HAIR TRANSPLANTATION
One of the fastest growing areas of Dr. Samir's hair restoration practice is the treatment of women with hair loss. Nearly 20-25% of all patients were women. Women commonly present with one or more of the following hair loss problems.
• Overall loss of hair volume
• Loss of coverage in the frontal area (behind the hairline)
• Loss of coverage in the crown or vertex area
• Recession of the frontal hairline (high forehead)
• Recession of the hairline in the temples
• Eyebrow Loss (thin or sparse eyebrows)
• Eyelash Loss (thin, short or sparse eyelashes) • Excessive Shedding
• Hair Loss after Plastic Surgery or trauma
Hair Loss from hair extensions or braiding - Traction Alopecia.
The good news is that these conditions can be addressed with modern medical hair restoration treatments and/or procedures. After a complete and thorough evaluation, recommendations regarding treatment options can be made regarding what various treatments can do to protect, enhance and restore living and growing hair. Treatments may include approved medical therapy and hair transplantation. Gaining a complete understanding of what each treatment option provides is of utmost importance. If you are suffering from these hair loss conditions and would like a preliminary evaluation (either in-person or via email & photos), or contact Dr.Samir directly.
The word about women and hair loss is getting out...
Hair loss used to be a closely guarded secret between a woman and her hair stylist. But, the truth is that millions of women suffer from thinning hair and hair loss as early as young adults, or as a natural consequence of hormone changes that typically begin at the onset of menopause.
Fortunately, today, more and more women are seeking solutions to stimulate hair growth and improve the quality of their hair density.
After a personal consultation and medical evaluation with Dr. Samir, he will prescribe a treatment program, which may include Nutritional counseling, Medical therapy, and/or Surgical Hair Restoration.
Female Pattern Hair Loss:
If you are a woman experiencing shedding or thinning hair, you are in the company of millions women who also suffer from hair loss. Unfortunately, many women mistakenly believe they are the only female with this condition because it is a common misperception that hair loss is something that only happens to men.
While women typically experience a somewhat different hair loss pattern than men, the onset of hair loss in both sexes can occur anytime after the teenage years. Because of the effect of hormones, for some women hair loss can become more evident:
• After the birth of a child
• Around menopause
• After a total hysterectomy
While female hair loss can present in many ways, the most common types of hair loss in women are:
1. Diffuse hair loss, in which hair loss is evident all over the scalp, resulting in decreased hair density, coverage and volume of hair throughout,
2. A slight recession of the hairline, and/or
3. Loss of density and coverage at the frontal half of the scalp--starting just behind the hairline and extending toward the crow.
In most cases, unlike male pattern baldness, hair loss in females doesn’t typically result in a total balding of the affected area.
Treatment of Female Pattern Hair Loss:
Because medical research has yet to identify the specific trigger for female pattern hair loss, there is no one particular treatment . While most women are looking for the 'miracle cure,' unfortunately the answer for the vast majority of hair loss sufferers will be a multi-therapy approach, using a combination of available technologies that have been shown to have positive results for patients. Most often it is a combination of various treatments that yield the best results.
A complete medical history, hair loss history, scalp exam (with and without a microscope), laboratory tests, etc. may be required to 'get to the bottom' of your hair loss problem. Dr. Samir may then recommend one, two or more various therapies designed to maintain and enhance the hair you have as well as restore hair you may have lost. For some, a non-invasive approach will be worthwhile and for others invasive treatments may need to be added to the regimen. Note: Without exception, all non-invasive treatments will need to be continued in order to maintain the results you achieve. Discontinuing a non-invasive hair restoration treatment will likely lead to a regression (loss) of results. For more information on what treatment may be right for you, contact Dr. Samir for mail or in-person consultation.
Medical Treatment:
Certain prescription medications, like Propecia, work to prevent and reverse the miniaturization of hair follicles by blocking the conversion of Testosterone into DHT. Propecia is considered the 'cornerstone' of medical therapy because it is safe and effective for the treatment of male pattern hair loss. Rigorous scientific data reveals that if a man takes Propecia for five years, he has a 90% chance of looking the same or better than he did when he started the medication. The same studies showed that 75% of men with untreated male pattern hair loss looked “much worse” at the end of the same five years.
PROPECIA:
We prescribe Propecia in our practice because it is an excellent medical treatment for many men. It is safe, easy to take and effective—as so many of our patients’ results have shown. Propecia (finasteride 1mg) is the first pill proven to treat genetic hair loss in the crown and mid-scalp area of men. In clinical trials, Propecia stopped hair loss in over 80% of cases and stimulated hair re-growth in over 66% of cases.
Propecia has few side effects and those that occur are resolved by stopping the medication. One side effect, which statistically occurs in 2% of men, is a change in sexual desire or function. Propecia does not affect sperm function or fertility; and, the medication presents no risk to pregnant women through normal sexual relations. However, women of childbearing age should not take or handle the medication.
MINOXIDIL:
Currently produced under deferent trade names, the medication’s exact mechanism of action is unknown. We know it stimulates the hair follicles’ active growth (the Anagen phase), causing the hairs to thicken and grow longer. Minoxidil is helpful in slowing down the rate of hair loss in approximately 70%-75% of patients; and, about one in two patients actually experiences hair re-growth.
To be effective, the solution should be applied to your scalp twice daily. Our recommendation to patients is to shampoo and towel-dry your hair before applying the Rogaine solution. We also suggest using the dropper applicator to spread the solution over the entire top of the scalp and allow it to get onto the skin where it can do its job.
We counsel patients to understand that it will take at least four months before you will notice less hair falling out; and, at least seven months to see hair re-growth. Usually, this re-growth will be fine, short (Vellus) hairs. Rogaine must be used continually, as prescribed, over the long-term in order to maintain its beneficial effects. If you stop using the medication, you will eventually begin to lose your hair again.
The main side effects of Rogaine, which occur in approximately two percent of patients, are dermatologic: skin itching, scaling and redness.
Minoxidil can be used by both MEN and WOMEN. Minoxidil is considered the “first-line“ of therapy for women with hereditary hair thinning.
SCALP REDUCTION:
A procedure that removes bald scalp and brings the edges of hair-bearing scalp closer together. Scalp reduction is most often used in patients with
Post burn scars. It is a method of surgical hair restoration, using a balloon-type device implanted under the scalp.
TISSUE EXTENDER:
A device used to stretch scalp. Often used to speed up the process of scalp reductions by stretching the sides of the scalp that contains hair to achieve rapid elimination of bald areas. The tissue extender is temporarily inserted below the scalp and remains in place for a three-week period.
