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Causes Of Hair Loss in Women

Greetings,

On the heels of my appearance on “The Doctors” TV show discussing Hair Transplants for female patients, I have decided to write about different causes of hair loss in women. Common causes of hair loss in women can be traction alopecia, which results from constant pulling on the hair as in braiding or tight pony tails. Alopecia Areata, which is an autoimmune disease which results in smooth round patches of hair loss. Medications such as blood thinners, seizure medication, anti inflammatory medications, Beta blockers, prednisone, mood altering drugs, chemotherapy, oral contraceptives, thyroid medications, and illicit drugs such as cocaine, can all be causes of hair loss. Anemia, which is a low blood count can also cause hair loss. Other causes include thyroid disease, connective tissue diseases such as lupus, crash diets, stress, and post general anesthesia. Major events where big hormonal changes occur, such as childbirth and menopause, can also cause hair loss in females. Scars caused by trauma or other surgical procedures can also cause hair loss in those areas. Probably the most common cause of female hair loss is a genetic form of hair loss that is an inherited trait that can come from either the mother or father’s side of the family. This typically manifests as diffuse thinning in the scalp. Often the hairline can be preserved in these cases. Some of these causes of hair loss may be treated with medications or a hair transplant procedure but it is important to have a thorough medical work up and examination to determine the exact cause, and then we can determine the treatment.

All the best,

Marc Dauer, MD

/by Los Angeles Hair Transplant Specialist

Dr. Dauer Discussing Female Hair Loss on The Doctors TV Show

Greetings,

Here is a clip of me discussing Female Hair Loss and different reasons why women seek out Hair Restoration procedures.

All the best,

Marc Dauer, MD

/by Los Angeles Hair Transplant Specialist

Hairline Design In Hair Transplantation

Greetings,
The hairline design is probably the most important facet of Hair Transplantation. It has the power to make a Hair Transplant look completely natural or completely unnatural. It is crucial that the transplanted hairs are oriented in the proper angle and orientation. You should not be able to tell the difference between the transplanted hair and any native hair that is present in the area. In addition, the hairline should be placed in a location that takes into account future hair loss and the patients eventual donor reserve. This means that in younger patients with more extensive hair loss, it is imperative to not place the hairline too low, as you could create the problem of running out of donor hair in the future. Every millimeter that you lower the hairline requires an exponentially large number of hairs to fill in behind it. I always tell my patients we can lower the hairline in the future if the continuing hair loss allows for more aggressive hairline advancement, but once the hairline is too low, it becomes a big problem that can be fixed, but requires a fair amount of intervention to do so. It is better not to create the problem in the first place. Also, keen attention must be paid to the patients facial symmetry, hair color to skin contrast, and hair type (curly hair versus straight hair). The new hairline must be created in an irregular pattern so that there are no straight lines at any point in the hairline. With all of these factors taken into consideration, combined with the artistry of the Hair Restoration Surgeon, a completely natural hairline may be achieved.

All the best,

Marc Dauer, MD

/by Los Angeles Hair Transplant Specialist

New Hair Transplant Video Patient Testimonial

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Greetings,

Here is a new hair transplant vedio patient testimonial discussing his experience before, during, and after his hair transplant procedure. It is very informative for anyone considering the procedure.

All the best,

Marc Dauer, M.D.

/by Los Angeles Hair Transplant Specialist

Hypothermasol- New Storage Media For Hair Transplant Grafts

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Greetings,

I have just begun using Hypothermasol -New Storage Media For Hair Transplant Grafts which is a new storage media for storing hair grafts while they are out of the body and awaiting transplant. In the past we have had excellent results storing the hair grafts in saline or lactated ringers solution, but recent studies have shown that there can be an increased growth yield of the transplanted hair grafts by storing them in hypothermasol. Hypothermasol has been used for a number of years to store organs awaiting transplantation. It is thought to keep the cellular mechanisms more stable while the organ is out of the body, thus decreasing any cellular degradation. Applying the same concept to hair transplants, some new studies have shown that this storage media can lead to possibly better growth rates. Even though the hypothermasol is much more expensive than the traditional storage solutions, in my quest for the best hair transplant results that can be achieved, I have decided to incorporate this into my storage process of the hair grafts. I will check in with an update on this topic in 6-9 months with the results that I am seeing in clinical use.

All the best,

Marc Dauer, MD

/1 Comment/by Los Angeles Hair Transplant Specialist

An Exciting New Device To Measure Hair Mass- The HairCheck

Greetings,

I have just added an exciting new device to my hair restoration practice called the “HairCheck”. This revolutionary device allows us to measure hair thinning and breakage in quantitative terms. Usually once hair thinning is noted you have already lost 50% of the original density of hair that existed in that area. HairCheck allows us to measure the “hair mass” in any region of the scalp and gives us a numerical value. HairCheck also allows us to measure damaged or broken hair. For the first time, we now have a tool to give us a quantitative analysis of the exact amount of hair mass present in any given area of the scalp. We can take measurements before beginning non surgical hair restoration treatments (low light laser therapy, propecia, rogaine, PRP), or prior to hair transplant surgery, and compare the measurements after a period of time to see how well the treatments have worked. We can also take measurements in the donor region (this is the area of the scalp that is not supposed to be affected by hair loss in most individuals) and compare these measurements to the affected areas of the scalp to determine exactly how much hair density has been lost. Photographs will always be very important, but the ability to quantify the exact amount of hair in any given region of the scalp is incredibly valuable. Please don’t hesitate to inquire about the HairCheck when you come to see me for a consultation. For more information about HairCheck visit www.HairCheck.com.

All the best,

Marc Dauer, M.D.

/by Los Angeles Hair Transplant Specialist

Tips To Avoid Female Hair Loss

Greetings,

I will be appearing on the TV show “The Doctors”  this coming Tuesday October 11 discussing female hair loss and why women seek out hair restoration and hair transplant procedures. On that topic I would like to write some tips I have picked up through the years on ways for women to avoid hair loss.

1) Limit the use of pony tails or hair ties. If you are going to tie your hair up in any fashion make sure that there is not too much traction applied to the hair and that you do not leave on a hair tie for long periods. Under no circumstances should you sleep with ties in your hair. Traction on the hair may cause it to fall out and the damage in some instances can be permanent.

2) Avoid hair coloring and tinting formulas that contain ammonia. Ammonia can be damaging to hair and the scalp and can cause permanent hair loss.

3) Avoid using excessive direct heat to your hair while blow drying. Try and keep the setting on warm as opposed to hot.

4) Avoid rubbing your scalp as repeated rubbing can cause permanent damage to the scalp.

5) Do not wash your hair too often especially if you are in a shedding period where you are losing more hair than usual.

These little tips may be useful to avoid hair loss and to minimize hair loss in individuals undergoing an active loss period.

I hope they are helpful.

All the best,

Marc Dauer, M.D.

/by Los Angeles Hair Transplant Specialist

International Society Of Hair Restoration Surgery Annual Meeting In Anchorage

Greetings,

I just returned from the International Society Of Hair Restoration Surgery annual meeting in Anchorage Alaska. It was an amazing meeting as usual, but this year there were many less attendees which made it even more intimate than ever before. I had the opportunity to meet and re-connect with many of my friends and colleagues and discuss the latest advancements in the field and compare and contrast what others are doing and what seems to be improving the process and results. I definitely took home many new ideas that I plan to implement into my practice ranging from a new low level laser light device I will be offering, to a new storage medium for my hair grafts.

Other things I plan to look into for the future will be Platelet Rich Plasma therapy. I also purchased the new Hair Check system which measures hair mass and I plan on using this on new patients to measure their hair mass prior to initiating treatment and also after treatment has been implemented. This is an amazing new tool which measures hair mass which is an excellent indicator of the amount of hair in any given region on the scalp. I will attach a few photos from the meeting and my day trip excursion to the glaciers.

All the best,
Marc Dauer, MD

/by Los Angeles Hair Transplant Specialist

Post Hair Transplant Timeline

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Greetings,

Today I will discuss the general timeline post hair transplant. Typically within 24 hours after the procedure tiny crusts that look like grains of sand form around the transplanted hairs whether they are on the scalp, eyebrow, face, or body. These tiny scabs begin to fall off around post op days 3-4 and are usually gone within 7-10 days. Keeping the grafts moist or applying an antibiotic ointment may loosen the crusts and have them fall off earlier. Most of the transplanted hairs being to fall out at around 2 weeks post operatively and usually by the end of the first month post transplant most of the transplanted hairs are all gone and the patient looks like they did prior the procedure. Typically , the hair begins to grow back at around 12 weeks. The patient usually does not notice any change until around 5-6 months, at which point approximately 50% of the new hair growth may be seen. Full growth is usually not achieved until 12 months post procedure and continued growth may be seen for up to 24 months post procedure. Patients who have undergone a second or third procedure may see a slightly delayed growth timeline.

I hope this information is helpful to all of those considering Hair Restoration.

All the best,

Marc Dauer, MD

/by Los Angeles Hair Transplant Specialist

How Many Hair Transplant Procedures Will I Need?

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Greetings all,

Some of the most common questions I get from prospective patients are “can I only do one procedure?” and “how many procedures will I need?” These are excellent questions which I would like to address. To begin with, androgenic hair loss, otherwise known as male patterned hair loss, is a progressive condition and one which continues throughout your life. Is it true that as you age, the amount and degree of loss can slow down and even stabilize, but every patient must understand clearly that they will continue losing hair throughout their lives. Younger patients with more severe loss may lose their hair more quickly than older patients with mild to moderate loss but it can still vary from individual to individual. Usually in the course of a consultation I will discuss with the patient other family members (father, grandfathers, uncles, etc.) who experienced similar loss at their age and ask them how that person’s loss progressed. Sometimes that can offer some insight into how quickly and severely the individual’s hair loss will progress. There are other factors on examination, like miniaturization of existing follicles, that can provide some insight into how the individual’s hair loss will progress. Miniaturization is the process where a healthy hair follicle becomes a small, fine, almost “baby- hair”. This is typically the last step before the hair follicle falls out forever, and extensive miniaturization can be a precursor to extensive baldness. Medical treatments for androgenic alopecia include Rogaine and Propecia (Finasteride). Both of these medications can help not only to possibly regrow some hair, but to turn miniaturized follicles into healthy follicles again and to slow the progression of hair loss. Also, the studies have clearly shown that patients who use both Rogaine and Propecia together have a better result than patients who use either independently. Researchers are not sure why, but apparently there is some synergistic action between the 2 medications. Propecia is a pill which is taken once a day in a 1mg formulation and Rogaine comes as a foam or liquid is concentrations of 2% and 5%. I typically recommend the 5% foam formulation as it is easier to place on the scalp and is less greasy. Also, Rogaine has only shown results in helping hair loss in the crown region. Usually younger patients who are in line to experience much more hair loss are going to get the most benefit from using these medications. Another factor in determining the number of procedures is the severity of hair loss. Patients who have severe degrees of hair loss (Norwood 6 or 7) are usually confronted with a choice. Since I do not believe in transplanting many more than 3000  follicles in a single session (I will address my reasons for this in another blog), a severely bald patient will have the choice to either cover their entire head with a lower density of hair follicles, which may result in them wanting a secondary procedure for increased density throughout. Or to cover the entire hairline and mid scalp with higher density and leave the crown alone and then possibly cover the crown in a secondary procedure. Either way, in a severely bald individual, this is going to be a decision the patient will have to make. Finally, what I tell patients is that everyone who has the procedure, sees the difference, loves the difference, and wants more. The typical patient will undergo 2-4 procedures in a lifetime. I usually won’t consider performing a second procedure until around 8-9 months after the initial procedure. This allows me to see the new hair growth and also allows the donor area to relax, thus making it safer to harvest a strip from again. Every patient is different and must be individually evaluated in order to formulate a comprehensive plan tailored to them.

All the best,

Marc Dauer, MD

/by Los Angeles Hair Transplant Specialist