Men’s Health has published a new spotlight, called “Hair Health.” The multi-article spotlight is featured on the magazine’s website homepage and covers a wide variety of topics related to men’s hair loss and hair transplantation. Dr. Bernstein was asked to contribute to the series of articles, including an “expert advice” feature which answers five commonly-asked questions about hair loss myths.

Dr. Robert M. Bernstein, founder of Bernstein Medical – Center for Hair Restoration, was selected by Castle Connolly as one of the New York metropolitan area’s top physicians through a peer-review survey of medical professionals.

New York, NY — Robert M. Bernstein, M.D., F.A.A.D., world-renowned pioneer of the hair transplant techniques, Follicular Unit Transplantation and Follicular Unit Extraction, and founder of Bernstein Medical – Center for Hair Restoration in Manhattan, has been included in New York Magazine’s “Best Doctors” issue for the eleventh consecutive year.

Q: Why is hair loss in women harder to treat with hair transplants than hair loss in men?

A: The majority of women present with diffuse hair loss (i.e. thinning all over) rather than the patterned hair loss seen in men (where the hair is localized to the front and top of the scalp).

Diffuse thinning presents two problems for a potential hair transplant candidate.

The first is that there is no permanent area where the hair can be taken from. If hair is taken from an area that is thinning, the transplanted hair will continue to thin after the procedure, since moving it doesn’t make it more permanent.

The second problem is that since the areas to be transplanted are thin, rather than completely bald, the existing hair in the area of the hair transplant is at some risk to shedding as a result of the procedure.

When women have a more defined pattern (i.e. more localized thinning on the front part of the scalp with a stable back and sides), they can make excellent candidates for surgery. This pattern occurs in about 20% of women. A small percentage of men have diffuse thinning and are, therefore, poor candidates for a hair restoration surgery as well.

Q: Have there been any studies showing the difference between men and women in their response to laser treatments for hair loss?

A: In the International Journal of Cosmetic Surgery and Aesthetic Dermatology (Vol. 5, Number 2; 2003), a study on low level laser therapy (LLLT) was conducted which indicated that there was a 55% increase of growth (hair count) in the temporal area as well as 64% in the vertex of the female subjects who were treated with LLLT for hair loss. The study also indicated a 74% increase in the hair counts of the male subjects in the temporal area and 120% in the vertex region. These results would initially indicate that LLLT works better in men than in women, but there were four times as many men in this study so the results might be different in a larger test group.