11.01.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 7:19 am by Last
While many men would rather not experience hair loss at all; those that do, experience many degrees of baldness. While some hair loss sufferers lose hair only at the front, others lose it in the crown while others lose it all over the top.
While restoring a natural looking hairline and frontal core is standard in surgical hair restoration, the bald or thinning crown is often considered the black hole for grafts. Thus, patients need to decide how much hair (if any) they want to designate for the crown as they discuss their hair restoration goals with their physician.
Recently, forum member Mike the Dane whos already had a couple of hair transplants posted a thread with photos asking for input from our community as to whether or not he should start to focus on his balding crown. To offer your advice and/or share your experience, visit To Crown or Not To Crown.
Bill Seemiller aka Falceros
Associate Publisher/Editor
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10.29.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 4:54 pm by Last
The goal of hair transplant surgery is to give patients more hair than they had prior to surgery. However, unlike other cosmetic procedures, sometimes patients look worse after surgical hair restoration before they look better.
Some patients are plagued by a temporary hair loss condition known as telogen effluvium or shock loss which can occur anytime hair is transplanted in between or around existing hair. This is true whether the hair is natural or previously transplanted. This often causes great concern for those who dont expect it, and even those that do; it can be a real brain buster causing mild anxiety.
View this hair loss discussion thread to learn and discuss why shock loss occurs and how to get through the doldrums while waiting for new hair regrowth.
Bill Seemiller – aka Falceros
Associate Publisher/Editor
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10.28.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 4:47 pm by Last
Most balding men and women would love to restore their natural full head of hair by waving a magic wand and/or by popping a miracle pill. However, hair restoration involves careful and strategic planning with a skilled and experienced hair loss doctor. While Propecia (finasteride) and Rogaine (minoxidil) are typically good at slowing down or stopping the progression of male pattern baldness, hair transplant surgery is the only method of hair restoration proven to grow hair in completely bald areas.
Todays state of the art hair transplants are very natural looking and undetectable by even the harshest critics. This explains its increase in popularity over the last several years. But while advancements in surgical hair restoration are indeed exciting, its crucial for men and women considering this procedure to develop realistic expectations. What can realistically be achieved with hair transplantation varies for each patient. Below, weve cited a few important tips in helping you learn what to expect from hair replacement surgery.
Supply Verses Demand: What can be realistically achieved depends on the supply of donor hair and the amount of baldness in demand of new hair. Most patients can typically only achieve an illusion of fullness even under the best circumstances. Thankfully, this is usually enough to provide patients with a cosmetically significant improvement. Those with advanced balding may have to make additional sacrifices and leave some balding areas untouched. To see what hair transplants can accomplish on patients of varying degrees of lost hair, view Hair Transplant Photos by Norwood scale.
The Unpredictable Future: Though family history can sometimes be used as a guide, female and male pattern baldness is both progressive and unpredictable. Thus, it is important to make the best use out of the available and limited donor hair supply, leaving plenty in reserve for the possibility of subsequent hair implant procedures that become necessary.
Reputable hair restoration physicians should always proceed with extreme caution especially on young patients. These quality doctors will often refuse hairline lowering procedures and extreme dense packing on patients if risks of significant hair loss are high. Age isnt the only issue, but is to be strongly considered since risks of excessive hair loss in the future are much greater in young patients. The good news is that only a select rare group of men will progress to advanced stages of loss. See the Norwood Scale (men) and Ludwig Scale (women) for typical hair loss patterns of androgenic alopecia.
Going the Distance: While one hair transplant may or may not be able to meet your current objectives, restoration should be considered a journey rather than a single one and done procedure. Realistic expectations and a long term hair restoration plan should be discussed with your surgeon and agreed upon before undergoing even the first transplant. Be sure to discuss the risk of future baldness, the best use of a finite donor supply, and the realities of what hair transplantation can accomplish for you.
Doing the Math: The average donor hair supply with follicular unit transplantation (FUT) via microscopic dissection (strip surgery) is approximately 5000 to 8000 follicular units. For patients considering follicular unit transplantation via follicular unit extraction (FUE), a patients average donor supply is a little less between 3000 to 5000 follicular units. Usually a combination of strip and FUE can provide more than either procedure itself but less than the sum of both.
In men and women with moderate to advanced balding, there is much more demand for hair than available supply. Thus, its important to work with a reputable hair transplant surgeon to develop realistic goals. To gain a proper perspective on the amount of hair needed for a full restoration, see Can Hair Transplant Surgery Help Me Look Like Chris Martin from Coldplay?
Bill Seemiller aka Falceros
Associate Publisher/Editor
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10.26.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 7:38 pm by Last
In the past I have been told that hair density of 50 follicular unit grafts per square centimeter should not compromise graft survival. However, I was wondering would transplanting hair at 55 FU/cm2 or 65 FU/cm2 compromise vascularity or hair growth yield? Also, is any graft survival compromised leading up to achieving natural density? Cheers.
This insightful information was posted on our hair restoration forum by Dr. Brad Limmerof San Antonio, TX who is a member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians.
I agree with what has been on the hair loss forum discussion thread “Graft Survival and High Hair Densities” by various members regarding percentage yield. As Coalition member Dr. Charles points out a very important point regarding this question, “there are countless variables that go into this equation. Some are hair transplant patient dependant and some are hair restoration clinic/technique dependant. Thus, the outcome can be different between patients even though they go to the same clinic.
We have typically approached the problem of yielding densities higher than 50 FU/cm2 by a 2 pass approach. While more conservative than some (who produce nice results), I feel it minimizes 3 important risks to the patient:
1. Less than optimal hair growth
2. The Potential for ridging (dermal fibrosis below the skin which is basically scar tissue resulting from the multiple recipient sites create in such a small area)
3. Permanent neovascularization (redness that wont go away resulting from capillary proliferation during the healing process)
Sorry for the diversion from your question, but the problem of lower yield can often be easily addressed. Ridging and redness can be permanent. Granted this is not always going to occur at high densities, but this had not been seen with follicular unit (FU) micrografting until ultra high densities became more common. It was a problem seen years ago with plugs/minigrafting but is now occasionally being seen again. So while not an absolute contra indication, at least be aware of the possible risks.
Brad Limmer, M.D.
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Bill Seemiller - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog
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Posted in Uncategorized at 4:08 pm by Last
Balding men and women with hair loss whove decided to get a hair transplant are usually excited with dreams of getting their hair back. And though the end result of a hair transplant is a fuller head of hair, the expression, the devil is in the details is vital when learning how to fit surgical hair restoration into your life, especially during the first several months of healing and waiting for new hair growth. This includes returning to work, concealing your hair transplant from co-workers, friends and family, how long it takes to heal and look normal, etc.
Visit this discussion thread to discuss how to prepare for the first few awkward months after surgical hair replacement including when its ok to return to work. Your experience and input is welcome and encouraged.
Bill Seemiller – aka Falceros
Associate Publisher/Editor
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