Hair Loss - Causes & Treatment
So you are thinking about a hair transplant and you want more information? You are in the right place! I have extensive experience working with hair transplant patients and will tell you about the process from start to finish in this blog post.
Hair transplants in the old days got a bad rap! The final result often looked very obvious - like doll's hair and people could tell that the new hairs had been placed there. They were considered obvious and cheesy! Today this just isn’t the case. Hair transplants are highly effective and look incredible with long lasting, natural results for most types of hair loss. Not only that, but the new transplanted hairs will not fall out! Yet another reason why it is worth the time and money to try hair transplants if you are not happy with your current hairline or hair loss.
So let me tell you about the latest and greatest and a little bit about the process and procedure itself.
CONSULTATION & DIAGNOSIS
First and foremost – your hair loss has to be analyzed for its cause. The doctor will ask you questions about your overall health and hair loss pattern and time course as well as about any testing or interventions. In some cases blood tests and even scalp biopsies are warranted, and in most cases a simple history and physical are all that is needed.
The doctor will also ask you about any medications topical and oral that you have tried as well as supplements and dietary interventions and their effect.
COMMON CAUSES OF HAIR LOSS
The most common cause of hair loss in androgenic alopecia - family history (heredity) that happens with aging. This condition is called androgenic alopecia, male-pattern baldness and female-pattern baldness.
Other causes of hair loss include hormonal changes and medical conditions. A variety of conditions can cause permanent or temporary hair loss, including hormonal changes due to pregnancy, childbirth, menopause and thyroid problems.
Medical conditions include alopecia areata, which is immune system related and causes patchy hair loss, scalp infections such as ringworm, and a hair-pulling disorder called trichotillomania.
Medications and supplements:
Hair loss can be a side effect of certain drugs, such as those used for cancer, arthritis, depression, heart problems, gout and high blood pressure.
Radiation therapy to the head:
The hair may not grow back the same as it was before.
A very stressful event:
Many people experience a general thinning of hair several months after a physical or emotional shock. This type of hair loss is temporary.
Hairstyles and treatments:
Excessive hairstyling or hairstyles that pull your hair tight, such as pigtails or cornrows, can cause a type of hair loss called traction alopecia. Hot-oil hair treatments and permanents also can cause hair to fall out. If scarring occurs,
hair loss could be permanent.
Who is a candidate for FUE and FUT and what is FUE AND FUT??
Follicular Unit Extraction and Follicular Unit Transfer. At Hazen Hair we use this state of the art scarless form of hair extraction and transfer. It involves removing hair follicles which are like the bulb that is below the skin and contain 1, 2 or 3 hairs and removing them follicle by follicle from the back of the head where most people have plenty of hair and plenty to spare and transferring them to the front or the crown where the hair is either missing or thinning. We use a machine to assist in this procedure called NEOGRAFT for the extraction and the placement and transfer of the follicles is done manually.
Most types of hair loss can be candidate’s for this method, there are a few conditions that we like to rule out but it can start with a conversation with our providers.