Q: How would you describe your overall experience as compared to the other hair replacement surgeries?

A: You know, I went to one of those infomercial places, and that was my only regret. I would have spent less money and one less procedure if I had just started out here. The overall experience was that really even people that I work with didn’t seem to recognize that I had had anything done. So it was sort of seamless and invisible except for myself and my wife.

One doctor in Florida is now taking Latisse® from eyelash enhancer to hair restoration treatment. When one of his patients demonstrated an allergic reaction to the typical hair restoration medication Rogaine®, he suggested she use Latisse® to regrow thinning hair instead. Using a drop or two a day of Latisse® on the affected area along with a new daily vitamin regimen, the patient saw a reduction in the thinning of her hair in about four months.

However, there are definite disadvantages to using Latisse® for hair restoration including the high cost for an unproven treatment. While this one patient has benefited from the treatment, most scarring alopecias and those caused by immune problems most likely will not be improved.

Latisse® is not FDA approved for hair restoration on the scalp which means it hasn’t been tested in that area and any risks or potential long-term side effects haven’t been fully investigated. FDA approval for a new use of an already approved drug may take many years and cost millions. By the time it gets back to the patient, the price will surely be increased. For years this drug has been used in the eyes with a high degree of safety and no long term problems noted. On the skin some patients note a darkening and slight irritation when it is used on the upper eyelids.

When Latisse® is used to increase eyelash thickness and length, full results are often not seen until 16 weeks. It would not really stop the progression of hair loss for androgenetic alopecia patients, but possibly just lengthen and thicken the hairs like it does for the eyelids. Similarly, when used for eyelashes, results will gradually disappear if the treatment is stopped. The same can be assumed for the unapproved use of Latisse® as a hair restoration treatment. Once daily application is discontinued, the hair should eventually recede again leaving the user with the same thinning hair situation he or she started with.

Along the same lines, in order to maintain eyelashes grown by Latisse®, users must maintain a constant supply. While those using Latisse® for its FDA approved use for eyelashes may only need one bottle a month, those using it for hair restoration will need a much larger quantity given the size of the treatment area (3 or more of the 2-ounce bottles). With each prescription bottle of Latisse® costing an average of $100 to $150 a bottle, patients could easily spend upwards of $450 a month for as long as they want their hair restoration results to last. It seems like a high cost considering Latisse® does not promise to stop the progression of patterned baldness.

Currently FDA approved, topical and oral treatments like Rogaine®, Propecia®, and Proscar® are available to help slow and even stop hair loss; growing some hair back is also a possibility with some of these products. These products stop the progression of loss in over 80% of all patients who take/use them daily. If Latisse® does work, it would be applied in addition to the preventers of progression like Propecia®. Follicular unit hair transplant is a surgical procedure that produces permanent hair restoration results from hair loss as a result of hormones, trauma, androgenetic alopecia, and more. It’s important to remember that while off-label uses of products like Latisse® and Botox® do have potential, they also have potential for unexplored side effects until further studied.

For more information on the current list of FDA approved non-surgical and surgical hair restoration options, contact our office. We’re also on Facebook and Twitter with the latest news and update in hair restoration and research.

Because you hair relies on a steady supply of nutrients and blood from your body, it is a fairly accurate barometer in determining your overall health. All the factors of wellness (like a balanced diet, adequate exercise, and a healthy lifestyle) contribute to producing a strong body as well as healthy hair.

A properly balanced diet helps all patients maintain healthy hair. Protein and iron consumption are imperative to the production of hair. Recently converted vegetarians, those on fad diets, as well as many post-bariatric surgery patients may have a hard time getting an adequate amount of protein, resulting in minor and temporary hair loss or breakage. As soon as the right amount of protein is added back into the diet, though, the hair loss typically ceases and hair regrows. Free radicals in polluted environments can also attack cells including those that help produce healthy-looking hair. Smoking produces similar results.

Those with patterned baldness (androgenetic alopecia) are genetically predisposed to hair loss, though, and will not benefit from diet and exercise regimen changes. To adequately treat your hair loss, it is important to receive a diagnosis from an expert in hair loss and hair replacement.

Circulatory problems can also cause hair loss. When the body lacks adequate circulation, it focuses on supplying blood to the organs within your torso, and extremities like your arms and legs suffer first in poor circulation. Because hair in the anagen (growth) stage is supplied with nutrients through blood flow, the body’s circulation priorities often miss supplying that necessary blood to the scalp resulting in hair loss.

If something is off balance in your body, your hair will show it. In fact, your hair can track the use of certain medications or drugs within the last 30 to 90 days. While not all hair loss is caused by external factors like diet and health conditions, the hair is a fairly accurate barometer of overall health in adults who do not have patterned baldness.

Whether your hair loss is caused by patterned baldness or an external factor, it is important to have the cause properly diagnosed before beginning treatment. Dr. Edmond Griffin is a board certified dermatologist and a recognized expert in the specialty of hair loss and hair replacement surgery.

For more information on hair loss and restoration, contact the Griffin Center for a consultation.  You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter with the latest updates and hair restoration news.

To keep up with the latest in hair loss and restoration news and updates, follow the Griffin Center on Facebook and Twitter!

The hair growth cycle is ongoing, and on an average day, 90% of your hair is in the resting phase while the other 10% is either growing or shedding. Balding occurs when the hair sheds, and no hair re-grows to replace it. Hair is made of keratin, the same material that makes up your nails and the outer layer of your skin. Hair is really a dead structure while the follicular bulb is the growing center.  Because the actual strand of hair is not alive, hot curlers, chemical processing, hard plastic combs can cause damage and lead to split ends and fracturing of the shafts.

The hair growth cycle begins with the anagen or growth phase. During this phase cells in the root of the hair divide to add to the hair shaft. Depending on your genetics, the growth phase can last anywhere from 2 to 6 years. As the anagen phase comes to an end, an unknown signal tells the hair to enter the next stage. The hair grows about a fourth of an inch each month, and though it is technically dead, a healthy hair care regimen can keep it looking beautiful while it’s in the anagen phase.

The catagen stage follows the anagen phase and is made up of a 2-3 week transitional period in which the hair is no longer growing. During this stage, a club hair is formed. A club hair occurs when the section of the hair follicle attaches to the hair shaft, cutting the follicle off from its blood supply and the cells that produce new hair. This club hair leads to the next stage of the hair growth and shedding cycle.

The final stage of the hair growth and shedding cycle is the telogen or resting phase. During this two to four month phase, the hair begins to shed at normal levels, and the anagen phase begins again producing new hair.

The average person sheds around 100 telogen-stage hairs a day between brushing the hair, showering, and other activities. High-stress and trauma like high fevers, nutritional deficiencies, pneumonia, and accidents can cause hair to shed in higher than normal amounts. Patterned baldness (androgenetic alopecia) occurs when hair production slows and beings to produce weak, shorter hairs, eventually ceasing to grow completely in some areas.

Men and women often lose hair for different reasons and should be properly diagnosed before beginning any hair restoration treatment. Depending on the cause of your hair loss, there are both surgical and non-surgical treatment options including hair restoration surgery and medications like Propecia®, Rogaine®, and Proscar®.

For more information on hair loss causes and hair restoration, contact the Griffin Center of Hair Restoration and Research. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter for more hair regrowth news and updates.

Each person goes through the hair growth and shedding cycle. In the anagen phase also known as the growth phase of the hair follicle, new hair cells are produced. The catagen phase is where the hair is no longer growing but the follicle is shrinking. The final stage, the telogen phase, occurs when the hair is in a resting state, no longer growing, but on the verge of shedding. The hair stays in this resting state for about three months when it begins to shed, and the anagen phase begins gradually. Therefore, the average patient loses about 100 hairs per day. At the end of the telogen phase, the hair cycle of growth begins again, and if you could watch the follicular opening you would see a new hair emerge in a couple of weeks.

Though each individual’s hair growth and shedding cycle schedules will vary slightly, the researchers found that the women studied had the highest percentage of hair in the telogen stage at the end of summer. This means that after a period of time, these women will have some hair loss since the resting phase is always followed by a shedding. During this time, the patient may feel that his or her hair is thinning with the natural loss of hair that is occurring. The same sort of hair-loss phasing happens, though with a lower percentage of hair, in the spring as well. Researchers speculate that this extra amount of lost hair may be brought about by evolution, since the body seems to hold on to hair during the warmer months to protect the scalp from the summer sun.

For those people who experience hair loss with no growth to follow it, The Griffin Center of Hair Restoration and Research offers both non-surgical and surgical treatment and prevention options for women’s hair loss. Most commonly this hair loss is the result of female patterned hair loss, and the minuturization of hairs which eventually do not return.  This process can be slowed and even in some cases reversed with treatment.

Contact us for more information on hair loss or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Edmond Griffin, hair restoration specialist. You can also connect with us on Twitter and Facebook for daily news and updates.

To answer your first question—While there are many causes for hair loss in men besides genetics, a majority of men facing hair loss have male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia). Just as with women’s hair loss, men can also lose hair because of hormones, stress, and certain medications, among other causes. Men with pattern baldness are usually optimal candidates for hair restoration surgery because they have an adequate donor region for harvesting follicular grafts. Women’s expectations are generally much higher than men’s. Men approach hair transplant surgery wanting more hair, while women usually want a return to full thickness. Thinning hair is not acceptable for them, and oftentimes more than one session may be necessary.

Another reason you hear about more men undergoing hair restoration surgery is that there is a stronger social stigma tied to women discussing hair loss conditions. Remember the attention placed on Lady Gaga when she discussed using Rogaine® in interviews? While the pop superstar took advantage of topic treatments, it is becoming more acceptable for women to seek medical hair loss treatments beyond Rogaine®.

Also, women’s hair restoration surgery is more complex than men’s, and doctors are even sometimes reluctant to perform surgery on women because of the frequency of temporary hair loss amongst female patients. When female patients consider hair transplant surgery, the surgeon must diagnose the reason for loss making sure that it is not just a temporary loss where the hair will regrow with other medical treatments. For example, if hair loss is caused by scarring related to trauma or surgery, the transplanted hair may not grow in its new home.

I have been researching hair loss and hair restoration for 35 years.  Therefore, after a thorough consultation which may include a scalp biopsy to confirm diagnosis, I am usually able to pinpoint the cause of a patient’s hair loss and suggest a suitable treatment plan, which may include surgery, hair loss prevention medication, or other therapies to regrow hair.

Now, for the second question—There are multiple variables that could prevent both men and women from having hair transplant surgery.  In addition to an inadequate donor region or a larger than normal recipient area, hair loss caused by high fevers, trauma, or hormone fluctuation, such as women who lose hair during pregnancy, is often temporary. Likewise, men and women who lose their hair because of certain medications, especially after chemotherapy, can experience temporary hair loss. Usually once medications are discontinued the hair loss stops and hair recovers. Patients with temporary hair loss are not candidates for hair transplant surgery. However, these patients often need to seek the care of a hair restoration specialist to determine the cause of hair loss.

I have performed hundreds of hair restorations on women, and they have been equally as successful and grow as well as my male hair transplant procedures, as you can see in my women’s hair restoration before and after gallery. The “pattern” of female pattern hair loss is different from male pattern hair loss. Women, luckily, do not go totally bald like men.  Men bald from the front backwards and lose hair in the temporal regions (around and above the ears) whereas only 12% of women lose hair near the ears. Women are most likely to begin balding near the front of the head and on the crown, leaving a rim of good hair around the head. Because men and women bald differently, I use specialized techniques to separate the donor and treatment regions during female hair transplant surgery to accommodate the distinct challenges presented by this procedure.

If you are a women experiencing hair loss and considering hair restoration, you need to first determine the cause of your hair loss. Schedule a consultation to learn more and to find out if you might be a candidate for surgery. Be sure to connect with us on Facebook.

If you’ve read our blog series on female hair loss treatment and female hair loss prevention, you know that the causes of hair loss are numerous.  Just as skin conditions like rosacea and acne can flare with environmental and emotional triggers, so can hair loss.  While identifying the cause of your hair loss is an important part of determining an appropriate treatment, it’s also important to realize that there are two types of treatment for most hair loss:  restorative and preventative.

More recent reports regarding the pop diva’s hair loss condition speculate that she has begun using Rogaine® (minoxidil) to prevent further loss. While the exact cause of hair loss cannot be diagnosed without a proper hair restoration consultation, it would seem that stress related hair loss might be the culprit of Gaga’s condition.  Besides topical minoxidil treatment, oral Propecia may also prove an effective treatment for female hair loss patients who do not plan to become pregnant as exposure to the drug, even handling it, has been linked to increased birth defects.

As far as restorative options, follicular unit grafting or hair transplant surgery during which a strip of donor follicles is harvested and transplanted into the bald or thinning area of the scalp is possible for female patients depending on the cause of hair loss.  It’s important to remember, however, that hair loss patients must maintain an adequately sized donor region from which donor follicles can be harvested to produce successful, lasting results.  It’s also important to remember that hair transplant surgery is a better option for those hair loss patients that have androgenetic alopecia or female pattern baldness as other environmental causes could still impact hair growth post-surgery.

To learn more about female hair loss treatment contact The Griffin Center of Hair Restoration and Research’s Founder, Dr. Edmond Griffin or our female hair loss specialist, Dermatologist Ashley Curtis to schedule an appointment.  To stay up-to-date on the latest hair loss treatment news, connect with the Griffin Center on Facebook or Twitter.

Photography by:  Joe Seer / Shutterstock.com

Q.) How do I know if I’m a good candidate for hair transplant surgery?

A.) Most men and women who have androgenetic alopecia, better known as male or female patterned baldness, are appropriate candidates for hair restoration surgery.  A patient whose hair loss condition is a result of scarring caused by an accident or surgery may also be suitable candidates for hair restoration. The main requirement of hair loss candidates is having an adequate donor region from which Dr. Griffin can harvest hair grafts to restore balding areas.

Q.) What is follicular unit hair transplantation?

A.) A follicular unit hair transplantation procedure involves harvesting a donor site, or strip of skin, taken from the back of the scalp. Once the donor site is harvested, Dr. Griffin and his well equipped team dissect the individual follicular units and transplant the harvested hairs into tiny, custom-sized incisions to cover balding regions. This technique produces a very natural-looking result, as the hair grows in its original groups (follicular grafts) in recipient areas.

Q.) Will my hair continue to fall out after hair restoration surgery?

A.) The answer to this question is dependent upon the type of hair loss you’re experiencing. We typically recommend that patients with genetic patterned balding who are candidates for hair restoration remain on a hair loss prevention program even after their surgery. Androgenetic alopecia occurs in a pattern, which is why it’s referred to as patterned baldness. During hair restoration surgery, hair is harvested from donor regions where patterned hair loss does not occur. Although the hair is transplanted to an area where hair loss has occurred, the genetic makeup of the donor hair does not change, so the newly transplanted hairs will not fall out. However, the hair left in the balding regions that’s not newly transplanted may continue to fall out if a patient does not address prevention.

Q.) What kind of results can I anticipate from my hair restoration surgery?

A.) As stated in the last question, although visible improvement will occur, it’s important to continue preventative measures even after your hair restoration surgery and maintain realistic expectations. Be mindful that the hairline may not be as low as it once was and hair may not be as thick.

Q.) Will my hair transplant surgery result in a full head of hair?

A.) While sufficient coverage of balding regions is attainable, adolescent thickness may never be fully restored. We do recommend a hair loss prevention program to preserve areas that were not treated with surgery.