3 months in the recipient area. I am not sure if I am ready to go through that even for the greater good. I understand that everyone is different and will react differently to the surgery. I have always been on the side of having the most and weirdest reactions to everything that messes with my bodies natural makeup!

When would you say that a return to normal sleeping patterns is likely?

I am not sure if this can be considered a random case of cold feet but I just wanted to get some additional reassurance from you prior to finalizing everything today

A:

It is great to hear from you. I will be answering your questions in the order you asked:

1.      What is generally seen a few months after a hair transplant procedure in some individuals is called folliculitis. This happens due to an accumulation of sebum, oily secretions, of the hair follicles.  They are not seen in every patient and do not generally have to do with having a history of acne in the past.

2.      Having sensitive skin may indicate more swelling and redness for the first few days after surgery, but this might be controllable with steroids that we already give to most patients.

3.      Shock loss is most often seen in the areas where you have significant miniaturization, which in your case we know exists based on our microscopic evaluation.  However, we recommend using finasteride after your hair transplant for a few months to minimize the shock loss.

4.      You may want to add minoxidil after hair transplant to the finasteride, to minimize the risk of shock loss even further.

5.      You can go back to your normal sleeping pattern after the 4th day after hair transplantation. Within the first four days you need to sleep in semi-sitting position, but there is no problem with putting pressure on the closed donor area.

In closing, be aware it is normal to have some level of anxiety before any type of procedure.  Please contact me if you have any other questions.

Q:

Hi Dr. Mohebi,
I saw on Channel 4 News a new type of hair restoration called the Fleming/Mayers flap method. What is your opinion on this procedure vs FUT?

A:

The Fleming/Mayer Flap method used to be one of the more solid options for treatment of frontal hair loss in patterned baldness, but with today’s more advanced methods of microscopic follicular unit transplantation, flap surgery does not have any place compared to hair restoration surgery. The result is unnatural, causing an awkward hair angle and unusually high density in the narrow strip at the front. There is an exposed linear scar on the front of your hairline.

There might be some occasions when the flap surgery might be beneficial, but for a routine patterned hair loss hair, restoration it is not recommended anymore. In fact, we do repair the scar of the patients who had a flap surgery in the past and create a transitional zone consisting of single and double hair grafts in front of the flap (this is only possible if the flap is placed high enough). Unfortunately in cases that the flap is not high enough we cannot do much to repair them and at times we have to remove some hair from the flap area to thin it out and make it look more normal.

The New Year has been favorable to US Hair Restoration as many have already come for hair transplantations and many more come to see if they can receive one. The first step for each individual is to receive their thorough hair loss consultation where they receive a full microscopic evaluation and determine their current state of hair loss, as well as patterns for future baldness.

Medical Director, Parsa Mohebi MD, is making the consultation process even easier by soon opening a Bakersfield Consultation office where patients in the Central California area, will receive an expert opinion with greater convenience and financial ease. This new office is scheduled to be opened in March 2012 and will utilize the newest technology in hair restoration communications.

We are excited to have the opportunity to join the Bakersfield family and more conveniently serve the residents of Bakersfield, Lancaster, Visalia, and Fresno.

Often times we at US Hair Restoration receive calls and emails from individuals who are ashamed that they need a hair restoration for their balding situation and want to hide the fact they contacted us for advice. Although we are very sensitive to the needs of each individual who seeks our help, we also want to speak encouragement over their situation as well as give them new hope, confidence, and a fresh perception of what they are getting themselves into.

Modern technology has allowed us capabilities we did not have 50 years ago. Just as with vision problems, many have the disadvantage of wearing glasses. Although there are contact lenses as well, there is still a dependence upon outside tools for sight, which can be inconvenient. After many years, LASIK was developed which has solved this stubborn problem of fading eyesight which many, to this day continue to suffer from.

If someone chooses to undergo a LASIK procedure, does it make them an insecure person? Not in the least! Rather, they are using their resources to look their best and be as functionally independent as possible.

We always use the latest technology in hair restoration at US Hair Restoration, which was not available as recent as 10 years ago. The question to ask is, why not use it? Thousands are doing it every year with excellent results, and nobody is concerned if their hair is native or transplanted.  Hair loss is a disease, yes a common one and like any other diseases there are treatments for it.  The proper conclusion is that these individuals are no longer bald and don’t have the competitive disadvantage like those who decided to do nothing for their baldness.

 In the end we all must be ourselves and do whatever makes us feel our best. No matter what we do with our lives, there will always be someone who will be critical of whatever we do.  Regardless of what others may say, do whatever makes you feel good about yourself.  There are options available to you today that was not available to your ancestors.