Hair Transplant, Hair Restoration & Repair
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Telephone: 212.826.2400
Dr. Robert M. Bernstein was interviewed for a segment on The Today Show on the subject of eyelash enhancement and use of the eyelash medication Latisse.
Dr. Bernstein first appears about two minutes into the clip.
View the complete video:
For more on eyelash and eyebrow restoration, visit our eyebrow transplant page or our Latisse page.
You can also view the video by visiting The Today Show’s Fashion and Beauty page and clicking the fashion video link for “How do new eyelash enhancers work?”
Bizymoms.com, the premier work-at-home community on the Internet with more than 5 million visitors per year, has interviewed Dr. Robert M. Bernstein in order to answer readers’ common questions about hair restoration and hair loss.
Below is a sample of the interview:
Q: Who would be a good candidate for hair transplant surgery?
In general, men and women age 30 and older can be candidates, but there are a host of factors that determine if a person is a good candidate…
Q: How does hair transplantation work?
Hair removed from the permanent zone in the back and sides of the scalp continues to grow when transplanted to the balding area in the front or top of one’s head…
Q: What can be done for people dissatisfied with previous mini/micrograft procedures?
If the grafts are too large they can be removed, divided into smaller units under a microscope, and re-implanted back into the scalp (the same day)…
Q: What are the possible harmful effects of Propecia and Rogaine?
The main side effect of Propecia (finasteride 1%) is sexual dysfunction, which occurs in about 2-4% of men taking the drug. Fortunately, these side effects are completely reversible when the medication is stopped. [...] The main side effect of Rogaine (minoxidil) is scalp irritation. [...] Both Propecia and Minoxidil can produce some hair shedding at the beginning of treatment, but this means that the medications are working…
Q: How many grafts/hairs are needed for hair transplant surgery?
An eyebrow restoration can require as few as 200 grafts, a hairline 800 and a scalp, with significant hair loss, 2,500 or more grafts. An equally important consideration is the donor supply…
Q: What are the advanced hair transplant techniques?
Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT), where hair is transplanted exclusively in naturally occurring follicular units, is the state-of-the art. [...] A more recent means of obtaining the donor hair, the follicular units are extracted individually from the back of the scalp. This procedure, called Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) eliminates the need for a line-scar, but is a less efficient procedure for obtaining grafts…
Q: What are the new hair restoration treatments available for men and women?
Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) utilizes cool lasers to stimulate hair growth and reduce shedding of hair. [...] Latisse (Bimatoprost) is an FDA approved topical medication for eyelash growth.
Go to Bizymoms.com to read the full interview.
Q: What is your take on hair tattoos?
A: I don’t think that it is a good idea since, as the pigment is absorbed deeper into the skin, the tattoos tend to change color over time, developing a bluish hue. This gives a distinctly unnatural appearance.
Q: I know that Propecia works in only about half of patients. Are younger people more likely to be helped by this medication?
A: The main studies by Merck looked at men between the ages of 18 and 41. The five year data (which, in my view, is most important) showed that 48% of men had an increase in hair growth and 42% had no change over baseline. Thus a full 90% held on to their hair or had more over a 5-year period. This compares very favorably to the placebo group where 75% lost hair over the 5-year period.
I think the most interesting question relates to the 10% who continued to lose hair in the treated group. Did these men lose hair at a slower rate than the non-treated group? Based on the action of finasteride on blocking DHT and DHT’s central role in causing male pattern hair loss, it is reasonable to assume that even these “non-responders” did have some benefit from the drug, albeit small. If half of those on the medication continued to lose hair did so at a rate slower than the placebo group, then 95% of patients actually benefited from the medication to some degree – an extraordinarily high success rate, in my opinion.
Q: If you have already had a hair transplant, once cloning becomes available, will you be able to transplant the cloned hair into the first transplant’s scar on the back of the head? I like to wear my hair short, especially in the summer, and also would feel more comfortable knowing there is no scar in my head.
A: Yes, as long as the scar is not thickened, cloned hair should grow just as normally transplanted hair would and would be a great way to address any residual scarring from the procedure.
Although hair can be transplanted into widened scars, hair does not grow well in thick scars – this would apply to hair restoration procedures performed via traditional means as well as those using cloned hair.
Disclaimer: The purpose of the Hair Transplant Blog is to provide the public with general information on hair restoration. Information provided on this site should not be used for medical diagnosis and/or treatment.
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