Hair Loss Implications

Hair loss has always been about much more than vanity for both the men and women who suffer with Male or Female Pattern Hair Loss. Wanting to look and feel our best is natural, and with hair loss, the way we feel about ourselves doesn’t necessarily gel with what we see in the mirror. Fortunately today a real option exists to help to combat hair loss, hair transplantation offers people the chance to cheat nature and genetics and give you back your own, naturally growing hair.

A hair transplant replaces the hair loss to Male or Female Pattern hair loss with your own hair. It offers a permanent solution to sufferers by transplanting hair that is not susceptible to the hair loss process that affected the original hair.

A few clinics have this down to an art, producing results that look so natural that even your nearest and dearest won’t be able to tell, and most importantly results that will allow you to look in the mirror and forget it’s a transplant, allowing you to just enjoy the hair!

In a field that offers more options and clinics than ever – and now one of the top 5 male cosmetic procedures – the choice in clinic you make is as important as whether or not to undergo the procedure. With more and more practitioners offering hair transplantation, the main things to consider when choosing the clinic is Reputation and Results, as with everything in life there are many Doctors performing the procedure, but with few doing it well and the results vary widely from clinic to clinic.

A few pointers… Choose a clinic that exclusively performs hair transplants and has an established history, one that is recognized by both the ISHRS and ABHRS. The Doctor you are choosing should be the clinics primary Doctor and should be well established within the field. Always meet with your Doctor prior to booking the procedure and ensure that long term planning is his or her main concern, you want something that looks great now, but also in the future. And ask to see results, and make sure they are of similar hair loss stage and hair characteristics as your own. Don’t expect that a photo of someone with a different hair loss patterns and hair type is going to be a representation of how you will look.

ABOUT MARK

Dr Mark McKenzie is a 15 year veteran in the field of Hair Transplantation, performing surgeries exclusively for the world renown Seager Hair Transplant Centre for the last 5 years. Dr McKenzie has been a member of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery since 1995 and is currently a Board Member and Examiner for the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgeons.

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Dr. McKenzie is invited to lecture at the Orlando Live Surgery Workshop

Dr. McKenzie is pictured with Dr. David Perez-Meza Co-Chairman of the conference and Dr. Parsa Mohebi from Los Angeles, California

Dr. McKenzie was privileged to be invited as faculty to the 16th Orlando Live Surgical Workshop from April 7 – 10, 2010. This conference is held annually and is sponsored by the ISHRS and hosted by Dr. Matt Leavitt, Program Chairman. Co-chairman is Dr. David Perez-Meza and Scientific Coordinators are Dr. Marco Barusco and Dr. Melvin  Mayer.

Dr. McKenzie lectured on the Hair Loss Consultation, Hairline Design and participated in Panel Discussions on Male Hair Loss Consultation as well as participating in the Surgical Workshops.

The conference was attended by around 100 physicians from such diverse regions as South America, Asia, The Middle East, Europe, U.K. as well as the USA and Mexico.

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Hair Loss Products: Do They Really Work?

Lotions, Potions & Snake Oil — Hair-Raising or Heart-Breaking?

At the Seager Medical Group, clients often bring with them bottles of hair growth products, herbal remedies and special shampoos that they are using, with the question “Do they really work?”Ever since the times of the Pharaohs, people have been seeking cure for hair loss. It has been said that one Pharaoh drank a concoction of asses hoof, dates and dog paw to try to restore his hair and in the 19th century a mixture of coconut oil, borax powder, and the burning of Indian incense was believed to promote hair growth.

Wonder Drugs for Your Hair?

A simple Google search will yield countless pages of pills and lotions designed to cure baldness. Many offer “money-back guarantees”, but the dissatisfied customer usually sheepishly chalks up his failed wonder cure to experience & is too embarrassed to ask for a refund (minus shipping charges!” While there is no “Wonder Drug” that will give a bald person a full head of hair, there are 2 medications used in medical hair restoration which have shown effectiveness in treating hair loss.

(1) Propecia (Finasteride) is a pill which prevents the conversion of the male hormone, Testosterone, to DHT; it is the DHT which is thought to be responsible for triggering hair loss in people who are genetically predisposed to male pattern hair loss. In large scientific studies over 5 years showed that 9 out of 10 men had visible results; either no further hair loss or re-growth of hair. That’s the good news. Now if there is good news, this implies that there must be bad news!Propecia has to be taken every day; if Propecia is stopped for a period of time, the hair loss will “catch up” to where it would have been had the person never been on Propecia. It has not been tested on women, therefore it cannot be recommended for female pattern hair loss. There is also a 1-2% risk of erectile dysfunction with Propecia; which is reversible once Propecia is stopped.

(2) The other drug which is approved by the FDA for male and female pattern hair loss is Minoxidil (Rogaine / Regaine). Like so many “discoveries” in medicine, the hair-restorative properties of Rogaine were stumbled upon accidently. Some hair loss sufferers who were taking Minoxidil pills for high blood pressure found that they were re-growing hair, so the manufacturers of Minoxidil devised a liquid version of the drug (Rogaine) that could be applied to the scalp and, lo and behold, it worked!! Around 80 % of men using 2% Rogaine found that hair loss decreased, whereas only 5% of men showed moderate re-growth. A 5% strength of Rogaine shows improved results compared to 2% Rogaine. Occasionally Rogaine liquid can cause scalp irritation. This is due to the effects of the propylene glycol and alcohol in which the drug is dissolved. In order to combat this problem, the company has developed 5% Rogaine Foam which is less irritating; unfortunately Rogaine Foam is not yet available in Canada.

I hear you asking “But what about all the other products that are out there in the herbalist shops and salons that say they will unclog my pores and make my hair grow?” Male or female pattern hair loss is a genetic condition and is not caused by blocked pores, and scientific studies do not substantiate the claims of these manufacturers. This does not mean that we should neglect good hair care. Washing hair with a good quality, pH-balance, high protein shampoo will not only keep hair clean, but it will also give the hair more body causing it to appear thicker and healthier. It is essential to use conditioner in order to provide a protective lubricating coating to the hair shafts. This will stop the hairs from becoming brittle and will protect them from breaking.

So as we can see, there is no “Wonder-Cure” for hair loss, but these 2 products are very useful in our armamentarium of hair loss treatments in order to slow down or prevent hair loss, especially in the early stages. For those people for whom there is established hair loss, hair transplantation will grow hair back in those areas from where it has been lost. The science behind this technique is fairly simple; male or female pattern hair loss is genetic. The permanent hair on the sides and back of the head does not fall out because it is genetically programmed to grow for life.

In those people who are suffer from male or female pattern hair loss, the hair on the front and top of the head will fall out because it is genetically predisposed to do so. Hair transplantation simply involves moving the genetically-permanent hair from the back and sides of the head to the place from which it has been lost. The hair’s genetics “tell the hairs to keep on growing” so they do and we are able to restore hair from where it was lost.Although the scientific principles are simple, the hair replacement procedure relies not purely on science, but to a large extent on artistry. At the Seager Hair Transplant Centre we believe that “A hair transplant should not look like a hair transplant!”, and we pride ourselves on performing surgical hair restoration procedures that look so incredibly natural that, in many cases, even your own hairstylist can not tell that it is not your original hair.

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Medical & Surgical Hair Restoration for Female Hair Loss

Female hair loss gives a new meaning to the phrase “bad hair day”. As women our hair is one of the most important accessories we use everyday to make us look our best. Our hair has been defining us as girls, and then women, from the time we had enough hair for our mothers to put a bow in it. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that when a woman suffers from hair loss, it can have a devastating effect on her sense of confidence and self image. When you see a man who is balding it is considered nothing out of the ordinary however, if you see a woman who is suffering from thinning hair she looks out of place and you think “I wonder what is wrong with her?”

We spend hundreds of dollars a year at the hair salon having our hair styled, coloured, and highlighted; not to mention the amount of money spent on hair care products. So the first place we would look for a hair loss product would be at the salon. Unfortunately there isn’t a shampoo or hair styling product that will cure hair loss.

The first place you should look for answers is at your family physician’s office. The goal is to investigate the cause of your hair loss and make a diagnosis. He or she may treat you themselves or refer you to a dermatologist. Either way it will involve providing a medical history, a scalp examination, some blood work and perhaps a scalp biopsy. The causes for hair loss in women can include low iron, thyroid disease, recent stress or illness, pregnancy, hormonal disorders and scalp disease. One of the most common causes is genetic female pattern hair loss or androgenetic alopecia which is characterized by hair loss which usually starts a few centimeters behind the hairline and progresses through the middle of the scalp. A thorough investigation is required before any treatment is started because the causes of hair loss in women can be so varied.

There are a variety of non-surgical and surgical treatments available. One non-surgical option is Rogaine, a topical solution that is applied twice a day to the affected scalp that can help slow down the progression of hair loss. Topical cosmetics such as DermMatch can be used to camouflage the thinning areas. Hair extensions can also be used to augment thinning hair. For women who have extensive hair loss and are not suitable candidates for other treatments choosing a wig may be an option.

Hair transplantation is a very effective treatment for female pattern hair loss. Hair is taken from the sides and back of the scalp and transplanted into the thinning areas. Using modern techniques of “follicular unit grafting”, grafts are transplanted one at a time creating incredibly natural results. Hair transplants can also be used to restore hair in the temples and hairline after a facelift or brow lift to camouflage the scars. Eyebrows that are sparse due to over plucking can be transplanted and so can eyelashes.

At the Seager Medical Group we are experienced in these techniques and have helped pioneer the advances in the field of hair restoration surgery. We pride ourselves in being able to not only restore your hair but your self confidence as well.

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Dr. McKenzie appears as a guest on CFRB 1010

Dr. McKenzie appears as a guest on CFRB 1010’s Guy Talk Radio Show on Sunday August 10. The topic of this live phone-in radio show was “Are bald men more sexy?”
Dr. McKenzie is pictured in the studio with hosts Dale Curd and Owen Williams.

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