Hair Restoration Blog

Q:

Dear Dr. Mohebi,

I am a resident of xxx. I read about you through internet. I have been suffering from frontal baldness. It started about six years back during my pregnancy. I have used minoxidil twice during this period but for around 6 or 7 months long and recently with minoxidil, i started getting burning sensation on my scalp. I have also taken homeopathic medication for about 2 years. I currently have cysts in the ovaries and thyroid problem which occurred recently. I am taking medication for them.

Sir, i am confused because before going for transplantation i wanted to know:

1. The cause of hair loss
2. Which test determines whether or not my follicles are dead.
3. Is transplantation the only remedy and
4. How far we are with the latest stem cell studies?

I am enclosing my hair pictures.

Thanks & Regards

-

A:

Here are your answers in the order you asked them:

The causes of hair loss

Causes of women hair loss vary in people. That variance is even more so in women as opposed to men. A precise determination cannot be easily made until you have had a complete consult and microscopic evaluation of your scalp and hair. Base on the information you have submitted up to now; it appear that you have hair loss in front with preserved donor hair on the sides and back of your scalp that seems like a androgenetic alopecia that can respond to hair transplantation in women.

Are my follicles dead?

Hair follicles usually don’t die immediately and your hair falls out. Baldness is due to a progressive changes in the hair follicle sizes that takes place over a long period of time. This process is unique to the person who is suffering from hair loss. This process medically known as hair miniaturization cause the hair shaft to get finer and finer over time.

Eventually the finer hairs are not even visible without microscope. A microscopic assessment of your scalp and hair or miniaturization study can determine how active your hair loss is.

Is hair transplantation the only option?

Hair transplant is generally a good option for women who have hair loss in a male patterned type (preserved hair quality on the back despite of thinning or balding of the front and top areas). You might also benefit from topical medications such as minoxidil, but it seems like you have had a reaction to it in the past. There are other topical medications that you can use such as ketoconazole solution which must be prescribed after evaluation by a doctor. In some cases ketoconazole may be as effective as minoxidil.

Your having androgenetic alopecia with history of ovarian cyst is an indicator that you have elevated male hormone levels. I think it is best if you could have a hormonal test to check the levels of your male hormones including  free and total levels of testosterone.

 The latests on hair stem cell transplant

Stem cell treatment for hair loss might be an option in the future. However, we are still not quite there and much more research should be done on the safety and efficiency of this treatment for male or female patterned baldness.

Topical Steroids and Scalp Hair Loss?

Q:

 I am a 57 year old woman  experiencing hair loss over the last few years.   Diagnosed with Psoriasis over 8 years ago,  I have been using betamethasone to control my symptoms.  I noticed losing hair on the top in the last few years.  I was told it is because of my topical steroid use.  What can I do about it and what are my options for treatment of hair loss?

 A:

Topical steroids are among the most commonly used medications for treatment of psoriasis lesions on the body or scalp. Betamethasone and Clobetasone are extremely potent steroids that are used for treatment of scalp psoriasis.  The reason we prescribe more potent steroids for the scalp is because only a small percentage of them are absorbed through the scalp.

Prolonged periods of steroid use may have some local and systemic side effects such as skin atrophy or skin surface changes, but hair loss is not one of the known side effects of topical steroids.  Hair loss in post menopausal women may have a variety of different causes and I recommend a thorough evaluation of your condition.

Your medical evaluation should include a physical and a microscopic scalp evaluation. Your chosen doctor should do the appropriate lab tests  to rule out other systemic conditions that may cause hair loss in women.   Iron deficiency, thyroid or other hormonal imbalances, autoimmune disorders ,as well as, other medical conditions are known to cause hair loss in women. In our medical practice at US Hair Restoration centers we incorporate a five step approach in management of hair loss in women which allows any doctor to have a guideline to making the correct diagnosis and design a proper treatment plan for a variety of women hair loss conditions.

Parsa Mohebi, MD 

Since the advent of hair transplant surgery, hair transplant surgeons have been challenged to address the scarring that is inevitable from the donor wound in strip hair transplants. Other types of scalp surgeries such as neurological surgeries can also leave linear type scars in the scalp.

In addition trauma to the head can leave a person with unwanted scar.  A patient’s natural hair coverage can obscure the visibility of a scar in most cases.  However, proximity to a patient’s hairline and or wearing the hair too short can make a scar more obvious.

A hair transplant surgeon can easily repair or camouflage most scalp scars.  The variations in a scar shape, location and size are key factors affecting the techniques that a surgeon will use in the revisioning of the scar. The singular and most important purpose of the scar revisioning is to obscure or minimize its appearance to the naked eye. Scar revisioning is not merely cosmetic. Disfigurement from scarring often affects a person’s sense of well being and self worth.  Do to the inherent nature of the work they do cosmetic surgeons are at the forefront of minimizing the appearance of scars. We have developed an algorithm utilized in hair restoration and other surgical cosmetic practices that effectively meets the challenge of scarring from these procedures. Many of the same techniques are also employed in addressing scalp scarring from trauma and scalp surgical procedures.

Medical excellence is predicated on examination. Physically examining the scar is essential in determining what proportion of scar visibility is due to stretching, hypertrophic reaction and or hair transaction.

A scar that is wider than expected gives evidence that some level of stretching has occurred. Skin that is stretched typically has a contrasting color to neighboring skin. Minimizing this contrast is one of the key approaches to reducing this type of scar. Hair transplant surgeon can reduce the contrast by bringing hair inside the scar by a variety of techniques to minimize the contrast between the hair bearing scalp and non-hair bearing scar. That is done through placing  follicular unit grafts with FUE procedure or by performing trichophytic closure on one or both edges of a scalp scar.  Many people may need more than one hair transplant into their scalp to improve the reduction in visibility of the scar.

Every cosmetic surgeon should be familiar and knowledgeable about the cosmetic products or non-medical methods that could be used to improve scars. When managing a scalp scar, we always consider and discuss with the patients the role of a variety of techniques that might be used solely or in conjunction with surgical procedures for further improving appearance of scars. Some of these are; microfibers, foundations, and coloring agents for skin and hair or tattooing of scalp.

If you are suffering from a scalp scar, you need to find a good hair transplant surgeon with plenty of experience with treatment of scalp scars.  A simple consultation would make the overall plan clear.  The plan may include a surgical procedure, using cosmetics for hair and scalp and hair style changes.

The costs of hair transplant is one of the critical factors for many hair loss sufferers who need a hair restoration procedure. The economic turmoil of the last few years keeps many people from spending on the items that are not essential or that might be considered luxurious.

Cosmetic procedure and hair restoration costs could be considered one of the luxury items for some people, while for others it is a necessity that can improve their self worth and directly enhance their career, personal and social life. An interesting observation is that many people visit US Hair Restoration in the consideration of having a hair transplant procedure right after they lost their jobs.

The reason to prioritize a hair restoration for them has been clear; they need all help they can get to stay competitive in the job market. Some of these people were able to pay for their hair restoration procedure or they financed the entire hair transplant cost. While others were not able to qualify to finance the cost of their hair transplant simply had to keep up with their balding, knowing that it might hurt them in market place and in their social life.

US Hair Restoration recognizes the need and the responsibility of making our medical service in hair restoration accessible to people from all walks of life. Understanding this social need is magnified by the tough economic times. Our affordable hair replacement costs is indicative of our commitment to meet that need while continuing to provide the highest techniques of hair transplantation to our family of patients.

Visit our website and find out how you may qualify for these affordable prices with 0% interest financing. In addition to our 0% interest financing, US Hair Restoration offers its generous standby program which provides an opportunity for many more people to elect to restore their hair at affordable hair transplant prices.

Our standby program allows us present way more affordable costs of hair transplantations to the patients who can be flexible with the timing of their hair transplantation. For more information on how the most advanced technology and medical procedures in hair restoration are being made available to you and to learn more about our summer special affordable prices please visit our main website: ushairrestoration.com or call our offices at (888) 302-8747.