Hair Restoration Blog

A few days ago, I have seen a patient in my office whom I did not recognize. After, reviewing his file, I remembered that he was a patient that we transplanted about a year before. He could not come to see us at his 6 months follow up after his hair transplantation. Now, after a year from the time we performed his hair transplant, he was completely transformed to the point that it was difficult for me to remember him. I reviewed my notes from the first time I met him in our Los Angeles Hair Restoration Center. I had written in his chart his first question when he saw me: “DOCTOR IS THERE ANY HOPE FOR ME?”

He was a man with advanced male patterned baldness (class VII on the Norwood scale) with not the most generous donor hair. His donor hair was very fine. Fortunately his scalp laxity and density could compensate for his fine hair shafts.  We performed a giga-session hair transplant with over 4,000 grafts in one session for him.

I was extremely pleased to see the transformation in his look and self image. And I was glad to be able to answer his question after one year:

YES, THERE IS HOPE!

Q:

Dr. Mohebi,

Reading thru a website about hair restoration and what is needed after a hair transplant. Resulted in a question; I wanted to see what you recommend here:

• Apply huge amounts of Aloe Vera gel to both donor and recipient area but not until five days after surgery (then twice a day minimum).

A:

You don’t need anything other than the shampoo that we gave you and proper techniques of washing that we instructed you for washing off the scabs.  If your scabs remain in place for more than one week after surgery, you can leave the shampoo on the scalp longer for over ten minutes to help remove all the scabs.  Aloe Vera Gel won’t hurt, but it does not replace proper washing.

TRUE OR FALSE?

REALLY, Really, really….

The chances of shampoo having measurable effect on hair growth has never been substantiated by any independent clinical tests. Trust me if there were I’d be the first to buy stock and that pharmaceutical or cosmetic company.

Search away but beyond a perceived cosmetic result shampoos have yet to be substantiated as an alternative to hair loss.  FALSE!

Q:

 Magnetic Therapy Effects on Hair Loss

Our patients and readers barrage our offices with questions regarding  exotic methods that are claim to help hair loss.  When these claims are published in sources that appear sophisticated and reputable to the average consumer more confusion sets in.  I receive many questions regarding the validity of these devices including laser combs, LED light hats, magnetic devices, heating caps etc.

The reality is that we only have a few techniques that can actually help hair loss and those are:

1. Hair transplantation that can permanently move hair from permanent hair zone to balding area
2. Hair loss medications such as finasteride and minoxidil that primarily can slow down the process of hair loss.
3. Ketoconazole and Bimatoprost solutions; two other solutions that appear to stimulate hair growing as a side effect.
4. A few herbals such as Saw Palmetto with DHT blocking properties.

Hair restoration is a huge market considering that over 60% of white males over the age of 50 have some degrees of hair loss that requires some sort of treatment.  Most of those devices that claim that they can help hair loss are shooting to only sell one time to a small fraction of balding population who are desperate.  The consumers of these products don’t mind spending a few dollars on a new device with a huge claim that seem harmless to them.

If you do the math you can figure out that each of those claims can profit its seller sweetly and as long as there is no regulation to put stop on those commercials we are going to witness more and more of those ads. The best advice is to see a good hair transplant surgeon and remember the tried and true adage; “If it sounds too good to be true, it most likely isn’t.”

Q:

Hello Dr. Mohebi,

Please, allow me to ask the following question on behalf of my son ‘J’ your patient — he would greatly appreciate your feedback:

He is taking the small dose of finasteride each day, potentially have the side effect of minimizing or adversely affecting his muscle gains that he might otherwise achieve as a result of daily work-outs at the gym?

Thank you in advance for your support, time and consideration. All our best regards,

A:

Finasteride works through blocking the conversion of testosterone to Dihydroxytestostrone (DHT). Testosterone is the main hormone affecting the muscle growth in men. DHT is the hormone that adversely effects hair follicles leading to thinning hair and baldness. By taking finasteride the patient benefits from reduced conversion of testosterone to DHT. However, the medication does not have any effect on testosterone itself and its effects on muscles mass.

In short, losing muscle volume is not one of the documented side effects of finasteride.

Have a great day,

Dr. Mohebi

More recommended reading:

• What is DHT?
• DHT and hair growth inhibition

Do female athletes experience male pattern hairline recession?

Q:

Dear Dr. Mohebi,

Recently, when watching the Olympics I noticed that the female swimmers seemed to have very recessive hairlines even at very youthful ages. This was highlighted by the US Olympic Women’s Swim Teams Medal Platform Pictures. In this image all but one of the medalists has exceptionally receding hairlines for women. Is this just coincidence or could it be from the use of male hormone performance enhancing drugs.

Or is it that, women with this high athletic capacity have a higher level of male hormones adversely affecting their hair. This struck me very hard and considering commercial endorsements that Olympians often receive it seems that something could be done to help them if they should choose.  I am looking forward to your response.

A:

You present a very curious observation and pose some interesting questions. Thanks for asking.  Many women naturally  have a  receded hairline or higher than normal foreheads.  That is not necessarily related  any medical conditions. Likewise it is not necessarily related to the use of steroids or other performance enhancing drugs.  Over time women who have elevated androgen or male hormones for any reason can develop a recessive hairline similar to adult men. This is called a male patterned maturation of  hairline.  Some patients that we have seen progress to a full blown hair loss if the gene of male patterned hair loss has been passed on to them from their previous generation. This can be either from their mother or father.

It is important to note that there is no evidence to show an increase in male hormones in female athletes due to strenuous physical activities. I developed a 5 Step Management system for women’s hair loss. Usually I order a complete set of lab tests that includes levels of total and free testosterone and DHEA in women who have a male patterned hairline. This is also true for female hair loss patients  who lose their hair in a male pattern. Any woman who is suffering from a recessive hairline that effects their well being and quality of life can greatly benefit from a hair transplant procedure.

One of the most effective ways of doing this is  lowering the hairline with a follicular unit hair transplantation.  In this procedure we alter a perceived masculine hairline in a woman to a natural feminine hairline.  In such cases these women often do not have any sign of hair loss in other scalp areas. This means that they have  plenty of donor hair  that could be transplanted.  These women can generally achieve the reasonable level of density in one or two procedures. Our staffs in our Los Angeles  hair transplant clinics are inspired by the positive effects we have on our female patients live in providing a natural, proven, permanent solution to hair loss or recessive hairlines.

I hope this answers your question. Let me close by saying on behalf of myself and the entire US Hair Restoration staff; that we are extremely proud of the individual and collective effort of our US Olympic Women’s Swim Team. We extend our warm and heartfelt congratulations with sincerity to these strong, dynamic and beautiful ladies.

Shock Loss after Hair Transplant Surgery

Q:

Dr. Mohebi, I am considering an additional hair transplant surgery. With my previous surgery elsewhere, I experienced a good deal of shock loss. This makes me a bit skeptical but I know I need an additional surgery to maintain the image I have now.

Why is shock loss such a problem?

-

A:

Shock loss, is the accelerated hair loss following any stressful event. That stress may be due to emotional or physical trauma. Hair Transplant procedure is not an exception.

Shock loss after a hair transplant surgery was not uncommon in the past. However, today with proper medical treatment, shock loss can be significantly reduced or even eliminated. Using finasteride or Propecia around the time of hair transplant can inhibit or minimize the risk of shock loss. That is why this treatment is being used by most hair transplant surgeons.

At US Hair Restoration centers, most of our patients start a regimen of finasteride several days before their hair transplant surgery and continue the intake six to eight months after their procedure. The combination of medication and surgical hair restoration provides our patients with natural, permanent and proven results.

Natural Hair Vitamins: Can they help transplanted hair grow?

Q.

Hi Dr. Mohebi

Hope you are doing well.  I am 3 weeks after my hair transplantation with you. I have two questions about two products after my hair transplantation.  The first is the Hair Essentials? Can I buy and use this product now?  Is it going to help my hair growth? Also, I will go to a party next week, I was wondering if I can use Toppik and use it for that night. I don’t know if it is going to be harmful on my hair?

Thanks

A.

I  am doing great, thanks for asking. It’s good to know you are doing well after your surgery and enjoying an active social life. Your questions are good ones and may help other readers. I will answer them in the order you asked.

Hair Essentials are vitamin and herbal supplements that declare it will assist with hair growth. There are no significant medical research studies verifying this vitamin formula as a sufficient hair growth simulator. As you know it is the effect of DHT on your hair follicles that attributed to your hair loss. It was not the lack of vitamins. Hair Essentials product has Saw Palmetto which is a DHT blocker and is used by some patients.  However, I believe the finasteride which I prescribed for you is approved by the FDA because it is a well researched and verified DHT blocker.

Toppik is a product that reduces the look of baldness by reducing the contrast between your scalp and hair color. Using it on this special occasion is a solution while you are waiting for your transplanted hairs to start to grow.  I hope this helps and I look forward to your follow up in the future.

 Why have an FUE Transplant Procedure for Hair Restoration?

Mohebi Medical, US Hair Restoration centers are leading clinics in hair transplants. Their southern California offices receive questions daily via phone or online regarding the latest advancements and technologies in hair restoration. Parsa Mohebi, MD an internationally recognized leading surgeon and researcher in hair restoration leads the medical team at the clinic. We receive calls almost daily regarding hair restoration through hair transplantation.  We are often queried regarding Follicular Unit Extraction [FUE] hair restoration surgery.

FUE Hair Transplant

There is a lack of clarity for some people regarding FUE and FUT hair transplant surgeries. Mohebi Medical, US Hair Restoration centers specialize in performing both types of surgery for hair restoration. Though Strip Method, a form of FUT hair transplants is by far the most common surgery performed; FUE procedures offer certain advantages.

FUE hair transplant surgery is a form of hair restoration. This medical procedure should absolutely be performed by a Board Certified medical doctor. FUE stands for Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE.)  FUE is a method to remove hair follicular units individually. The other method used in modern hair restoration involves taking a strip of the scalp and dissecting it into follicular units. FUE is a particular type of FUT hair restoration surgery.

Based on a patient’s consultation and microscopic scalp evaluation, and FUE hair transplant may be deemed the best choice. At our Los Angeles based centers we do not have a preference for a type of hair transplant surgery. Mohebi Medical maintains a patient centered practise Doing what is best for the patient.  FUE transplants are great solution for some people.

FUE transplantation is a viable solution for many hair loss sufferers, especially those with minimum hair loss or people who really want to avoid having a scar on their scalp. FUE is also a good choice for people who suffer from significant pain or have low pain tolerance. There may be other specific medical reasons base on a person’s medical history that makes FUE transplant the best choice for them. At times we choose FUE to correct issues arising from poor surgeries done elsewhere.

Below are some more facts regarding FUE hair transplant surgery:

FUE transplantation, we may harvest up to 1500 in one session.

• FUE procedures for patients needing more grafts than 1500 should be done in another session.
• FUE allows for donor hair to come from other areas of the body; this is helpful when scalp donor hair cannot yield the number of grafts needed.
• FUE is a great choice for other cosmetic options such as restoring eyebrows and hairlines
• FUE transplant are an optimum choice for scar revision in the scalp when most often only a limited number of grafts are needed.
• The cost of FUE is higher since it is more labor intensive and requires more specialized artistic skill.

In properly considering and FUE transplant, it is recommended to having an evaluation by a hair transplant surgeon who is skilled in both FUE transplantation and strip method before you decide which procedure is right for you. Our firm provides online video consult for our patients globally.