Hair loss can take a significant toll on self-confidence and quality of life, prompting many individuals to seek effective solutions to combat thinning hair or balding. Two popular medications commonly prescribed for hair loss treatment are Rogaine (minoxidil) and Propecia (finasteride). Both are successful products for millions of men and women around the world to […]
Schedule a Consultation Before and After Photos of Medical Treatment This section focuses on hair loss treatments other than the two most common medications, Propecia (finasteride) and Rogaine (minoxidil). Read on for information about medications, dietary supplements, and cosmetic concealers and camouflage techniques. Medications Avodart (Dutasteride) Avodart, the brand name for dutasteride, is an oral […]
Dr. Angela Christiano, a colleague of Dr. Bernstein's at Columbia University, has been studying the causes of alopecia areata and genetic hair loss for many years. She, in fact, suffers from the disease as well. The New York Times has published a question and answer interview with Dr. Christiano which covers her own struggle with alopecia, her research into the causes of genetic hair loss, and where she sees the field going in the future.
Q: Over the past three months, my hair seems to be thinning more on one side. Is it common in male pattern hair loss for it to be more on one side? I had a lot of stress about three months ago and have heard that this could be the cause. Is this possible? Should I use Rogaine to treat it? -- B.R., Landover, MD 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…
Excerpt from the interview: Julie Chen: Dr. Bernstein, I want to go through all the options that are available for women, but what is the difference between female and male hair loss option-wise. What can we do to treat it? Dr. Bernstein: The main difference medically is that women have hair loss often from hormonal changes and it's due to an imbalance between progesterones and estrogens. That equilibrium can be reestablished with medication. Often birth control pills can do that.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, who were investigating the biological causes of androgenetic alopecia or common genetic hair loss, have discovered that levels of a certain inhibitor protein, called Prostaglandin D2 (PD2), are elevated in bald areas on the scalp. This discovery could be an important breakthrough in developing a medical hair loss treatment that regulates the production of the protein, or one that blocks it from attaching to its receptor protein.
Q: I know that I am going to be bald because my father is bald and I am losing my hair just like him. What actually causes this kind of hair loss? -- J.P., Paradise Valley, Arizona A: Although there are many different causes, the overwhelming number of people that have hair loss have what is referred to as "patterned hair loss" or "androgenetic alopecia." In men, it is due to a hormone called DHT, which is a by-product of testosterone produced by the action of the enzyme 5-alpha reductase. This enzyme is inhibited by the hair loss medication Propecia. See the causes of hair loss in men page on the Bernstein Medical - Center for Hair Restoration website for more information. In women, the mechanism is a little bit more complex as another enzyme, aromatase, is involved in the metabolic pathway. See the causes of hair loss in women page on the Bernstein Medical - Center for Hair Restoration website for more information. We know that the inheritance comes from both the mother's and father's side, although the actual genes causing hair loss in men and women have not yet been identified. Statistically, the inheritance from the maternal side…
Q: Dr. Bernstein, a lot of older women are taking testosterone to restore libido, but are they going to suffer hair loss as a consequence? A: They can. In women there is a delicate balance between the androgens, i.e. testosterone and estrogens. Estrogen is protective to some degree against hair loss in women, which is why most women don't experience such severe hair loss as do men. When a woman takes testosterone supplements it upsets that balance and can cause hair loss. However, hair loss in post-menopausal women is usually due to age related changes. Typically, the hair decreases in size in a genetically determined progression that seems not to be directly related to changes in the levels of hormones. For more information, please see the Causes of Hair Loss in Women page on the Bernstein Medical - Center for Hair Restoration website.
Hair Loss & Replacement For Dummies, written by internationally renowned hair transplant pioneers Dr. Robert M. Bernstein and Dr. William R. Rassman and published in 2008, is one of the best hair loss and hair transplant resources available for the layperson. Now it is also one of the best resources for the layperson… who owns a Kindle wireless reading device.
Hair transplantation for women is in vogue. In more ways than one. Dr. Bernstein was featured in an article in the 'Beauty' section of the October 2012 issue of British Vogue. After describing a visit to Bernstein Medical - Center for Hair Restoration in New York City and giving readers a primer on hair transplant surgery, the article turns to Dr. Bernstein to describe the surge in popularity of the treatment of hair loss in women.