Hair Loss & Replacement for Dummies is filled with important information for men and women of virtually all ages anxious to preserve their full head of hair, put the brakes on balding, or explore the safest and most reliable hair replacement techniques currently available. The book offers readers not only the full gamut of modern-day hair-care options, but crucial tips on how to avoid unscrupulous hair transplant doctors and potentially harmful products as well.

Topics include:

• Getting To Know Your Hair – What Causes Hair Loss; The Devastation Of Hair Loss In Women; Undergoing Hair Restoration Surgery
• Splitting Hairs – How Hair Grows; Aging Hair; Hair & Ethnicity, Maintaining Self-Esteem in the Face of Hair Loss;
• Taking Better Care Of Your Hair – Washing & Drying Your Hair Correctly; Avoiding Hair Damage; Caring For Childrens’ Hair
• Understanding The How & Why Of Hair Loss – Stress & Hair Loss; Environmental Issues; Male Pattern Thinning In Men and Women; Diseases & Disorders That Cause Hair Loss
• Creative Techniques For Concealing Hair Loss – A Brief History of “Rugs”; Today’s Toupees
• Taking Prescription Medications For Hair Loss – Being Aware of Side Effects
• Supplementing Your Diet To Help Slow Hair Loss – Pumping Up Proteins; Minding Your Mineral Intake
• Hair Transplant Surgery – Do You Really Need A Hair Transplant; Psychological Considerations; Choosing A Doctor; Possible Complications; Heading Home With A New Head Of Hair!

For further reading see the transcript of an interview with Dr. Bernstein about the book, the original press release, or purchase the book at Amazon.com.

A: Both DPA (diffuse patterned hair loss) and DUPA (diffuse unpatterned hair loss) are genetic conditions, unrelated to stress and would have happened anyway. These types of hair loss are characterized by a high percentage of mininiaturized hair in broad areas of the scalp. See the Classification of Hair Loss in Men and Classification of Hair Loss in Women pages on the Bernstein Medical – Center for Hair Restoration website for more information on this topic.

In contrast, stress generally presents as increased hair shedding, a reversible condition referred to as telogen effluvium. It is called this because the normal growing hair is shifted to a resting (telogen) phase before it temporarily falls out. Increased miniaturization is not associated with telogen effluvium.

A: Stress may cause temporary shedding, but it generally does not affect the long-term course of genetic hair loss.

It seems that women’s hair is affected by stress more commonly than men’s hair, but the reason is not clear.

A: Yes. The presence of miniaturization (decreased hair diameter) in the areas of thinning allows us to distinguish between hair loss due to heredity (i.e. androgenetic alopecia) in which hair progressively decreases in diameter under the influence of DHT and other causes such as stress where there is no miniaturization. The degree of miniaturization can be assessed using a hand-held instrument called a densitometer.

The pattern of hair loss and the family history are also important in the diagnosis.

Stress more commonly produces telogen effluvium, a generalized shedding that is not associated with miniaturization and is often reversible without treatment.

A: Regardless of the cause, hair loss is usually not perfectly symmetric. This applies to male pattern hair loss as well.

In your case, it is important to distinguish between telogen effluvium (shedding that can be due to stress) and hereditary or common baldness. The three month interval from the stressful period to the onset of hair loss is characteristic telogen effluvium, but you may have androgenetic alopecia as an underlying problem.

The two conditions are differentiated by identifying club hairs in telogen effluvium and miniaturized hair in androgenetic alopecia. In addition, a hair pull will be positive in telogen effluvium (when a clump of hair is grasped with the fingers, more than five hairs pull out of the scalp at one time) and will be negative in common baldness. The hair loss diagnosis can be made by a dermatologist.

Hair cuts do not affect either condition.

Rogaine (Minoxidil) is only effective in androgenetic hair loss and only marginally so. Finasteride is the preferred treatment if your hair loss is genetic when it is early and a hair transplant may be indicated if the hair loss progresses.

Shedding from telogen effluvium is reversible and does not require specific treatment.