Spencer Kobren Answers Questions On The American Hair Loss Association
Written by admin on March 22, 2008
Hair loss consumer/patient advocate Spencer Kobren is now personally answering reader’s questions on the official blog of The American Hair Loss Association. Known as the “father” of consumer hair loss education, Spencer Kobren tells it like it is and helps hair loss consumers to navigate through the often treacherous hair loss industry. Recently Kobren answered a question from a 25 year old man seeking an inexpensive hair loss treatment. To read this post and to learn more, visit http://blog.americanhairloss.org/
Body Hair. The Next “Big Thing” in Hair Restoration Scams
Written by Joe Tillman on March 17, 2008
No longer should prospective hair transplant consumers be weary only of bad plug jobs and hair transplants that look like a picket fence in Huckleberry Finn. Now there is a new black cloud that has no silver lining. This would be the promise of body hair transplantation or “BHT”.
First off, what is BHT? BHT is the transplantation of body hair from various parts of the body with the intent of placing it in the scalp. If performed correctly there is a great potential source of donor hair that would be, compared to scalp hair, limitless depending on the amount of body hair that a patient has.
The problem with this, like so many other ideas in the unregulated hair transplant industry, is that good ideas do not necessarily work out to be so great in reality. BHT is relatively new in the hair transplant field and is only practiced by a few clinics worldwide. These clinics however tend to promote the use of body hair as being reliable and effective. The truth however is that BHT is not only NOT reliable there are few success cases if these cases can be called successful to begin with.
BHT is not performed like a traditional hair transplant. The standard method of transplanting hair for the purpose of increased volume and density on the scalp is via the “strip” method. This is where the doctor removes a strip of tissue from the back and/or sides of the scalp. The effectiveness of this procedure allows for consistent growth. This is not to say anything about artistry and naturalness as these qualities in a surgeon vary widely but we know that in most hands this technique works. For better or for worse the hair tends to grow in the vast majority of cases. Body hair is taken with a small punch tool that will vary in diameter from .75mm to 1mm or slightly larger. The challenge lies in the extraction of these grafts and whether or not the follicles will be damaged during the procedure. Read more
Your Doctor Works For You
Written by Joe Tillman on February 13, 2008
We’re the best! This is something that you will read or hear from just about every hair transplant clinic in existence. Why else would you choose them if they are somehow less than the best, right? So the problem becomes one of figuring out if the hair transplant clinic you are interviewing is actually “the best” for you. Here’s how to do it.
First, notice that in the paragraph above I mentioned an interview. What does an interview have to do with picking a hair transplant clinic? It’s pretty simple really. You are hiring a clinic to do a job for you, in this case, restoring your hair. They are working for you so it is up to you to make sure you are “hiring” the best clinic for the job. Think of the hair transplant clinic (s) you are considering as contractors that you want to build a house. You want to make sure you are dealing with a contractor that has quality employees to consistently build great houses. Read more
My Doctor Must Be Good Because He’s Performed Surgery for Many Celebrities
Written by Joe Tillman on February 1, 2008
Recently I had a conversation with a sufferer of hair loss about his surgical recommendation and he mentioned that he had already had one hair transplant by a different clinic. He told me that the doctor said he had worked on many celebrities including Nicolas Cage and Sylvester Stallone just to name a few. I chuckled under my breath because I’ve heard this one before but NOT from the same doctor. In fact, I seem to recall this same story being repeated as originally stated by no less than THREE separate doctors. It seems to me that dropping names is something that is looked upon as being beneficial by some doctors and that it instills confidence for the patient.
The first problem with this type of claim is that it is most likely a bold faced lie as was the story told to the patient at the beginning of this post. The chance of any doctor that you are speaking with having actually performed hair transplant surgery on an “A list” actor or celebrity is pretty small unless that doctor is in the Beverly Hills or greater Los Angeles area. Now, this is not to say that they absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt, are lying but the chances that YOUR doctor worked on a big name celebrity are slim. Read more
My Temples Have Receded. Am I A Candidate For Hair Transplant Surgery?
Written by Joe Tillman on January 28, 2008
I have to say that the single biggest misconception about hair loss that I see on a DAILY basis is that of temporal recession especially among younger men. This is usually the first area of loss that a young man notices. Unfortunately, most young men that see temporal recession immediately think they are going bald and are going to look old and beyond their years. This is not necessarily the case.
Almost all young males (teen and pre-pubescent) have a hairline that is more or less “straight” across their forehead. As males begin to mature the corners of their hairline will usually recede somewhat but this is perfectly normal and does not necessarily dictate that they will be bald or balding later in life. I sometimes call this the final stages of puberty as I think of temporal recession as the final indicator of maturation from that of a juvenile male into an adult male. Of course, that is not to say that future loss is not going to happen, because it can. Read more
Women’s Hair Loss Survey Debunks Myths - Women’s Hair Loss Project
Written by admin on January 11, 2008
New York, NY (PRWEB) January 10, 2008 — In a survey conducted during the months of November and December 2007 by The Women’s Hair Loss Project (www.WomensHairLossProject.com), a website uniting and empowering women around the world who suffer from hair loss, one-fifth of 517 female respondents said that they began to see signs of hair loss between the ages of 15 and 20. These results debunk the myth that women primarily suffer from hair thinning as they age. It also reaffirms scientific studies linking hair loss to the use of birth control pills.
Website survey participants were asked: “How old were you when your hair loss first started?” Results signified that hair loss onset is strongly weighted during one’s teen years, tapering off to just three percent after age 60.
Complete survey results are as follows:
- Age 15-20: 20%
- Age 20-25: 19%
- Age 30-35: 18%
- Age 40-50: 17%
- Age 25-30: 14%
- Age 50-60: 9%
- Age 60+: 3%
“Information from both member emails and our recent survey are telling,” explained the Project’s founder. “A considerable number of women start to lose their hair at a young age, coinciding with the use of birth control pills. This can be extraordinarily crippling to a woman’s self-esteem at any age, but even more so during these extremely delicate years of self-discovery.” Though surprising to most women, even The Mayo Clinic warns that birth control pill use may result in hair loss. Read more
Hair Loss Information Online - Caveat Emptor (Buyer Beware)
Written by mjacobs on December 24, 2007
No matter what you are searching for on the internet, there are always going to be people who are willing to take advantage of unsuspecting men and women searching for help. It seems more prevalent in industries where a person’s self esteem is at stake. Weight loss, impotence, acne and of course, hair loss. Being monetarily taken advantage of is bad enough, but sometimes the damage goes beyond money and disappointment and can cause disfigurement. I mean who hasn’t seen all the news lately on Jan Adams, the high profile plastic surgeon who allegedly has caused serious damage to many women? According to the LA Times:
Adams has also recorded at least two major medical malpractice settlements totaling nearly half a million dollars and has been sued by several patients in other cases, court records show.
A more powerful medium that the internet is television. Dr. Jan Adams appeared on “Oprah” and “Extra” and even hosted his own plastic surgery show on the Discovery Channel. It is no wonder why women from all over the world flocked to Los Angeles to have surgery by this famous plastic surgeon. Read more
Bald Is In? Bald Celebrity Role Models
Written by mjacobs on December 23, 2007
A recent article written by Peter Hartlaub for the San Francisco Chronicle, wrote “Hairless fakers, take note. Bald is in charge.” Wait, what does this mean? Does this mean my day has finally come, finally all my worries are over? I’ll no longer be passed over at a bar by women looking for a guy with um…hair. The article points out several top male celebrity bald brethern. From Stanley Tucci, Bruce Willis, Ben Kingsley, and Patrick Stewart. All ambassadors for the fallen follicles. But lets face it, when a woman says “I think bald is sexy” what she really means to say is “I think bald men who look exactly like Vin Diseal and Jason Statham are sexy.” The fact remains the majority of bald men are still discriminated against in the workplace and at happy hour. Is there a term for that yet… baldist? Anyways the article is a fun read and will help provide you with a few extra bald celebrities to add to your list.
Read Original Article: Hairless fakers take note. Bald is in charge.
Does The Laser Comb Really Grow Hair?
Written by admin on December 19, 2007
Laser light therapy hair loss treatment products such as the Hairmax Laser Comb and the Sunetics Laser Brush have become a hot topic in recent months. Can low level lasers be used to actual regrow and strengthen your existing hairs? A question regarding the efficacy of this hair loss treatment was asked on The Hair Transplant Adviser blog and was addressed by Dr. Brandon Ross, president and cofounder of La Jolla’s Ross Medical Hair Restoration, and member of the elite consumer hair transplant organization, the International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons. This is what Dr. Ross wrote in response to the following question: Read more
About.com Guide Mary Shomon Writes About Thyroid Hair Loss
Written by admin on December 5, 2007
A sluggish thyroid, an overactive thyroid and the wrong thyroid medication can all cause hair loss. About.com guide Mary Shomon is a thyroid patient advocate and is the author of “The Thyroid Guide to Hair Loss.” She recently wrote an article that was published on The American Hair Loss Association titled, “Hair Loss Can Be a Sign of a Thyroid Problem.” She writes:
And the type of hair loss can be telling as well. A unique and very specific type of hair loss that can occur in hypothyroidism is loss of the outer edge of eyebrow hair. This is almost always a thyroid sign, and always warrants followup with your physician.
Also pay attention to these hair-related signs that are more common in thyroid patients …
* Hair loss not just from the head but the body (i.e., underarms, arms, legs)
* Hair that breaks easily
* Hair that has a change in texture, including becoming thinner, finer, coarser, rougher, brittler, or more strawlike
* Hair that easily tangles
* Hair that changes its qualities, and no longer will hold a perm or a curl
Don’t overlook the thyroid as a possible contributing cause of your hair loss. Make sure to get checked out by a doctor knowledgeable in thyroid diseases. Sometimes it requires more that just a simple reading of your blood test results to determine if your thyroid or thyroid medication is too blame for your hair loss.