The autoimmune condition known as Alopecia causes hair loss in different areas of the body. These patchy, bald areas tend to look normal and don’t show any signs of inflammation or irritation. There is a genetic correlation found in some cases which can be linked to other autoimmune disorders. This particular form, Alopecia Areata, is most commonly a disease which is self-limiting, yet can be treated if necessary through steroid injections or topical medications by a dermatologist.

The other form is known as Traction Alopecia which is common in children. This is a condition which is seen mainly in girls by having weak and fragile hair follicles. A common cause for this type of alopecia is tightly wrapped ponytails which in most cases affect the sides and front of the scalp. The initial sign of Traction Alopecia can be the elevation of the hairline. A way to treat this is by cutting the hair short and eliminating the strain the tightly wrapped hair causes on the follicles. The recovery time may take a few months and is spontaneous. In some of the longer term cases of Traction Alopecia, hair follicles are permanently damaged and a hair transplantation would be necessary to grow hair in the balding areas.

There are times when patients suffering from the more advanced stages of balding require a second hair transplantation surgery to complete the process. The question many of these particular patients have is what the time lapse is between the first and second surgeries.

This depends on if there is density which needs to be added to the already transplanted areas. If so, there needs to be at least six months which has passed since the original surgery. This is because after six months there is more complete growth from the first hair transplantation, and a touch up in the already transplanted areas will bring more complete results. The amount of hairs transplanted in the second surgery is typically less than the first since the scar from the first surgery is removed a second time. Overall, the greater the density in the transplanted areas, the better the hair restoration will look long term.

Many patients that come in to my office have a common complaint; hair shedding (some even bring in a ball of hair they have collected from their brush and bathroom floor) and in most cases they are women with long hair. For the most part hair shedding alone is not a sign of hair loss. Shedding is losing thick hair that has completed its growth phase and started its resting phase.

• Examples of Normal Hair Shedding

All humans experience a level of hair shedding. It can be up to 100 to 200 hairs per day. Hair shedding is sometimes more exaggerated in people who have had a large surgery, trauma, experienced physiological or emotionally stressful events and women who have recently delivered a child. This is called Telogen Effluvium (excessive temporary loss of telogen hair). In most cases hair shedding is typically temporary and the affected hair will grow back within a few months. There is no cause for concern, unless you have a more visible scalp or thinning of the scalp hair. In which case, you should come in to see a certified hair restoration surgeon.

• The 3 Stages of Human Hair Growth

1. Anagen ( Growing stage)
2. Catagen (Transitional stage)
3. Telogen ( Resting stage)

• Active Hair Loss Determined by Miniaturization Study

Almost every patient that visits US Hair Restoration will have a miniaturization study performed on them, to evaluate their degree of the fineness of their scalp hair which are signs of active hair loss, or in other words scalp hair miniaturization. People with active hair loss show 20-30% more thinning hair than the average person who experiences normal hair shedding. If you feel that you are experiencing active hair loss, we recommend you come into one of our five offices in California( San Francisco, San Diego, Orange County, Beverly Hills and Encino), for a free consultation.

Hello blog readers,

I have some great news about US Hair Restoration’s current hair transplant costs!!

As the result of a recent meeting between my staff members and I, there will now be a Holiday Special beginning on December 1, 2010 at US Hair Restoration. This special will be offered for an extremely limited time and is one of the lowest prices for quality hair restoration yet.

We realize that holidays are quite busy for some people and that certain patients will need to book their procedure on a specific date in order to keep their schedules in tact. To accommodate this need of many of our patients, a rare discount of 40% off regular hair transplant costs will be offered to all of our valued clientele who have flexible schedules and are willing to book their procedures within 7-10 days of the procedure itself. By offering this discount to our patients with flexible schedules, we hope to accommodate the needs of all of our valued patients while not sacrificing the high quality that US hair Restoration stands by and is known for worldwide.

With this limited time discount, hair transplant costs at US Hair Restoration will be:

• Follicular Unit Transplants (FUT) — Regularly $4.00 per graft;  *WITH HOLIDAY STANDBY DISCOUNT $2.40 per graft
• Follicular Unit Extractions (FUE) — Regularly $8.00 per graft;  *WITH HOLIDAY STANDBY DISCOUNT $4.80 per graft

Offer only valid until January 31, 2011. Call 888-302-8747 to schedule your free consultation today. For additional information on the procedures we offer here at US Hair Restoration, feel free to check out our detailed webpages on Follicular Unit Transplants and Follicular Unit Extractions. We look forward to meeting you all in office soon!

Q:

Dr. Mohebi,

I live outside of California and am interested in seeing you for my hair restoration procedure. I have attached my pictures to this email along with a few quick questions that I have in regards to hair restoration. Could you please check them out whenever you have a free moment and let me know what your personal recommendations are?

- What is the approximate number of grafts required to achieve sufficient density (if not a lot) and the approximate cost of the whole process?
- How long will it take me to get back to my work and how soon I will see the results?
- Lastly, please do let me know any other important information that is relevent to the his whole procedure.

Thanks!

A:

Dear Inquirer,

First off, I just want to thank you for your interest in our hair restoration services and let you know that I have forwarded your information and pictures to be included in our patient information system for further review. I also wanted to take a quick moment to look over your photos and respond personally to your inquiries.

Here are my responses to your questions in the order they were received:

- What is the approximate number of grafts required to achieve sufficient density (if not a lot) and the approximate cost of the whole process?

You are a class VI hair loss patient and would require the maximum number of grafts possible in one session to acheive the density you are striving for. The number is generally above 2500 grafts for people who have never had a surgery, but may fluctuate through the range of 2500 to 4000 grafts based on your own scalp laxity and density of hair (to be determined when you are here in our office).

The cost for hair transplants at US Hair Restoration are based on the number of grafts transplanted and the standard charges are as follows for Follicular Unit Transplants:

• $4 per graft for the first 2500 grafts; all additional grafts are charged at half price ($2 per graft).

In addition, your travel expenses will be reimbursed towards 10% of the cost of surgery (up to $500).

In addition to reimbursement on travel, we will book a hotel near our office for you for 2 nights with free transportation between the hotel and our office for your visits.

Lastly, we also have a standby program available for anyone which a flexible schedule and willingness to book their surgery date within 7-10 days of the procedure itself (visit us at www.ushairrestoration.com for more information on that offer).

- How long will it take me to get back to my work and how soon I will see the results?

The procedure for a strip hair transplant takes one whole day (from approximately 7am to 5pm) and you are required to return the day after for your procedure for a hair wash. With these basic requirements, you have the capability to fly back home as early as the day after your surgery and continue all routines as before (aside from hair washing which you will do as instructed for the first 4 days following the procedure). You will be fully functional the first day after surgery, but you may have some swelling for 3-4 days following.

Visible results of your hair transplantation will be seen approximately 6-10 months following the procedure itself and may continue to develope into the year and a half mark.

- Do let me know any other important information that is relevent to the his whole procedure.

You can find more great information about hair transplant methods with US Hair Restoration on our website: www.ushairrestoration.com or our blog: www.ushairrestoration.com/blog

Finally, US Hair Restoration San Diego Office begin its work today. As promised before the first patients who book their hair transplant surgery from the San Diego office of US Hair Restoration will receive special discounted rates toward their hair transplantation. US Hair Restoration South California presence was further established by opening Southern office in La Jolla Area of San Diego, California.

US Hair Restoration uses advanced communication tools to educate the hair loss patient in Southern California. US Hair Restoration San Diego office evaluates patients through its knowledgeable staff. All primary planning for a hair transplant surgery is initiated in the San Diego Hair Loss Treatment Center. Dr. Mohebi oversees all patients initial consultations in San Diego office while he supervises the follow up visits of the previously treated patients by US Hair Restoration.

Starting another branch of US Hair Restoration is one step further toward our goal of providing quality hair restoration services with an affordable prices to everyone.

Q:
Several weeks have passed since my hair transplant surgery. It has come to my attention that there’s a small bald spot near my left ear. As told, I was keeping that area clean the last few weeks, but no hair has grown back, it is still the same. I do not think it is getting larger. For some reason, the bald area is more sensitive to heat or cold temperatures. I was washing my hair today, and a scab fell off, but it was about the same size as the bald spot.

Another thing, I feel numb in the surrounding area of the bald spot. For me, I’ve never seen a bald spot in my donor wound until now. I’m wondering what I can do about it. I guess trauma leads to falling out of hair in donor wound areas as well. Just to let you know, I’ve been taking doses of finasteride daily, before, during the time I had surgery, and after surgery. Comparing to times past, I think I’ve taken pretty nice care of my head vs. the other times I had hair transplant surgeries, so I’m a bit concerned.

I wonder if the hair will ever grow back, as long as there isn’t a scar over it. My bald spot is about the size of a silver dollar; it looks quite noticeable. The bald spot has been overly sensitive the whole time after the surgery, but it wasn’t infected and there was no blood oozing out of it. I’m thinking that maybe the hair surrounding the wound fell off because of shock.

Your advice would be much appreciated,

A:
I appreciate the email.  You guessed right about the hair loss probably being caused by shock around the area of your donor wound. There must have been really tight close-up of the donor area. Maybe the hard close-up caused the shock loss. The two areas, on either side of the scalp, are very vulnerable to shock loss. Usually, when shock loss occurs, it happens on both sides. Shock loss occurring around a donor wound is, most of the time, reversible. It takes about six months for hair lost because of shock loss to grow back. It’s a slow, but certain process. Stay patient.

At this time, there is not a lot that can be done. But it is important that a doctor takes a look at your shock loss. Also, the feeling of numbness in the donor area will last up from a few weeks to months. The numbness is caused by inflaming of the healing area, this has an effect on the nerves in that area. It will heal on its own time.

One day I was flipping through a publication and came across a case study in which there was found to be hair growing in a person’s mouth. The study was reported by the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Earlier this year, a female subject was discovered to have, within her mouth, hair growth. It was the type of hair found in human nostrils. Researchers made the point that it was because of the excessive amounts of testosterone in her body. The condition is called oral hirsutism. Lots of diseases and health conditions can affect the body when there is too much testosterone circulating around. According to studies, the principal cause of hirsutism is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Some day in the next few decades, lab scientists studying hair follicle growth might be able to take advantage of testosterone to grow hair on men and women scalps, especially for those who are prime candidates for hair loss treatment.

This particular case study has been credited to F. Femiano, R. Rullo, R. Serpico, A. Lanza, V.M. Festa, and G. Laino. At the Second University of Naples, in Naples, Italy.