Q: Do I need a doctor’s prescription to get the Laser Comb?
A: The HairMax Laser Comb is an over-the-counter hair loss treatment so it does not require a doctor’s prescription. You can order a Laser comb without consulting a physician and you do not need to be monitored by a doctor when using it.
Q: Where can I buy the HairMax Laser Comb?
A: The Laser Comb is currently available for purchase on-line at a variety of hair loss and hair related websites including Drugstore.com, Amazon.com and Hairmax.com.
Q: How much does the LaserComb cost?
A: There are two types of HairMax Laser Combs currently available:
Q: How effective is the HairMax Laser Comb?
A: It is difficult to tell since there are no long-term studies using the LaserComb.
From the data we have available, it seems to be about as effective as Rogaine (Minoxidil). As most who have used Minoxidil know, it only works in areas where there is a fair amount of miniaturized hair and over time loses its effectiveness.
The HairMax LaserComb is not as effective as Propecia (Finasteride) and, of course, is not a substitute for surgical hair restoration.
Q: Can you please comment on the use of sutures verses staples in hair restoration procedures? — S.S., Prospect Park, NY
A: Sutures are great on non-hair bearing skin and allow perfect approximation of the wound edges, but on the scalp they can cause damage to hair follicles below the skin’s surface. The reason is that a running (continuous) suture traps hair follicles and when the skin swells (as it normally does after hair transplants) the trapped follicles can strangulate and die.
Q: I am suffering from Pseudopelade for four years now. I have lost a lot of hair & there are big bald patches on the top of my scalp that are difficult to hide. Is there any hair transplant surgery or follicle transplant surgery possible in my case, or anything else I can do? — T.L., Boston, MA
A: In general, hair transplantation does not work for Pseudopelade (a localized area of scarring hair loss on the top of the scalp) since the condition is recipient dominant rather than donor dominant.
With a donor dominant condition, such as androgenetic hair loss, the tendency to have the condition, or be resistant to it, is located in the hair follicle and moves with the hair follicle when the follicle is transplanted to a new area…
Q: Hi, I am a 21 year old male experiencing the first signs of hair loss as of late. I looked at your before and after pictures of hair transplant patients and honestly right now I have a lot more hair than the patients, even in the after photos. By no means do I intend to criticize your work at all, but I noticed that they still had a receding hairline. I myself am an artist and pay close attention to detail. What I want out of a hair transplantation procedure is to basically have the full head of hair that I had even before puberty. Is it possible for this to be done?
A: Your concerns and goals, although understandable, are impossible to achieve through hair transplantation and is exactly the reason why we don’t perform hair transplants in young persons.
Surgical hair restoration can never give you your original density back since we are just redistributing a smaller amount of hair.
In addition, your original hairline should not be restored since a transplanted hairline is permanent and will not evolve naturally as you age. A mature hairline must be built into the design of the first hair restoration procedure, regardless of a patient’s age.
Q: I am 26 years old and in the beginning of losing my hair and not ready for hair transplant surgery. It seems to have stopped now but 4 months ago I shed a lot of hair and can visually see that my hair on the scalp is thinning out. I have looked into and read up on taking Propecia or more exactly Finpecia (I’m a student so cost is a factor), but can I trust this generic drug? Have looked at the company (Cipla) website but I’m still a bit scared of taking something I don’t really know what it is. What is your opinion on choosing Finpecia over Propecia? — E.E., Midtown East, N.Y.
A: Finpecia is manufactured in India by a slightly different method than the way Propecia is produced in the U.S. Since finasteride 5mg is now available in a generic from in the U.S., I suggest that you use finasteride 5mg and quarter the 5mg tablet with a pill cutter and take 1/4 tablet a day. The parts do not need to be the same size. In the U.S., generic finasteride and Propecia (1mg) and Proscar (5mg) are all made the same way. Cipla is a large company, but is not under U.S. FDA supervision.
Q: Can you give me an idea of the average width of a donor strip, i.e. the actual width taken from the back of your scalp for a hair transplant? — A.E., Fort Lee, N.J.
A: The average donor strip is 1cm wide, although this will vary depending on the patient’s scalp laxity, density, and the number of grafts desired for the hair restoration.
The length also depends on the number of grafts needed. We average 90-100 follicular unit grafts per cm2 of donor tissue (that is the density of follicular units in an average person).
Q: I have been on Propecia for approximately 5 years. What does Propecia do to your PSA level, lower it or make it higher? Also, what would you consider a normal level while on Propecia? — H.K., Long Island City, N.Y.
A: Finasteride 1mg a day lowers your PSA around 50%. Therefore, when patients are taking finasteride, the PSA reading should be doubled.
Finasteride does not appear to decrease the sensitivity of the PSA test to detect prostate cancer – its main purpose.
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