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Can Repair of Old "Plug" Hair Transplant be Completed in One Session?

November 2nd, 2005

Q: When performing a repair on an old, pluggy hair transplant, why can’t all the grafts be removed at once?

A: We always try to do this, but it is not always possible.

If the large grafts (plugs) are spaced too close together, suturing one will put tension on an adjacent graft and make it more difficult to close. This may worsen, rather than improve, the underlying scar.

In addition, it is not always possible to remove all the follicles in a graft on one pass, as the root tends to fan outward deeper in the skin. If you use a large enough punch to remove all the follicles at once than you risk leaving a mark from the excision.

For more details, please see the following publications:

Posted by Robert M. Bernstein M.D. at 2:02 pm

Can Shock from Hair Transplant Make One Lose Healthy Hair?

November 1st, 2005

Q: Will the shock of a hair transplant make me lose my existing healthy hair and is it permanent?

A: In general, only miniaturized hair (the hair that is affected by androgens and that has begun to decrease in diameter) is shed after a transplant. This hair would be lost in the near term anyway.

Existing healthy hair is unlikely to shed, but if it were shed, you could expect it to grow back.

Topic: Shedding

Tags: Androgens / Miniaturization / Scalp Stress / Shedding After Hair Transplant / Shock Fall Out / Shock Loss

Posted by Robert M. Bernstein M.D. at 11:31 am

Can Hair Transplant be Harmed by Cosmetic Camouflage Products?

October 26th, 2005

Q: Are camouflage agents harmful to newly transplanted follicles after a hair transplant?

A: Cosmetic camouflage products are not harmful to grafts per se, but they may make it difficult to keep the transplanted area clean right after the hair restoration procedure.

They may be used safely as early as one week following a hair transplant, since at this time they can be gently washed out without disturbing the newly transplanted grafts.

These products are useful in reducing any residual redness and can make the transplanted area appear fuller until the new grafts grow.

There are a number of products that can be used and they come in a variety of forms: creams, sprays, powders and gels. To find out where to get them, go to the Camouflage page in the Resources section of the Bernstein Medical – Center for Hair Restoration website.

Topic: Hair Products

Tags: Bernstein Medical - Center for Hair Restoration / Camouflage / Cosmetics for Hair Loss / Post-op Care / Redness

Posted by Robert M. Bernstein M.D. at 11:05 am

After Hair Transplant, What is Normal Amount of Shedding?

October 21st, 2005

Q: I had a hair transplant two weeks ago and I just started noticing that some grafts were in my baseball cap at the end of the day. Am I losing the transplant and what can I do to keep this from happening?

A: The follicles are firmly fixed in the scalp 10 days following the hair transplant. Hair is shed from the follicle beginning the second week after the procedure. This is perfectly normal and does not represent any loss of grafts.

What you are seeing is the root sheath that is shed along with the hair shaft. This looks like a little bulb, but is not the growth part of the follicle and should not be a cause for concern.

Two weeks following the hair transplant you may shower and shampoo your scalp as you normally did before the procedure without any risk of losing grafts.

Topic: Shedding

Tags: Grafts Permanent Ten Days After Hair Transplant / Hair Follicle / Hair Shaft / Post-op Care / Root Sheath / Shedding After Hair Transplant

Posted by Robert M. Bernstein M.D. at 11:16 am

The Secrets to Hiding Celebrities’ Hair Loss

October 15th, 2005

In a recent article “The Secrets to Hiding Celebrities’ Hair Loss,” published in the New Jersey newspaper, The Bergen Record, author Abigail Leichman pondered the variety of techniques used by celebrities to battle hair loss. Articles such as these put a spotlight on the fairly recent phenomenon of celebrity hairline watching that has sprouted up in the media and on the web.

Chat rooms are filled with speculation about the seeming rise and fall (and sometimes rise again) of follicles for such stars as Matt Lauer, Mel Gibson and Jude Law. And for sports figures like Tiger Woods and Pete Sampras.

Ms. Leichman comments that such stars as Johnny Depp, Owen Wilson, and Matt Damon must increasingly depend upon their stylists to avoid bad hair days.

In her article, Ms. Leichman names Follicular Unit Transplantation “a hair-transplant procedure pioneered by a Fort Lee physician” as one of the secrets to Hollywood’s ability to reverse the effects of thinning hair. The article features Dr. Bernstein as a surgeon who’s list of patients “more than 5,000 male and female patients – he can’t name names – has included major players in theater, politics and high finance.”

With recent trends showing that more and more men are becoming comfortable with the idea of electing to receive cosmetic surgery and with the leap in successful results using new techniques mastered by doctors such as Robert M. Bernstein MD, men and women are looking to the rich and famous to help them decide where to go for procedures such as surgical hair restoration.

Bernstein Medical is meticulous about protecting the privacy of all of our patients. At Bernstein Medical every patient is treated with the same attention and care that the movers and shakers in Washington, Hollywood and Broadway receive.