After Hair Transplant Is There Shock Hair Loss In Donor Area?

April 23rd, 2013

Q: I have seen through forums that a hair transplant gives severe shock loss in the donor zone (especially behind ears) after the surgery. Doctors say it is temporary and can last about six months or more. Frankly, do you believe in this? Will the donor shocked hair recover?

A: It depends if you are speaking about follicular unit hair transplantation using strip harvesting (FUT) or Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). With FUT, it is extremely uncommon to have any shock hair loss in the donor area. This could occur if the hair transplant procedure was done improperly, i.e. the donor area was closed too tightly. In this case, some hair loss may be permanent. This is one of the reasons that very large hair transplant sessions are unwise. Shock hair loss in FUE is more common, but is generally not significant and should eventually recover completely.

That said, some shock hair loss in the recipient area is quite common with either hair restoration procedure (FUT or FUE). This is particularly the case if there is a lot of existing miniaturized hair (hair that is starting to thin) in the transplanted area.

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Posted on April 23rd, 2013 at 1:06 pm

Crown Balding and Heart Disease Linked in British Medical Journal Study

April 10th, 2013

Crown Balding and Heart Disease Linked in British Medical Journal Study A new meta-analysis of six studies, published in the British medical journal BMJ Open, has found a linkage between balding at the crown and coronary heart disease. While the top-line result of the study may be alarming, let us look first at some of the key facts.

While the study showed a modest link between crown balding and heart disease, the link was not as strong as for other heart disease indicators such as smoking, obesity, cholesterol levels and blood pressure.
There was no link established for men with a receding hair line.
Key indicators of heart disease — high blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol, and smoking — are present in about half of Americans, according to the Center for Disease Control in America. So this is a health issue faced by many Americans, hair loss or not.
Importantly, the most appropriate response if you have balding at the crown (and particularly crown balding at an early age), is not to worry first and foremost about your hair, but to concentrate on basic heart health and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Discuss these issues and any concerns with your primary care physician.

Researchers at the University of Tokyo in Japan compiled information from six different studies with a combined total of almost 37,000 male participants. The studies were published between 1993 and 2008. Although one of the six studies did not find a link between baldness and coronary heart disease, the other five studies did find a link with the strength of the association differing in each study. In general, the more severe the balding at the crown, the more likely there was an association with heart disease. In addition, early onset of vertex balding — i.e. early balding at the crown — was found to be associated with the early development of more significant heart disease.

More research needs to be done to investigate the actual medical causes of the linkages shown.

An article on the BBC News website quotes a cardiac nurse from the British Heart Foundation discussing the findings:

“Although these findings are interesting, men who’ve lost their hair should not be alarmed by this analysis. Much more research is needed to confirm any link between male pattern baldness and an increased risk of coronary heart disease. In the meantime, it’s more important to pay attention to your waistline than your hairline.”

Image c/o BBC online

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Topic: Hair Loss

Tags: Balding, Balding at the Crown, BBC News, BMJ Open, Center for Disease Control (CDC), Coronary Heart Disease, Crown, Early Hair Loss, Early Hair Loss and Heart Disease, Extensive Baldness, Japan, Medical Research, Rogaine (Minoxidil), Vertex

Posted on April 10th, 2013 at 1:13 pm

What is the Incidence of Hair Loss in Adults?

April 5th, 2013

Q: How common is hair loss in adult men and women?

A: The incidence of androgenetic alopecia (common baldness) is quite high for both men and women. By age 50, 50% of men and 30% of women are affected. By age 70, that increases to 80% of men and 60% of women. Fortunately, in spite of significant thinning, women often preserve their hairline and have a diffuse pattern, so there hair loss can be camouflaged for many years.

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Topic: Hair Loss

Tags: Androgenetic Alopecia, Camouflage, Diffuse Hair Loss in Women, Hair Loss Age, Hair loss in Men, Hair Loss in Women, Hairlines in Women

Posted by Robert M. Bernstein M.D. on April 5th, 2013 at 10:09 am

Can Andro Gel Cause Hair Loss?

March 29th, 2013

Q: The last few months my friend and I experimented with andro gel thinking it would make our T levels go up and make our work outs better. We got the andro gel online with no prescription (which I know is really stupid on our behalf). The past couple of months I have been experienced a lot of acne and hair loss. I went to the doctor and confessed and said what I did, and he was very disappointed and lectured me on how dangerous it was and stupid on my behalf – which I totally agree. He told me the rise in testosterone from andro gel contributed to the acceleration of hair thinning and acne. I had mild hair loss prior but the andro gel seem to have accelerated it. The doctor put me on Propecia and gave me some acne cream for the acne. He said the Propecia will undo some of the damage it did for the hair. In your experience, can Propecia reverse some of the damage? I am 28 years old.

A: Your doctor is giving you the right course of action. Testosterone supplements can accelerate hair loss, particularly in those with underlying genetic hair loss. Finasteride 1mg (Propecia) should help you to grow your hair back. You may also want to consider using minoxidil (Rogaine) in addition.

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Topic: Hair Products

Tags: Andro Gel, Causes of Hair Loss, Genetic Hair Loss, Hair Thinning, Propecia (Finasteride), Rogaine (Minoxidil), Testosterone

Posted by Robert M. Bernstein M.D. on March 29th, 2013 at 9:07 am

Early Baldness May Suggest Prostate Cancer Risk

March 28th, 2013

A study of Australian men between the ages of 40 and 69 suggests that men who were mostly bald by the age of 40 were more likely to develop prostate cancer in their 50s or 60s. The Melbourne Collaborative Cohort study of about 10,000 men showed that men who have high levels of testosterone may be more vulnerable to cancerous prostate tumors.

The team of scientists that conducted the long-term study, which was published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, reported that both baldness and prostate cancer are age-related and androgen dependent conditions, so these findings are not surprising. The statement said, “We found that baldness at the age of 40 might be a marker of increased risk of prostate cancer.”

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