Hair transplant technicians are an integral and important part of the operation in hair transplant surgeries.  Therefore properly trained hair technician plays an important role in hair restoration results.

At US Hair Restoration we utilize a well designed system in which we train our hair technicians.  Our hair technicians are selected by a discerning level of criteria:

*    A high level of personal ethics
*    Initially demonstrate a natural level of strong hand eye coordination
*    General training as medical or surgical assistant
*   Further training as hair transplant technician —  is provided in our office for more junior   technicians.

Hair Transplant Technician Selection

After a vigorous selection process our technicians must complete US Hair Restorations custom designed Hair Technicians Training Program. Our technicians complete intense period of training under the direct tutelage and supervision of medical director Dr. Parsa Mohebi. This training includes:

     *   lectures
     *   surgical observation
     *   demonstration high level of skills on synthetic hair and laboratory models
     *   compliance of surgical techniques and standards

At each level technicians must show proper improvement and competency prior to moving to the next level of training.  We do not allow technicians to work on actual patients before they demonstrate proper skills and above satisfactory completion of our training program.

US Hair Restoration Hair Technician Training Program

During this program each technician first learns how to cut and place grafts on synthetic hair and scalp at the next level the hair technician candidates’ advance to working and mastering their skills Bovine skin which is close enough to human hair orientation for laboratory purposes and skill development.

Laboratory conditions replicate the hours of actual surgery. During this time future hair technicians for US Hair Restoration spend hours cutting and implanting bovine hair grafts. This training improves their hand eye coordination until they reach a level of competency to assist in an actual hair transplant surgery.

 Advancement to Hair Transplant Surgical Procedures

Upon successful completion of all necessary lecture series and hands on training our hair technicians receive approval from the medical director to working in the operating room under supervision of a senior hair restoration technician.

When hair transplant technicians are properly trained they will demonstrate their abilities and skills by passing the written and oral examinations.  After demonstrating that they are capable of working to the high standards of US Hair Restoration, they graduate as hair transplant technicians.  Recently graduated hair transplant technicians continue to be supervised to improve their skills.  They also are required to participate in internal educational series, as well as, and external hair transplant seminars that are designed for hair technicians.

We are proud to announce that US Hair Restoration is ready to train technicians for other centers that need to have highly trained technicians for their hair restoration services.

A new study on hair transplant in chronic wound healing brings new hope for many patients who suffer from non-healing or delayed healing wounds.  The study was conducted by my friend Dr. Francisco Jiménez in Spain. In this research, Dr. Jiménez and his colleague evaluate the effect of hair transplant grafts on improved healing of chronic wounds.

Area reduction in experimental group (black line) that received hair transplant into their ulcers vs. the control group (red line)

The study is based on the fact that epidermal sheets from the hair follicle may help in re-epithelialization of the wound bed.  The investigators reported that healing of chronic wounds progresses faster in skin where healthy hair follicles exist.

This may be explained by the fact that hair follicles are full of progenitor cells (cells that can transform to other types).  In this study 10 patients with chronic wounds (ulcers) of about 36 cm².  Most wounds were present without complete healing for about 10 years. The researchers implanted 20 hair grafts in an area of 2×2 centimeter.  They also used a similar square of non grafted area as control.

After evaluation of the wound in those two areas it was readily apparent that the area receiving hair implants healed much faster at the 18-week end point.  In this particular case the transplanted area of wound (ulcer) healed significantly better than non transplanted area (27.1% vs. 6.5% ulcer area reduction).  The maximum healing has been noted to be 33.5% vs. 9.7% (transplanted vs. control group) reduction at week four.  In further microscopic evaluation, the investigators noted an increase in several wound healing elements such as epithelialization, neovascularization, and dermal reorganization.

This study demonstrates the amazing role of hair follicle grafting into wound that do not heal normally due to a variety of different causes.  The process of transplanting the wound with hair grafts can be done as an outpatient procedure. This new procedure could improve the life style of many people while reducing the financial burden of treating chronic wounds for the society.

Reference:

Jiménez F et al. A pilot clinical study of hair grafting in chronic leg ulcers, Wound Repair Regen. 2012 Nov-Dec;20(6):806-14

Dear Dr. Mohebi,

I have a question regarding the FUT hair transplant process. Will the white hairs separated from the strip of scalp be used for hair transplant too? As I have some white hairs at the back of my head.

Thanks a lot.

-

A:

Good question. We generally don’t discriminate between black and white. Every hair will be used. However, we can decide to use more of grafts with black hair on one area rather than others. We usually discuss these factors before a hair transplant and will definitely consider individual styling preferences when planning for a hair transplantation.

Hello Dr Mohebi,

I recently read an article on the web that you commented on Harvard research for hair cloning.  I am in my early 40′s, fairly broke, and eagerly awaiting the day that hair cloning is successful and available to the market.  For the past decade, I keep hearing the same promises that it will arrive in 5 years, but still no luck.  Can you comment on why it is not here yet, and perhaps when we will see it.  Thanks in advance.

A:

Hair multiplication also referred to as “Hair Cloning” is a hot topic in hair restoration over the last few years it is garnering more and more attention.  The research for multiplying hair (hair cloning) has been going on for years now in several centers around the world over the past few years.  The study that we performed with collaboration with some scientists in Cedar Sinai is only one of the many steps that need  be taken to successfully multiply hair.

Hair multiplication would offer superior benefits to patients and represent a significant advance for medical science and hair restoration. Still the march towards this being a medical reality moves slowly for a several different reasons:

1.  Although hair loss has detrimental effects on patients’ lives, is yet to be recognized as a burning issue in medical field to warrant more funding for hair loss research.
2.  Hair multiplication studies are usually done in private setting without the support of larger institutions such as universities and NIH (National Institute of Health).
3. The growth rates of the hair stem cells are extremely slow in cell cultures.  That makes the overall period of hair multiplication timelier and adds exponentially to the cost of these studies.

The combination of above three factors and other obstacles in this process has made progress of hair multiplication very slow.  My best estimation of current research is that hair multiplication is probably at least 8 years away from practical medical application.  The reason for this is that any new medical treatment or device needs to go through different phases to obtain FDA approval for its use in the U.S.

The last phase necessary in development of a new treatment is ‘clinical trials’. The phase three is done on volunteer patients to find out more about long term complications that might be associated with the treatment. At this time no study has reached the clinical trials stage this makes it unlikely that we can have hair cloning available to public within the next eight years.

Today, technological advances in medicine have opened up new options in all areas of medicine. We have watched the evolution of glasses to hard contacts to disposable contact lenses to Lasik surgery. The benefits of these new procedures empowered many to change their destiny. People do not have to live with conditions like eye problems, obesity or baldness that strongly effects and influences their self-esteem and quality of life.

In my experience as a hair transplant surgeon many women will reject men only because they are bald; many others associate baldness as being less masculine. Now this is not true for all women, but certainly there is still a palpable negative social stigma associated with baldness.

I had the opportunity to study, research and publish on the psychology of hair loss and hair restoration. Today, we know that hair loss is a real concern affecting many men and women’s well-being  This is a social reality. More importantly it is fact that medically we now have amazing solutions for many types of hair loss conditions.

The advance in hair transplantation technology over the past decades makes available procedures like FUT, FUE for hair restoration procedures that provide natural and proven results. I say: why not use it? A lot of people are doing it, and nobody knows if their hair is native hair or transplanted hair. The key point here is: they are not bald anymore and they feel good about themselves. People with today’s natural and permanent hair transplants face the world happier and more confident people.

Here is what I recommend: Be yourself and do whatever makes your heart happy. No matter what you do with your life, there are going to be people who may not like it. It should not influence your decisions. If you think an elective surgery such as hair transplant can drastically improve your life don’t hesitate. Seek a professional consult from a hair transplant doctor. Let baldness be only a thing that our ancestors had to experience.

Q:

I have read online that Propecia can cause depression as a side effect. Some articles I read say it is a very rare side effect and others say it can occur in 75-80% of the time. Which is correct?  Thanks.

A:

The primary clinical trials on finasteride (Propecia) were conducted with a large number of patients over a period of 5 years. These initial trials did not reveal any evidence of depression in the participants. However, subsequently a few more recent reports indicate the possibility of depression occurring after taking finasteride.

A prospective study on 174 young men in 2004 suggested a higher chance of depression in men who used finasteride. The authors of the study concluded that finasteride might induce depressive symptoms. The recommendation from this study was that finasteride should be prescribed cautiously in patients who have higher risk of depression. This could be further underscored by the studies on psychology of hair loss and hair transplant in patients which notes alteration in self image and esteem and possibility of improvement of depression. The 2004 study emphasized that further clinical research is necessary to evaluate the behavioral effects of finasteride in higher doses in patients who are more susceptible to depression.

Based on the results of this study, we cannot suggest a percentage for depression in patients taking finasteride. Obviously, if you are experiencing mood disorders or any other symptoms while taking finasteride, you need to discuss it with your doctor for further diagnosis and treatment.

Dear Dr. Parsa Mohebi,

Exactly 2 years ago (2011), I was diagnosed with Oral Candidiasis (Candida Albicans, Yeast, Thrush. Till presently, I still suffer from Oral Candidiasis and oral hair growth. My gums get itchy to the point of comparison to poison ivy, & hairs which feel like multiple splinters in my gums.

In the beginning, my gums were so soft that they were literally piecing off. In the back of my left, last tooth it was so unbearably itchy and the skin became multiple white balls coming off the gum. It was biopsied for cancer, although I had expected that the results would have rather been that of a diagnosis.

Within the past 2 years, my gums and teeth have been suffering from this phenomenon. Within the past year and a half, I had a tooth extracted, which immediately after the anesthesia had worn off, began feeling like something sharp was inside the gum. The dentist would not fully examine it, and before I realized the extent of it, hair (some resembling nasal hair and stubble) was growing in, and coming out of my gums; increasing in numbers, forms and areas as time has passed.

Having gone to over twenty-five doctors/specialists, not one is knowledgeable, nor believes that anyone can have hair growing in the oral cavity.

Despite indeed this is a rare case, after reading your blog, articles, and speaking with you, I have the utmost confidence with your knowledge and expertise, that you will be of great help in solving this dreadful, debilitating health issue.

Thank you ever so much!

A:

Hi,

Growing hair inside mouth is an extremely rare condition but it was reported in medical literature in past as “oral hirsutism”. I have written a post on that in our blog in November of 2009 as Hair Growth in Woman’s Mouth. The diagnosis on that particular case was hyper-androgenism. Hyper androgenism is due to excess secretion of the male hormone (testosterone). Elevated testosterone could be present in some conditions like polycystic ovary disease or other endocrinology disorders.

In your case, you need a lab work to check your hormonal levels. Most importantly, the levels of testosterone and DHEA should be measured. If any of those hormones are elevated, further investigation is warranted to find out the reason for the excess hormones. Then your oral doctor should find the exact location that grows hair and try to remove the hair follicles.

There should not be any further growth of hair, if the elevated hormone is treated and after the hair follicles are removed. Thank you for sharing with us your condition. I hope this condition gets treated completely soon.

Hair Transplant Price for spring special is now available at US Hair Restoration offices in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles (Encino), and Orange County. The spring promotion for hair transplantation include 28% discount off the cost of hair restorations on standby basis.

*The standby program is for people who can be flexible with their time and can stay on a waiting list until we have an opening for them.
**We still offer 0% financing for 18 months for approved credits. The patients who use our 0% interest financing can only receive 20% discount off the cost of hair transplantation when they use standby rates of hair transplants.

For more information on hair transplant cost and other options such as group discount and travel reimbursements please visit hair transplant cost in our website.

US Hair Restoration Management,

Los Angeles Hair Transplant Centers of US Hair Restoration and their services are reviewed by Dr. Mohebi in this video.