Hair Restoration
IS HAIR LOSS IN YOUR FUTURE?
Hair loss in men is not uncommon - some form of hair loss occurs in nearly 2 of every 3 men. However, with correct diagnosis and treatment, many men with hair loss can be helped.
A person's hair goes through a continuous cycle of growing and resting. At any given time, 90% of a person's scalp hairs are in the growth phase, which lasts 2 to 6 years. Following the growth phase, a hair enters a 2 to 3 month resting phase. At the end of this resting phase, this hair will shed, to be replaced by new hair, beginning the growing cycle again. Most men lose 50 to 100 hairs per day through shedding that occurs in the normal hair cycle. This level of shedding is not cause for alarm. However, if you are concerned about more rapid thinning, we can help...
HAIR RESTORATION BEGINS TODAY
Throughout time, hair has been an important aspect of a person's appearance and personality. Color, length, style, and certainly amount have often been associated with youth, sex appeal, health and power. It's no wonder then, that balding, thinning hair or a receding hairline, is a serious concern for those coping with hair loss.
WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF HAIR LOSS?
Everyone loses hair regularly - about 100 per day. Under normal circumstances, a hair that is shed is replaced by a new hair from the same follicle. However, when many of the hairs stop being replaced naturally, hair loss begins. This problem impacts the lives of approximately 35 million men and 22 million women in the United States. Common causes of permanent or temporary hair loss include; heredity, illness or disease, nutritional deficiencies, stress, medications, injury, high fever, improper or abusive hair treatment, and cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation. Male or female pattern baldness, referred to as androgenetic alopecia, accounts for the vast majority of hair loss.
ARE THERE ANY SOLUTIONS?
The recent release of an oral medicine which treats the underlying cause of male pattern baldness and topical Minoxidil solution provides new options for young men with thinning hair of the crown. Dermatologic surgeons can perform hair restoration surgery to correct hair loss and create a natural-looking hairline. Moreover, technological breakthroughs within the last 10 years have led to many new options and techniques that make hair restoration safer and easier for patients with completely natural results.
"Micro hair transplantation is the only method to restore or maintain a natural appearing frontal hairline. It is effective for patients of any age, who are experiencing hereditary hair loss know as androgenetic alopecia," explains Dr. Chu.
Dr. Chu has found that transplanting hundreds of micro (1-2 hairs) and mini (3-4 hairs) grafts (between 400-800 per session) completely eliminates the "tufted" or "doll's hair" look that people associate with now obsolete techniques that use larger grafts. Performed in the office, under local anesthesia, hair transplantation uses grafts taken from the back of the patients scalp. Grafts are dissected into various sizes and then implanted in a pattern that will create the most natural appearance.
Because they are so small, these grafts can be implanted close together to provide excellent density. Smaller grafts also heal much more quickly than larger ones.
"I encourage the patient to shampoo the very next day and return to work as soon as he feels comfortable doing so, usually in 3-4 days," states Dr. Chu.
"The procedure itself has few complications," says Dr. Chu,
" A poorly planned or executed transplantation using larger grafts (5-10 hairs) may result in an unnatural appearance that is difficult to camouflage and sometimes impossible to correct surgically."
WHO BENEFITS FROM HAIR RESTORATION SURGERY?
Anyone who has experienced permanent hair loss may be a candidate for hair restoration surgery, including:
- men with male pattern baldness
- some women with thinning hair - female pattern thinning
- people with areas of scarring from injuries or hair loss after face lift procedures
- people who want to thicken or restore eyebrows, eyelashes and beards
The ideal candidate for hair restoration surgery has healthy, dense hair on the sides and back of the head. These are the sites that are used as donor areas -- the areas from which grafts are taken.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER HAIR TRANSPLANT SURGERY?
Hair transplantation is a very safe, relatively minor surgical procedure. patients are provided with a mild analgesic to relieve and discomfort felt the night following the procedure. Patients may be asked to use moist compresses or sprays and to sleep in a semi-upright position for 2-3 days following the procedure to minimize swelling and bruising. Small crusts mat form on each graft that can be camouflaged by any existing hair that can be combed over the recipient area. These crusts will flake off by 10-14 days after the surgery. The transplanted hair seen above the scalp will initially be shed, however the roots will remain dormant for 6-12 weeks, at which time the new hairs will all begin to grow. NUmbness that may occur in the donor or recipient area usually disappears in 2-8 months following surgery.
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