For patients whom have had hair transplant surgery or for those considering surgery, many questions while arise in regards to the procedure itself. One typical question that comes up has to do with maintenance right after their hair transplant procedure. One patient whose father was caring for him after his surgery asked in a recent email, “When can my son start handling his hair after his hair transplant without any caution?”

It’s always good to be cautious when it comes down to surgical procedures but luckily hair transplant surgery is a relatively minimally invasive procedure which requires very little maintenance. We tell our patients to be most cautious within the first few days (day 1 through 4) of their hair restoration surgery and after that period to continue with their regular washing and handling routine. If you feel the need to conceal the treated areas, it can be easily done by changing your hair style or covering it with a hat or head wrap (bandana).

At this point (day 5), there is really no limitation as to what can be done with your hair except in regards to sun exposure. It is highly recommended to avoided excessive sun exposure to the scalp and treated area for the next 6 months and, if possible or necessary, to try to wear some sort of sun protection (sunscreen or hat).

We schedule to see patients in our offices of US Hair Restoartion in Southern California days 1, 10 and 10 months after hair transplant.

Finasteride is the ingredient commonly found in Propecia, a medication used for the treatment of hair loss in men suffering from male pattern baldness. Finasteride is not only used for hair loss. Hair loss prevention is actually the residual side effect of finasteride. The original use of this drug is for prostate enlargement treatment.
Finasteride has been sold under different names and each for a specific cause. Names include Proscar, Propecia, Fincar, Finpecia, Finax, Finast, Finara, Finalo, Prosteride, Gefina, and Finasterid IVAX. Propecia is a 1mg tablet used for hair loss prevention and recommended for hair restoration use by many hair transplant surgeons. It is also the only FDA approved drug for the treatment of hair loss.
Proscar is the original 5mg version of finasteride normally associated with prostate enlargement treatment use. As a cost saving technique, many people purchase 5mg Proscar and cut the tablets into 1.25mg tablets. 1.25mg is a safe dosage but 1mg is more than enough for the treatment of hair loss.

For previous hair transplant patients, scar revision is the process of correcting or minimizing the scar appearance left after a hair transplant procedure. In the case of a patient email we received, his scar seems to be a bit wider on one side compared to the other. His transplant was performed in a different clinic and the result of the wide scar was of natural effect. He asks, “Is it better to do only half and not touch the good side so to speak?”

There are a couple of techniques that can be used to correct this issue. The most common is a simple excision and closure of the scar which may reduce the scar’s width. Considering the scar is behind the neck area, BOTOX can be applied to prevent future stretching. Some patients may require what is known as trichophytic closure which allows hair to grow into the scar further minimizing the appearance of the scar. Finally, the most effective way of eliminating scar visibility is by means of an FUE (follicular unit extraction) procedure to fill in the scar left behind by the strip procedure.

The maturation or completely healing of a scar is a timely occurrence. Scars can sometimes take as long as 6 months to fully develop and can continue to evolve even after that time but at a slower rate. Because of how long scars can take to fully develop, we avoid during any type of scar revision surgery until at least 6 months after wound closure. We offer free donor scar revision consultation at our Orange County hair restoration office.

For patients whom have had hair transplant surgery or for those considering surgery, many questions while arise in regards to the procedure itself. One typical question that comes up has to do with maintenance right after their hair transplant procedure. One patient whose father was caring for him after his surgery asked in a recent email, “When can my son start handling his hair after his hair transplant without any caution?”

It’s always good to be cautious when it comes down to surgical procedures but luckily hair transplant surgery is a relatively minimally invasive procedure which requires very little maintenance. We tell our patients to be most cautious within the first few days (day 1 through 4) of their hair restoration surgery and after that period to continue with their regular washing and handling routine. If you feel the need to conceal the treated areas, it can be easily done by changing your hair style or covering it with a hat or head wrap (bandana)

At this point (day 5), there is really no limitation as to what can be done with your hair except in regards to sun exposure. It is highly recommended to avoid excessive sun exposure to the scalp and treated area for the next 6 months and, if possible or necessary, to try to wear some sort of sun protection (sunscreen or hat).

You can read more on what happens after hair transplant surgery in our website.

A recent patient of ours is looking into lowering her hairline to give her a more feminine and youthful frame for her face. She was a bit concerned when she read on our site that not many female hair loss patients are good candidates for hair restoration surgery.  Her concerns also included the probability of losing her newly transplanted hair, recovery time and if hair restoration surgery has any negative effect on the body itself.
Hair transplant surgery is a very useful procedure for those whom have lost a significant amount of hair.

One question many patients have asked our facility is, “How do I know if I’m a good hair transplant candidate?”.  Of the many patients whom are most concerned are our female hair loss patients.  Women with significant miniaturization or thinning of hair shafts associated to female pattern baldness are not good candidates for the surgery. On the topic of hair line lowering, as long as the donor area has not been compromised by female pattern hair loss it is possible to do the surgery.

Hair transplant surgery is a permanent and safe procedure for both men and women. In some cases, patients may experience some degree of shock loss or loss of native hair after the hair transplant procedure. This is sometimes seen in patients whom have a high level of miniaturization as is seen in male or female pattern baldness.

Recovery time does vary for each patient but it is not enough to limit your everyday function. Most patients can go back to school or work the next day after their surgery and can conceal their transplant easily with a hat, head cover or by combing their hair in a different style temporarily. The most common residual effect is generally swelling and redness at the recipient area. This is usually resolved within or after 3-4 days from surgery. Most clinics, like ours, will provide our patients with special medication to alleviate these symptoms.

Hair restoration surgery does not have any adverse effect on the rest of the body. The most that can result from hair transplant surgery is primarily in regards to the induced medications the day of surgery. We always recommend that you disclose any allergic reactions possibly associated to medications and to food to prevent any complications or even discomfort during or after the procedure. Hair transplant surgery is considered a minimally invasive procedure and the possibility of it having a negative effect on the body are considered unlikely.

We received a distressed email from a young patient who wrote saying he took Propecia after consulting with a doctor but it aggravated my situation and it catalyzed the hair fall instead. I was suggested that the hair fall will be temporary. I was scared so I discontinued the medicine.  He was also concerned if malnutrition may have also caused the patchy hair fall and the possible sexual side effects associated with Propecia medication.

When it comes down to hair loss, the first thing that needs to be verified is a family history of hair loss.  The reason for this is because most hair loss is genetically linked.  In this case, we can use this information to help prevent and reverse hair loss.

Vitamin deficiency can cause hair loss but generally if a person maintains a balanced diet they should be okay.  If vitamin deficiency is the issue, vitamin supplements can help correct that.

Finasteride (Propecia) has been clinically tested and proven effective for the treatment and prevention of hair loss and has been FDA approved.  You may experience some level of hair shedding during the first few weeks or months but hair growth should become evident within or after 6 months of treatment.  Sexual side effects have only been reported in only 1 out of 100 patients tested but the effects are usually temporary.  If Propecia medication impedes your libido too much, it is safe to either discontinue usage or reduce the prescription amount.

At this point, we highly suggest starting to establish a good relationship with a good hair transplant surgeon and consider getting a proper evaluation of your hair loss.  If male pattern baldness or typical male hair loss is the final diagnosis, we recommend starting a medication regimen and maybe even considering a hair transplant in the near future if need be.

There is a great difference in hair design between a child and an adult.  Most notably is that between a boy and a man.  As men get older, the hairline takes on a different design.  This is known as maturation of the hairline.

Originally, the temples are full and give off a curved hairline design.  In most males, by the age of 16 to 24, the childhood hairline or kiddy hairline begins to recede giving the male a more mature frame.  The maturation of hairline is a normal phase in men but unfortunately does get worse for some.

When considering hair restoration surgery, it is typical for a hair transplant surgeon to make the hairline look like a normal mature hairline for men.  We try to avoid over filling the temples and adhere to the typical design of any hairline with a few variations depending on actually bone structure, ethnicity and density. Adding a more curved effect as with a childhood hairline is unnatural in any adult male.

Hair restoration surgery through follicular unit transplantation is the golden standard for hair transplants to date.  This procedure is designed to fully recreate a natural looking hairline and add density or restore lost hair caused by male or female pattern baldness.  The only concerning factor of this technique is the scar that remains after the procedure is complete.  Men especially whom have had hair restoration surgery have wondered and asked how short can their hair really be to avoid seeing or even noticing the scar and if there is a way to avoid such a scar?

The linear scar that is left after a hair restoration procedure through strip technique is really inevitable but can be made less visible depending on your hair transplant surgeon.  Most facilities that do hair transplant practice a technique known as trichophytic closure for their patients.  Trichophytic closure is a technique used where hair follicles will penetrate through the donor scar which, in turn, minimizes its visibility and detect ability.  This can be compromised if the scar ends up stretching or widening.  Another study conducted has shown that BOTOX can be used to prevent further stretching or widening of the donor scar and must be applied by a professional physician for best results.

The length of a person’s hair is really up to the patient or their stylist’s best disclosure. Most donor scars are minimal and undetectable but in most cases anything shorter than a #2 clipper (1/4″ buzz cut) may make the scar visible.

The only other option available to minimize scarring is through a different hair transplant technique called follicular unit extraction (FUE). This technique is done by selectively extracting follicular units and refining them for hair transplantation.  The result is undetectable and the downtime is even less than that of follicular unit transplantation through strip technique. This procedure can also be used to fill in existing scars where hair use to grow or the donor scar area. Findings on this type of procedure were originally published when conducted on patients with neurological scar revision.