Dr. Bernstein Speaks About Hair Extensions and Traction Alopecia in NYC Website for Women

Dr. Bernstein Speaks About Hair Extensions and Traction Alopecia in NYC Website for Women

Dr. Bernstein was quoted in an article on NYCityWoman.com, where he spoke about the risks associated with popular hair extensions, such as weaves, wefts, and similar clip-in or add-on pieces. Extensions are a stylistic choice that allow women to dramatically change their appearance. However, their frequent use can contribute to a type of hair loss in women called traction alopecia – hair loss around the frontal hairline and temples caused by tight hairstyles pulling on the follicles.

Dr. Bernstein is quoted:

“Hair extensions can create a problem over a long period of time, as constant tugging on the hair follicles compromises their blood supply and may cause permanent thinning,” explains Robert M. Bernstein, M.D., a dermatologist in midtown Manhattan who specializes in hair loss.

Traction alopecia often causes thinning that reverses itself when the hair is worn loose, but if tugging on the hair follicles continues for an extended period of time, the hair loss can be permanent. In patients with permanent hair loss from traction alopecia, a hair transplant can typically restore the hair that is lost from sustained traction. See before and after photos of Patient BOI, Patient NBN, and Patient KAR for examples of women who had their edges restored by hair transplant surgery.

NYCitywoman.com is a website dedicated to lifestyle issues for “women on the right side of 40” — women who are smart, stylish, and eager to embrace new challenges and opportunities.

Read about Traction Alopecia
Read about the Causes of Hair Loss in Women

Before and after photos of women who had surgical hair restoration to repair thin edges:

Patient BOI
Patient NBN
Patient KAR

Posted by Robert M. Bernstein M.D.

Bernstein Medical Patient Writes About Female Hair Loss in Cosmopolitan Magazine

Thinning Hair Nightmare - Cosmopolitan Magazine - January 2014

A patient who visited Dr. Bernstein to learn about her hair loss authored an article on her experiences which appeared in the January 2014 issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine. In an article titled, “Thinning Hair Nightmare,” the patient wrote about her struggle in coping with thinning hair, the taboo of talking about women’s hair loss, and ways in which she attempted to overcome these physical and emotional difficulties.

On visiting Bernstein Medical – Center for Hair Restoration:

I dialed up New York dermatologist and hair transplant surgeon Robert Bernstein, MD — I’d just seen him on Oprah talking about hair loss, so he had to be good — and booked an appointment.

Dr. Bernstein ordered a blood test to rule out common hair loss causes, like thyroid disorders and hormone abnormalities, and he made sure my diet and any medications weren’t to blame. Everything came back normal.

On the diagnosis of hair loss in women:

During a follow-up visit, the doc broke out a densitometer — a crazy flashlight-looking tool that measures the changes in diameter between hair — dove into my mane, resurfacing moments later with a diagnosis: mild androgenetic alopecia, aka female pattern hair loss (FPHL). “It’s the most common type of hair loss in women, affecting perhaps one-third of the adult female population,” he explained. It occurs when a woman’s hair follicles shrink in response to her body’s own hormones.

On the taboo of female hair loss:

In search of solutions, I turned to the blogosphere… While the topic of female hair loss feels taboo, here were thousands of women talking openly — not just about the physicality of the issue but also its psychological toll. […] Whenever any conversation turns to hair, I push myself to talk openly about my issue. I’m determined not to let this condition make me feel ashamed. With more than 30 million U.S. women affected by FPHL, we should find strength in our numbers.

Dr. Bernstein was the featured guest on the Doctor Oz Show, where they discussed women’s hair loss and how the subject is often, unfortunately, considered taboo.

Consultations for female hair loss patients

Video: watch Dr. Bernstein and Dr. Mehmet Oz discuss the taboo of female hair loss

View before & after hair transplant photos of some of our female patients

Posted by Robert M. Bernstein M.D.

Dr. Bernstein Performs Hair Transplant on Fox News Hair Loss Special

Dr. Bernstein discusses the technique of follicular unit hair transplantation in a Fox News segment on hair loss and hair transplantation. In the video, he discusses the use of the Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT) procedure to correct hair loss and camouflage scarring that resulted from the surgical removal of a large skin cancer on the patient’s scalp. You can see this patient’s before and after photos in our Women’s Gallery.