For those who choose extensions because their hair is beginning to thin, more permanent and less damaging options may help to encourage hair growth depending on the cause of your hair loss. For those who are losing hair as a result of patterned baldness, topical medications can help to impede further hair loss and even regrow some hair. Hair restoration surgery works to restore hair to a balding area by transferring it from a donor site usually near the back of the head or ears. Patients whose hair is thinning for other reasons (hormones, medications, trauma, etc.) may benefit from short-term treatments like Rogaine® until the cause of the hair loss is addressed.

Women or men who choose to have extensions applied to lengthen or thicken the look of their hair should make sure to always visit an experienced applicator who follows safety guidelines and has a proven record of good results. To stay up to date on the latest hair loss and restoration news, make sure to follow The Griffin Center on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. If you’re interested in learning more about hair restoration, contact our office to schedule a consultation.

Alopecia areata

The NAAF website offers alopecia areata sufferers a wealth of information and even has a helpful page just for those who have been recently diagnosed. There, NAAF explains the three types of alopecia areata: alopecia areata, alopecia totalis, and alopecia universalis. Alopecia totalis occurs when the antibodies cause all the hair on the scalp to fall out, resulting in complete baldness. Alopecia universalis occurs when all hair on the body is lost (including scalp hair, eyebrows and eyelashes, and body hair).

The website also has product lists for those looking for things like wigs, skincare products, headwear, and more. As an all-around resource for alopecia areata sufferers, the NAAF also has an annual convention to spread information about current research and happenings within the organization, as well as offering as a meeting place for those with alopecia areata.

In the most recent NAAF newsletter from the convention, Dr. Richard Strick, a dermatologist from Los Angeles, California explains that many alopecia areata patients believe that if they boosted their immune system’s strength, the hair loss condition would abate. However, he states that strengthening the immune system would actually strengthen the body’s attack on the hair follicles. However, weakening the immune system leaves patients at a high risk for other more dangerous infections.

It is information like this that makes the NAAF a useful organization not only to alopecia areata sufferers, but also to those who want to learn more about the condition and to researchers working toward a cure. At The Griffin Center for Hair Restoration and Research, we work with patients who suffer from hair loss caused by many factors: genetics, autoimmune diseases, trauma, trichotillomania, and more. Knowing the cause of hair loss, whether in men, women, or children, can better help our hair loss and restoration specialists to gauge which treatments will be most effective in helping to stop and reverse hair loss.

For more information on alopecia areata or Dr. Edmond Griffin, check out our website. You can also stay up to date on the latest hair loss and restoration news by connecting with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

Between 2009 and 2010, scientists followed the seven patients’ hair loss after the swine flu caused high fevers and their hair to fall out. In four patients, this instance was a reoccurrence of hair loss. For the other three, this was the first time they’d ever experienced this type of alopecia. All of the patients were under 30, and four were under the age of 10.

Researchers suggest that because more than half of the patients were experiencing a reoccurrence of alopecia areata that these individuals might be genetically predisposed to the hair loss condition and should probably receive a flu shot for prevention.

While most cases of hair loss are caused by pattern baldness, there are rare cases in which parts or all of their hair on the scalp or body can fall out as a result of a unique autoimmune condition in which the body’s stress response is to attack the hair follicles. Unpredictable in nature, hair lost from alopecia areata can grow back and then fall out again for some, and grow back and stay for others.

The condition cannot be cured, though treatment can help regrow hair. Certain anti-inflammatory medications prescribed to those with autoimmune diseases can help to curb the body’s attack response, while topical drugs like Rogaine® can help regrow hair in adults. A recent study performed by Columbia University Medical Center researchers uncovered the genes that could cause alopecia areata, which could lead to better treatments for those who suffer from the hair loss condition.

For more information on hair loss conditions, make sure to connect with Dr. Edmond Griffin and The Griffin Center Hair Restoration and Research on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook. You can also contact our office to schedule a consultation.

MYTH: Frequent use of hats or helmets cause or speed up hair loss.
TRUTH: This notion is merely folklore. Wearing a hat or helmet will not speed up or cause hair loss.

MYTH: Male pattern baldness is inherited from the maternal grandfather.
TRUTH: This is both true and false. Just like with any genetic trait, pattern baldness can be inherited from both the mother’s and the father’s side of the family. Though there are tests to determine the presence of the balding gene, these tests don’t confirm which side of the family gave you the gene or even whether the gene will be expressed in the future. Just because you have the gene doesn’t mean you’ll lose hair more than normal, though it does greatly increase your chances.

MYTH: Using conditioner can prevent baldness.
TRUTH: Because the hair is not a living structure, conditioners merely coat the dead hair shaft making it less prone to breakage. Conditioners have no influence on balding, though. If enough breakage occurs the hair looks thinner.

MYTH:  Shampooing daily causes increased shedding.

TRUTH: In general, shampoos clean the hair and do not affect hair growth or loss. To some degree, daily shampooing has been found to show slightly less hair loss by total count than shampooing once weekly. Research shows that shampoos that contains anti-yeast medications seem to slow total monthly hair loss even more (example: Nizoral and DHS with Zinc).

MYTH: Undergoing hair transplant surgery means I no longer need to take preventative measures.
TRUTH: Transplanted hair comes from a donor area that is not affected by genetic hair loss symptoms. This means that it is not affected by the cause of pattern baldness (dihydrotestosterone) and remains in place permanently (pending other factors like chemotherapy and trauma) after transplantation. However, the hair in the balding area that was there before the transplant is still susceptible to pattern baldness. Therefore, preventative measures still need to be taken to maintain those follicles which were not transplanted and are genetically programmed to be lost at some time in the future.

Hair loss is a complicated condition. While pattern baldness is most often the cause of hair loss in men, there are many factors that could be the reason for your thinning. If you suspect your hair may be thinning, visit a dermatologist specializing in hair loss and restoration like those at The Griffin Center of Hair Restoration and Research to determine the cause of your hair loss. With a proper diagnosis, our providers can help you find the best methods of treatment for your situation.

Contact our office for more information or to schedule your consultation. You can also follow us on Facebook  and Twitter  for the latest hair loss and restoration information and news.

Join us to take advantage of these great specials! To stay up to date on all the latest specials, follow DAA on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.