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Looking good is imperative in today’s age. It is a well known fact that our hair plays a major role in shaping our appearance. Shiny, lustrous and beautiful hair is an indicator of a healthy body. Healthy, bouncy hair makes us feel good about ourselves and is also a huge confidence booster. There are however lots of times when we have bad hair days. To our utter dismay we find our crowning glory is beset with a host of problems. Most of the times we pick up a product from the market hoping it would work miracles but rarely does it happen so. This is because our hair differs widely in type and texture. It is very important to know your hair perfectly well before embarking on any beauty regimen. This site lets you to unravel the many mysteries of the hair.

Most of us are unaware of the type of hair that we have. You can try to know this yourself or better still expert advice can be sought to determine the type of your hair. It is also equally important to know whether you have an oily or a dry scalp. Familiarizing yourself with your hair is very helpful in choosing the appropriate beauty regimen. Know your hair to know a beautiful side of you!

A lot of times we are baffled by the many problems that our hair has to face. Men and women hair loss problems vary. There are many factors that might attack your lustrous mane. It may be due to the application of some external products or it maybe that the damaged hair is just a reflection of the vitamin deficiency that the body is facing. Many a times loss of hair is also due to pregnancy and menopause in women. Hair problems may be temporary or permanent. These also differ in their severity.

The aim of this web site is to provide you with comprehensive advice and guidance on permanent hair loss solutions. If you are new to hair restoration and hair transplants and would like to review comprehensive information concerning hair restoration surgery, hair restoration advice dot com is for you!

A wide range of articles grouped in different categories are there to provide you with information and advice that in total will provide you with the means to a complete hair loss solution.

Starting with the basics of hair biology and hair loss, the articles gradually introduce you to the whole realm of hair restoration surgery as the final and permanent hair loss solution.

The section how to choose a hair transplant clinic and surgeon helps you to choose a hair transplant center which has both a good reputation and affordable hair restoration costs.

Once you know how to decide on a hair transplant clinic, the next section provides you with a comprehensive guide for interviewing your hair restoration surgeon and what you should expect from a hair transplant doctor.

The successive sections impart information on more practical aspects of hair restoration and provide you with exclusive tips on preparation for the transplant surgery. You can also view in-depth information about the hair loss restoration treatment procedure and get valuable advice on post restoration surgery care.

Hair restoration advice dot com is a totally objective and comprehensive source for hair restoration and hair transplant information on the Internet. Reading through the content presented inthe web pages of hair restoration advice; you are sure to find hair loss solutions and answers to any doubts that you may have about the hair loss restoration aproach.

Hairs are very peculiar characteristics of mammalian groups in animal kingdom. It has a very important part to play in living beings. Humans also have hairs that serves important role in their lives. From very ancient times hairs have been a beauty symbols for both men and women. People are now days spending a great part of their earrings for hair care. People around the globe have passion for hairs. And hair care industry is growing day by day to fulfill the requirements of the people.

But first we should know what are hairs and how to they grow?

Hairs are the outgrowths from the follicles present on the skin. These follicles are situated on the dermis, the second layer of the skin and extend up to the epidermis that is the outermost layer of the skin. Through this follicle their grows out a hair. Hair is composed of keratin with chemical constituent like carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulphur and oxygen. Hair growth varies from person to person but on an average hair grows of about 5 to 10 mm per month. Maximum growth of hairs takes place at the age of about 15 to 30 years. It is seen that hair growth is more in summers as compared to winters.

Scalp (skin on head) consists of seven components. These are papilla of hairs, hair shaft, mouth of follicle, stratum granulosum, sebaceous gland and oil duct. Hair also possesses a life cycle. Firstly hairs grows from the follicle, then the hair enters a rapidly growing phase, then the hair enters a stagnant phase i.e. inactive phase and then hair dies off and ultimately fell off. An average life of hairs varies from 2 to 5 years.

Majorly seen hair related problems in general life are:

1. Hair loss

2. Premature graying of hairs

3. Alopecia

4. Dandruff

Hair loss

A disease common globally, which has really created chaos around the world now a days. A very common problem which as been faced globally. Recent data shows tendency of hair fall has increased in past two decades. Causes of hair fall are

· Deficiency of useful minerals and vitamins in body

· Mental and emotional stress

· Prolonged illness

· Hormonal imbalance commonly seen in hyperthyroidism, imbalance in androgen and estrogen.

· Usually after child birth due hormonal imbalance

· Certain medications like blood thinners, vitamin A if taken in excess amount, non-contraceptive pills, anti depressant drugs and medicines used in chemotherapy for treating cancer patients.

· Certain infections that can promote hair loss for example fungal infection on scalp

· Diseases like diabetes may also be a precipitating factor in hair loss.

· Poor blood circulation or excess blood loss

· Poor nutrition

· Lack of sleep and life style disorder

· Hereditary factors.

Premature graying of hairs

Very common problem especially amongst teens now days. Due certain factors there is early graying of hairs in young people. Color to hairs is provided by amount melalin content present in the body. More the melalin content darker is the hair colour and vice versa. Following are the causes due to which premature graying of hairs occurs.

· Faulty dietary habits

· Lack of sound sleep

· Stress

· Deficiency of minerals iron, copper and iodine

· Lack of vitamin B in diet

· Maintaing unhygienic condition of hairs

· Bad circulation of blood in scalp.

· Washing of hairs with hot water

· Drying hairs with electric dryer

· Use of chemicals like hair dyes, shampoos

· Hereditary factors.

Aloplecia

Aloplecia is a synonym of baldness. It is of many types.

1. Androgen aloplecia or male pattern baldness it is progressive thinning of hairs

2. Aloplecia areata- it involves loss of some hairs from head

3. Aloplecia trotalis- it involves loss of all the hairs from head

4. Aloplecia universalis it involves loss of all hairs from head and body

Causes of aloplecia

· Emotional stress

· Severe illness

· Hormonal changes

· Improper hair care

· Exposure to certain medication like antidepressant, blood thinning medicines

· Ringworm can also lead to aloplecia

· Fungal infection is also another reason by which aloplecia can occur

· Due to protein deficiency

· Iron deficiency can also lead to aloplecia

Dandruff

Dandruff is a condition of flaking of scalp. It is known as seborric dermatitis in common terms, is the inflammation of upper layers of skin causing scales on the scalp and other body parts. Dandruff appears when rate at which dead cells of the scalp shed and their replacement speeds up. Regular dandruff appears as white or gray flakes in sever conditions it may include oily flakes, which are yellow in colour. Dandruff begins at the age between 12 to 15years i.e. the age of puberty and is seen in old people. Most prominent age grouped people who are affected are people who are in age between 25 to 35 years. Dandruff can affect any part of the body possessing hairs like eyebrows, cheeks ears and chest

Following are the causes of dandruff

· Hormonal imbalance

· Poor health condition

· Poor hygiene of hairs

· Allergic reactions

· Emotional stress

· Consumption of high fatty and carbohydrate diet

· Consumption of innutritious food

· Hereditary factors

· Excessive use of chemicals on hairs like hair styling gels, colors, sprays etc.

· Cold and dry weather conditions

· In adequate washing of hairs.

Some hair maintenance tips:

· Take proper nutritious diet

· Shampoo your hairs regularly with non chemical base shampoo or mild herbal shampoo

· Always dissolve shampoo in water before using it.

· Use a conditioner after you use shampoo

· Always rinse off all the shampoo with clean and soft water

· Get your hairs trimmed regularly to avoid split ends

· Avoid using hairstyling gels, hair sprays, chemical based hair colors

· Comb and brush your hairs regularly

· Avoid usage of electric driers and let them air dry

· Gentle hair massage should be done regularly to improve blood circulation

· Avoid undue stress

· At least have a sound sleep for 6-8 hours

· Oil should be left on hairs and scalp for not more than 2 hours.

· Take proper amount of rest and about6-8 hours of sound sleep.

Hair growth and maintenance remedies by herbal methods:

Amla: A powerful hair growth promoter, which helps us in redefining our lost hairline. As this herb is sheet virya i.e. of cold potency it helps in suppressing pitta dosha, which is the main culprit in causing hair fall and premature graying of hairs. Indian women, for maintaing long and silky hairs have used Amla since ages and to deal with any kind of hair related problems. As it acts on enhancing liver functioning, which is very important in proper digestion, helps in creating a healthy environment in our body, which will lead to good growth of hairs, and body. It is a well-established fact that by using Amla regularly, graying of hairs can easily be delayed, as it is a well-known rasayan mentioned in ayurvedic texts.

Brahmi: a well-known herb in India used since time immemorial for enhancing hair growth and memory power. Due to its actions it helps in promoting hair growth faster. It possess certain properties which helps in repairing the damages occurred in hair follicles due to lack of maintenance and helps in normalizing the damage done to rediscover the lost persona of hairs. This is the only reason you can still trace out Indian women having very long, black and beautiful hairs inspite of old age. It is also categorized as rasayan in ayurveda and hence possesses the properties of delaying ageing signs in body like graying of hairs. Brahmi also helps in relieving mental fatigue and hence helps in maintaing proper bodily environment that leads to healthy hairs.

ZYX herbal hair cream: a unique blend of ayurvedic herbs, which are very effective in hair, related problems. A total solution to hairs and its related problems. ZYX contain certain powerful herbs that are used since centuries to rejuvenate the lost persona due to damage to hairs. It contains herbs like Amla, bhringraj, jatamansi, naleeni, shikakai, mahendi, gambhari, neem and satpodina. These herbs have been used extensively in hair related problems in ayurvedic system of medicine. It helps in revitalizing hairs, and provides new freshness and new power to hairs and hence is very helpful in rediscovering the beautiful hairs. This herbal formulation is completely free from any kind of side effects and chemicals that are the major cause of rise in hair problems in present era. It helps us in getting relieved from hair loss, premature graying of hairs, baldness, aloplecia and dandruff. Its powerful herbal action helps you in getting rid of day-to-day hair problems to make it shiny and healthier day by day. It also helps in promoting growth by stimulating hair follicles. So it can be said that ZYX is the new revolution in hair industry that will fade away all your problems and will make you more confident of yourself like never before when you find your hairs healthier and shinier.

What is Alopecia?

Alopecia (also known as baldness or hair loss) refers to loss or lack of hair on part of or the entire scalp and in some cases, other parts of the body. Hair loss can be temporary or permanent and can affect people of all ages. Although alopecia can occur anywhere on the body, it is most distressing when it affects the scalp. It can range from a small bare patch, which is easily masked by hairstyling to a more diffuse and obvious pattern [3, 4].

Causes of Alopecia
Causes of alopecia include,
1. Genetics
2. Prolonged fever
3. Hormonal changes, such as childbirth, use of birth control pills or thyroid disease
4. Treatment for cancer, such as chemotherapy
5. Continual hair pulling or scalp rubbing
6. Burns or radiation therapy
7. Emotional or physical stress
8. Ringworm of the scalp (Tinea capitas)
9. Some prescription medicine

(To mention a few)

Types of Alopecia
The different types of alopecia associated with loss of hair on the scalp include,
1. Androgenetic alopecia (Genetic hair loss)
Androgenetic alopecia, also known as male pattern hair loss is a major problem affecting men and is such that by the age of 50, up to 50% of men who are genetically predisposed will be affected. It is characterised by progressive, patterned hair loss from the scalp and its prerequisites are a genetic predisposition and sufficient circulating androgens (steroid hormone such as testosterone or androsterone, which promotes male characteristics). According to Sinclair (1998) every Caucasian male possesses the autosomal inherited predisposition, and as such, 96% lose hair to some degree. Sinclair also mentions that Caucasian men are four times more likely to develop premature balding than Black men. Hair loss does not usually start until after puberty with an extremely variable rate of progression [1, 5].

The condition is also fairly common in women and is referred to as female pattern hair loss. In women, “it is characterised by a diffuse reduction in hair density over the crown and frontal scalp with retention of the frontal hairline” [6]. Birch et al (2002) make mention of the fact that in some women, the hair loss may affect a small area of the frontal scalp whilst in others the entire scalp is involved. In advanced female pattern hair loss, the hair becomes very sparse over the top of the scalp bit a rim of hair is retained along the frontal margin. The vertex (crown or top of the head) balding seen in men is rare in women; however, a female pattern of balding is not uncommon in men [6]. The androgen-dependent nature or the genetic basis of female pattern hair loss has not been clearly established, although a study carried out by Sinclair et al (2005) showed that androgens play an important role in the development of female pattern hair loss.

2. Alopecia areata (AA)
Alopecia areata (AA) is a common, immune-mediated, nonscarring form of hair loss, which occurs in all ethnic groups, ages (more common in children and young adults), and both sexes, and affects approximately 1.7% of the population [8, 9]. Alopecia areata is unpredictable and patients usually present with several episodes of hair loss and regrowth during their lifetime. Recovery from hair loss may be complete, partial, or nonexistent. It is thought that 34 to 50% of patients with AA will recover within a year whilst 15 to 25% will progress to total loss of scalp hair or loss of the entire scalp and body hair where full recovery is unusual [8, 11]. It usually presents as a single oval patch or multiple confluent patches of asymptomatic (without obvious signs or symptoms of disease), well circumscribed alopecia with severity ranging from a small bare patch to loss of hair on the entire scalp. Frequent features of AA patches are exclamation mark hairs, which may be present at its margin; the exclamation mark hairs are broken, short hairs, which taper proximally. The hair loss from AA may be the only obvious clinical abnormality or there may be associated nail abnormalities. Other less common associated diseases include thyroid disease and vitiligo [4, 10, 11].

Clinical presentation of AA is subcategorised based on the pattern and extent of the hair loss. If categorised according to pattern, the following are seen;
a. patchy AA, which consists of round or oval patches of hair loss and is the most common,
b. reticular AA, which is a reticulated (networked) pattern of patchy hair loss,
c. ophiasis band-like AA, which is hair loss in parieto-temporo-occipital scalp (middle-side-back of scalp),
d. ophiasis inversus, which is a rare band-like pattern of hair loss in fronto-parieto-temporal scalp (front-middle-side of scalp), and
e. diffuse AA, which is a diffuse decrease in hair density.
[Taken from Shapiro J and Madani S, 1999]

If categorised according to the extent of involvement, the following are seen;
a. alopecia areata, which is the partial loss of scalp hair,
b. alopecia totalis, which is 100% loss of scalp hair, and
c. alopecia universalis, which is 100% loss of body hair.
[Taken from Shapiro J and Madani S, 1999]

3. Telogen Effluvium (TE)
Telogen effluvium is an abnormality of hair cycling, which results in excessive loss of telogen (resting phase of hair cycles) hairs and is most common in women. Women with this disorder would usually notice an increased amount of loose hairs on their hairbrush or shower floor. Daily loss of hair may range from 100 to 300 hairs. It is thought that TE may unmask previously unrecognised androgenetic alopecia. The most common underlying cause of TE is stress; other causes include certain diseases such as thyroid and pituitary diseases, some medication and child birth, to mention a few. In many cases however, no cause can be found. TE usually begins two to four months after the causative event and can last for several months [4, 12]. Unlike some other hair loss conditions, TE is temporary and hair regrowth is possible [4]. Telogen effluvium presents in about three forms;
a. Acute telogen effluvium, where shedding of hair is expected to cease within 3 to 6 month
b. Chronic diffuse telogen hair loss, which is telogen hair shedding persisting longer than 6 months. Common causes include thyroid disorders, acrodermatitis, profound iron deficiency anaemia, and malnutrition.
c. Chronic telogen effluvium (CTE) is the most common cause of hair loss in women, affecting 30% of females, between the ages of 30 and 60 years old, in the UK. CTE is such that there is a relative change in the proportion of growing to resting hair and in most cases, excessive shedding of hair has been present for at least 6 months. According to Rushton et al (2002) studies have shown that 95% of CTE cases arise from a nutritional imbalance involving the essential amino acid L-lysine and iron. Other common causes of CTE include drugs, thyroid disease and childbirth [1, 11].

4. Cicatricial alopecia (scarring alopecia)
Circatricial alopecia, also known as scarring alopecia, refers to a group of rare hair disorders resulting from a condition that damages the scalp and hair follicle. They present as areas of hair loss in which the underlying scalp is scarred, sclerosed, or atrophic. In other words, the disorders destroy the hair follicle and replace the follicles with a scar tissue consequently causing permanent hair loss. Conditions associated with circatricial alopecia include autoimmune diseases such as discoid lupus erythematosus, scalp trauma, infections such as tuberculosis and syphilis, and radiation therapy. Circatricial alopecia affects both adults and children, and may present as primary or secondary circatricial alopecia [4, 13].

5. Chemotherapy-related alopecia
Alopecia caused by chemotherapy may vary from slight thinning of the hair to complete baldness. The extent of alopecia depends on the choice of drugs and its dose. Drugs which cause severe alopecia include methotrexate, vinblastine, adriamycin, ifosphamide, vincristine, and taxoids to mention a few. When drugs are used in combination, which is usually the case with many treatment regimes, the incidence and severity of alopecia can be greater than usual. According to Randall et al (2005) “chemotherapy-related alopecia has been rated by patients as one of the most severe, troublesome and traumatic chemotherapy-related side effects”. Hair loss due to chemotherapy is not permanent and as such, the hair will grow back once treatment has ended [14].

6. Traumatic alopecia
This is usually a very common cause of hair loss in women of some ethnic backgrounds (particularly women of African/Caribbean descent). It is caused as a result of hair grooming techniques by the use of hair reshaping products such as relaxers, straighteners, hot combs, foam rollers and permanent wave products, as well as hair braiding methods. These techniques damage hair follicles over time [15]. Traumatic alopecia is divided into three categories;
a. Traction alopecia, which results from persistent pulling of the hair by tight rollers, tight braiding or ponytails. The use of blow-dryers, vigorous combing or brushing and bleaching of the hair can also contribute to hair breakage. Thinning begins above the ears and the forehand, and if the causative styling methods are not stopped, irreversible hair loss can result as the hair follicles are destroyed [15, 16].
b. Chemical alopecia, which results from the use of commercial relaxer and styling products. These products contain chemicals such as thioglycolates, which create curls or straighten the hair by destroying the disulphide bonds of keratin. Apart from curling or straightening the hair, these chemicals may have irritant effects on the scalp, which can result in hair shaft damage, inflammation of the scalp and loss of hair roots. All these can lead to irreversible damage of the hair follicles [15, 16].
c. Hot-comb alopecia, also known as follicular degeneration syndrome, results from the excessive use of pomades with a hot comb or iron, which leads to a gradual destruction of hair follicles. When pomade comes in contact with a hot comb or hot iron, it liquefies and drips down the hair shaft into the follicle. This results in chronic inflammatory folliculitis, which can lead to scarring alopecia and consequently permanent hair loss. Thinning usually begins at the crown and then spread evenly throughout the head. The condition is irreversible [15, 16].

Common baldness/hair loss myths
Several myths about hair loss exist, some serious, others not so serious. These myths include;
1. Male pattern baldness (as well as female pattern baldness) is inherited from the mother’s side of the family: This is not true as studies have been conducted, which conclusively suggest that it can come from either side of the family.
2. Cutting the hair can make it grow faster and stronger. When hair grows longer, it is worn down by normal wear and tear and as such gets slightly thinner around the diameter of the shaft. Cutting the hair cuts it back to where there is less wear and tear and subsequently the hair shaft is slightly thicker, giving the impression that cutting the hair makes it thicker. It would also not grow faster as hair grows almost exactly half an inch per month regardless of whether it is cut or not.
3. Wearing a hat can cause hair loss. This can only happen if the hat is prohibitively tight as any form of pulling or tightening of the hair can have some effect on hair loss; however, wearing a hat on its own cannot cause hair loss.
4. Towel drying your hair rigorously will make your hair fall out faster. This can only occur if the hair was due to fall out anyway; however you won’t be promoting additional hair loss by towelling rigorously
5. Rubbing curry on the head will help hair loss. Not only will it not work, you’re likely to smell afterwards as well.
6. Split ends can be repaired. This is not true as split ends cannot be repaired and should be cut off immediately to avoid them splitting higher and causing more damage to the hair.
7. Having a cow lick the top of your head can help hair loss. This would not help your hair loss, but might be entertaining to watch.
8. Standing on your head, or hanging upside down will increase the blood flow to the head and reduce hair loss. It is true that standing on your head or hanging upside down will increase the blood flow to the head; however, it won’t do anything to hair loss.

Quality of life and psychological aspects
The hair constitutes an integral part of our self and our identity and as such hair loss may cause a wide range of psychological problems related to our identity. Alopecia in itself has few physically harmful effects; however, it may lead to problems such as high levels of anxiety, social phobia, paranoid disorder and serious depressive episodes. The extent of alopecia is one of the predictors of the severity of psychological distress [12, 17].

There is an important link between hair and identity, especially for women. Feminity, sexuality, attractiveness, and personality, as reiterated by Hunt et al (2005), are symbolically linked to a woman’s hair and as such hair loss can seriously affect self esteem and body image. Hunt et al (2005) also stated that about 40% of women with alopecia have had marital problems as a consequence whilst about 63% claim to have had career related problems [18].

Psychological problems can also be experienced by children affected by alopecia.

Management of Alopecia
Alopecia can be managed in different ways, depending on type and severity. The various methods of management include;
1. Medical treatment such as the use of topical minoxidil, oral finasteride, topical tretinoin, exogenous estrogen, spironolactone and anti-androgens for androgenetic alopecia. The type of treatment and dose may vary depending on gender and age (i.e. adult or children).
2. Medical treatment such as the use of immunomodulatory agents (e.g corticosteroids, 5% minoxidil, and anthralin cream) and topical immunotherapeutic agents (e.g dinitrochlorobenzene and diphenylcyclopropene) for alopecia areata.
3. For hair loss caused by telogen effluvium, the underlying cause is usually treated first.
4. Cicatricial alopecia is sometimes managed using both systemic and topical therapy, this includes the use of hydroxychloroquine, topical immunomodulators (e.g tacrolimus and pimecrolimus), intralesional injections of triamcinolone, mycophenolate mofetil, cyclosporine, and isotretinoin, to mention a few.
5. When hair loss is extensive, wigs may be worn; there is also the option of hair transplantation (using minigrafts).
6. To reduce the risk of traumatic alopecia, techniques for hair grooming should be used with caution bearing in mind the sensitivity of the scalp and hair follicles. Discontinuance of styling practices may result in an abatement of hair loss and partial hair growth; this depends on the length of insult to the roots. Complete re-growth is possible if hair loss is managed early [15].
7. The use of laser phototherapy, which offers a respite from drugs, chemicals, lotions, visits to hospitals, dermatologist centres and surgery, is non-toxic, safe and can be used at home (see our new Hairbeam Phototherapy product).

The adult scalp contains about 100,000 hair follicles. Everyday the scalp loses about 100 hairs and they will grow back in 5-6 weeks. Starting at age 40, the levels of by-product prolactin of testosterone of men increases, stimulating the production of the enzyme 5-alpha reductase that causes the conversion of testosterone to gihydro-testosterones DHT causing our hair to grow back thinner or not grown back at all. This causes an androgenic alopecia hair loss problem, since DHT shrinks the follicles causing hair thins and hair receding at the forehead, crown and temple for men and thins over the entire scalp for women. What causes hair loss.

1. The Causes of Hair Loss
a) Aging
Human aging is the biological process that is unavoidable but controllable with healthy diet with complex carbohydrates, green foods, garlic, onion, water and juices that will help to decrease the aging process in some degree. It also helps to reduce the amount of DHT produced in our body, result in postponing hair loss to our scalp.

b) Mineral deficiency
Minerals such as calcium, iron, copper, chromium, iodine, zinc, and magnesium are necessary to maintain healthy hair growth. Mineral deficiency will reduce the chance to regulate the blood circulation that promotes healthy hair growth and thyroid hormones that prevent dry hair and hair loss as well as defects in hair color. Too much iron is toxic to your body. Be sure to talk to your doctor before taking any mineral supplement.

c) Oxygen deficiency
Oxygen deficiency in your blood weakens the hair follicles, leading to dryness of the scalp and hair loss. Uncontrolled diet that is high in saturated fat causes cholesterol building up in your arteries resulting in less oxygen in your blood stream. Also cigarette smoking and second hand smoke reduces the blood flow and increases the blood clotting activity of cells which would clog the blood flow and damage arteries causing oxygen deficiency and results in weaken of the hair follicles.

d) Side affects of medication taken
Some medications contains elements that might cause hair loss such as lithium, warfarin, heparin, and amphetamines. When hair loss is a side effect of a medication, hair growth usually returns to normal once the drug is stopped.

e) Genetic hair loss
Hair loss is due to heredity. It is passed down from generation to generation. Genetic hair loss appears predominately in men, but may also appear in a few select women.

2. Food to Avoid

Foods that can cause hair loss and diminish hair growth.

a) Saturated and Trans fat
Foods such as meat, poultry, and fried foods contain high saturated fat. Foods such as margarine, cheese, and butter contain high amounts of trans fat. These foods cause cholesterol to build up in your arteries and small veins in your scalp resulting in less oxygen being delivered to the cell in your body, including the cells on the follicles.

b) Foods that contain Aspartame and Monosodium Glutamate
Monosodium Glutamate contain chemicals that causes weight gain, increased appetite and also causes various kinds of health problems such as hair loss.
Aspartame contains toxic chemicals that make you gain weight, increases hunger and causes medical problems like migraines and poor blood circulation.

c) Smoking
As we mentioned in the previous article, smoking can reduce blood flow to the scalp causing hardening in the arteries, limit blood flow and make hair loss worse.

d) Artificial Color
Artifiicial color contains chemical compounds that take their toll on the body’s natural balance.
Specific foods to avoid include colored drinks, color-coated candies, gummy and chewy candies, and many colored cereals.

e) Preservatives
These are potentially toxic to the liver and kidneys that cause hair loss and prevent hair growth as we mentioned in the article “Hair loss part IV–regrow hair with Chinese herbs”.

f) Food Packaging
Polyvinyl chloride is a known carcinogen, and it’s often used as plastic food wrap. It is toxic with high amounts causing damage to the kidney and liver resulting in hair loss.

g) Salt
Eating too much salt can lead to fluid retention and increased blood pressure that cause less oxygen to be delivered to the body’s cells including cells in your scalp in result of losing hair.

3. Hair Loss Prevention and Treatment

I. Here are some important minerals that may help to prevent hair loss and promote hair re-growth:

a) Iron
Iron is involved in the oxygenation of your body’s red blood cells. It is essential for normal hair growth and maintaining healthy hair. If the amount of iron can not be replaced with food intake, iron deficiency will cause hair loss because of oxygen deficiency.

b) Zinc
It helps to secrete the scalp with much needed oil and avoid dandruff that may cause hair loss.

c) Copper
Study shows that these tripeptide complexes may actually be able to regrow hair, even in patients with total hair loss due to alopecia. Healthy tissue concentrations of copper lie between 1.7 and 3.5 milligrams. Everything else will cause hair loss.

d) B vitamins
The deficiency of B vitamins (especially B6, B3, B5 and folic acid) in your diet may lead to hair loss.

e) Biotin
Biotin works as an anti aging agent and helps to produce keratin in preventing gray hair and hair loss.
Sources of biotin are: whole grains, egg yolks, liver, rice and milk.

f) Vitamin A
Vitamin A is important for over-all good health. It’s also beneficial to hair follicles, as it keeps the hair root lubricated. Too much vitamin A might result in hair loss.

g) Vitamin E
Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant that aids effective circulation in the scalp due to increased oxygen uptake in blood, therefore it plays an important role in promoting hair growth and preventing hair loss.

h) CQ-10
Coenzyme Q10 (CQ-10) is an essential vitamin that provides our body with the nutrients needed to grow healthy hair. They also promote overall vitality, and contribute to beautiful skin and strong nails.

II. Here are some daily foods that might help to prevent hair loss and promote hair re-growth

1. Yogurt and soy
Yogurt and soy contain high amounts of protein that is needed to maintain hair growth. Study shows that soy protein reinforces hair and stimulates its growth.

2. Dark green vegetable
Dark green vegetable contains high amounts of iron that are needed to restore oxygen levels in the blood stream as well as nurturing the body’s cells.

3.Whole grain products
Whole grain contains zinc which is needed to maintain healthy hair. Zinc deficiency can lead to dry hair and oily skin.

4. Essential fatty acid
Essential fatty acid can be found abundant in cold water fish. It helps to maintain healthy cholesterol and reduce triglyceride in result of increasing circulation of blood flow in our body.

6. Nut and seed
Nuts and seeds are fatty foods which are typically the best sources of vitamin E, an immune enhancing antioxidant and nerve protector. Deficiency of vitamin E can lead to skin disorders, dry hair and loss of hair.

7. Carrots
Carrots contain high amounts of vitamin A. It is an antioxidant that helps produce healthy sebum in the scalp. Having too much vitamin A can lead to hair loss.
There are many other foods that help promote hair growth and prevent hair loss, such as fruits, egg, spinach, and broccoli.

Be sure to talk to your doctor before taking large amounts of the above foods. There may be side effects, such as overdoses of vitamin A in carrot might result in hair loss.

III. Traditionally, herbs have been around for over thousands of years and offer much success to prevent or cure diseases well before the discovery of western medicine. Here are some herbs thathave been proven in treating hair loss and promoting hair growth

a) Shikakai
Acacia Concinna is a small shrub-like tree that grows in India. It’s pod-like fruit is collected, dried and then grounded into a fine powder. It is used to cleanse hair, and is known to promote hair growth and get rid of dandruff. Due to these benefits, this powder was named shikakai which means “fruit for the hair”.

b) Grape seed extract
Grape seed extract is a very strong antioxidant that some use as a supplement or remedy to various conditions. It contains high levels of vitamin E and essential fatty acids that are essential for maintaining hair growth and preventing hair loss.

c) Kirin Brewery new discovery
Japanese cosmetics company Shiseido working with Kirin Brewery has discovered a unique property of an extract of hops that can help to activate the melanocyte cells that generate hair pigment.

d) Saw palmetto
As we mentioned in another article, Saw palmetto is the number one choice for men. Saw palmetto helps to block the formation of 5-alpha reductase, an enzyme that causes the conversion of testosterone to DHT that causes hair loss.

e) Basil extract
Basil Extract from the natural flowers of the basil plant, works to quickly soothe and calm skin of the scalp.

f) Pumpkin Seed
Pumpkin seeds help to block DHT, which is responsible for genetic hair loss. This common seed is loaded with zinc and magnesium that have the ability to block enzymes which yield DHT causing damage to follicles and resulting in hair loss.

g) Buddleja Davidii Extract
Buddleja Davidii extract contain active ingredients protecting the skin against toxic radicals. It can also help reduce skin aging and protect the skin against the damage caused from stresses and toxins.

h) Green Tea
Green tea contains the chemical globulin that helps to reduce levels of free testosterone, so that it cannot be converted to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in the hair follicle.
Be sure to talk to your doctor or dermatologist before taking any herb supplement.

IV. Traditionally Chinese herbs have been around for over 4000 years and have offered much success to prevent or cure diseases well before the discovery of western medicine. Hair loss is directly linked to kidney deficiency syndrome in Chinese traditional medicine. People with hair loss problems especially in their early life may have a weak Kidney. Here are some Chinese herbs that have been proven in treating hair loss and promoting hair growth

a) Dong Quai
Traditionally, Chinese woman used Dong Quai to restore blood cells and increase the circulation of oxygen in the bloodstream to cells after period. Dong Quai contains phytoestrogen that helps to block the androgen receptor site in result of blocking the conversion of testerone to DHT, therefore reducing the chance of hair loss due to aging.

b) Ginseng
Ginseng is said to have the power of rejuvenating and energizing the body. It also helps to stimulate circulation of oxygen in our bloodstream to the cells of our body as well as the cells in our scalp.

c) Shou wu (polygonum)
Shou Wu is a polygonum multiflorum plant. It is now being used in conjuncture with other herbals, as an active ingredient in shampoos and orally administered to prevent hair loss as well as aiding the restoration of roots and production of new hair.

d) Psoralea seeds
Study shows that psoralea extract and exposure to ultra violet light will help to restore hair loss and promote hair regrowth with a 33% success rate.

e) Mulberry
Chinese herbalists believe that mulberry is an excellent tonic for the kidney, liver and blood that provides more oxygen in the bloodstream as well as small blood vessels in the scalp.

f) Chinese Yam
Numerous successful studies have been performed in examining the benefits of the Chinese yam. Chinese yam can help to nourish the liver, kidney and blood in result of preventing hair loss and promoting hair growth.

g) Green tea
Green tea containing catechins inhibit the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase that converts testosterone into hair-unfriendly DHT. So drinking great tea everyday is an effective treatment for male pattern baldness.

h) Chinese foxblove root
Chinese foxblove root contains cornus, the chemical that help to nurture the kidney, liver and blood in result of promoting hair growth.

i) Wolf berry
One of the natural superfoods has been used in traditional Chinese cooking. Wolf berry helps to eliminate toxins in the body in result of better function of the kidney, liver and blood that help to promote hair growth.

Chinese medicine believes that the benefit of nourishing the kidney and blood tonic helps for healthy hair growth and preventing hair loss.

V. Here are some prescription and over the counter drugs that might help prevent further hair loss and promote hair growth.

1.Minoxidil
Minoxidil is an over the counter drug and is a spray or lotion that you put directly on your scalp twice a day. It is available without a prescription. It is believed to work by affecting potassium- regulating mechanisms in the hair follicle. Study shows that it helps to slow and stop hair loss and regrow new hair with over 60 % success rate. Be sure talk to your doctor or dermatologist before taking minoxidil. It might cause rash to some patients.

2.Finasteride
Finastteride is an oral prescription medication. Finasteride is a synthetic hormone that halts hair loss and stimulates new hair growth. It is a medication that selectively inhibits the activity of an enzyme that converts the “male hormone” testosterone into a form that is active in hair follicles.

3.Rogaine
Rogaine is a clear alcohol-based solution and should be applied to a person’s thinning area with it’s supplied dropper or spray twice a day. It helps about 25 percent of men and 20 percent of women to grow back moderate amounts of hair very gradually, mostly on the very top of the head. They must keep using Rogaine indefinitely to keep the new hair.

4.Retin-A
Retin-A is only available by prescription in the US. In the right doses and when combined with Minoxidil it can be a hair growth stimulator. Studies shows that Retin- A can result in moderate hair growth in some patients.

5 Proscar
Proscar contains the same active ingredient finasteride. Proscar has the effect of lowering the hormone DHT, which interacts with bald vulnerable hair follicles and causes hair loss. By reducing the DHT in the patient’s body the finasteride in the Proscar proved to slow and even stop or reverse hair loss in many men.

Have you noticed a gradual and progressive increase in the number of hairs lost when combing or brushing? Perhaps after months or years of vain denial, you have realized that the mirror does not lie, visible thinning has occurred. You’re not alone if you’re experiencing breakage, increased hair shedding or significant hair loss.

Many women may cover it up with wigs, hair extensions, hats or scarves. Others choose one of the several approved medications or surgical procedures that are available to treat baldness.

Excessive hair loss or balding is mistakenly perceived as a strictly something that happens to men although women actually make up to forty percent of American hair loss sufferers. In America, one in four, or over 30 million women will seek solutions and treatment for hair loss annually.

First of all, don’t panic! Hair loss or hair shedding is consistent within the hair growth cycle and it is normal to lose some scalp hair each day. The average human scalp has roughly 100,000 to 150,000 individual hairs and the normal hair growth cycle results in the loosening or shedding of about 100 to 150 hairs on a daily basis. New hair growth then emerges from these same previous dormant hair follicles, growing at the average rate of about half an inch per month.

Hair is composed of two separate parts: the follicle and the hair shaft. The follicle lies below the scalp and produces the hair strands that we see growing out of our head. The follicle is alive, however the hair strand is simply composed of dead cells that have no regenerative ability.

For most people, 90% of our scalp hair is always in a to six year growth phase (anagen) while the remaining 10% is in a dormant period (telogen), which lasts about three months. When the dormant period ends the hair is shed; these are the worrisome hairs we obsess over in our comb, hairbrush, on our pillow or down the shower drain. Relax, some hair loss is perfectly normal.

Baldness or Alopecia happens when the normal pattern of hair growth is disrupted. The normal pattern of human hair growth is growing, resting, shedding and growing again. If the growth pattern is out of balance, hair does not grow back as readily as it falls out. A family history of androgenetic alopecia increases your risk of balding. Heredity also affects the age at which you begin to lose hair and the development, pattern and extent of your baldness.

What concerns us is not these normally shed hairs, but the noticeable thinning we confront in the mirror. For a woman, thick, vibrant hair is our crowning glory, our vanity visible. A luxuriant full mane epitomizes the beauty of a woman and is integrally woven into our self image. Our culture strongly identifies femininity with a thick, silky head of hair. Throughout recorded history, images of shining, full bodied hair are associated with female beauty, youth, desirability and good health. Society unfairly identifies dry, lack luster and thinning hair with old age, sickness and poverty.

A dramatic decrease in self esteem is evident in women when their hair begins to fall out. Hair shedding is not physically painful, however it often causes severe emotional distress. We obsess over our thin tresses as we battle depression and self loathing. Women frequently become introverted and withdraw from the world. We avoid intimate contact and make futile attempts to disguise the quality and quantity of our hair.

Hair loss is especially injurious to those who have professions or careers where physical appearance plays a significant role. A young woman is especially vulnerable to the stigma of balding. Not until we are confronted with the loss of our hair do we fully realize how essential hair is to our overall perception of ourselves.

A woman’s hair is at its thickest by age 20. Once we pass 20, however, our hair gradually begins to thin, shedding more than the normal 100-150 hairs a day. With aging, hair strands hold less pigment and become smaller so that what was once the luxuriant and thick hair of our youth becomes thin, fine and lighter in color. For even the elderly woman, significant hair loss can threaten self image. A woman’s sense of sexuality and femininity as well as her establish place in family and society are often undermined by hair loss.

It is hardly surprising when a man starts balding. By the age of thirty-five about 25 percent of American men will experience some degree of appreciable hair loss and about 75 percent are either bald or have a balding pattern by age 60.

In men, hair loss is often perceived as a sign of virility, a demonstrable sign that his male hormones are functioning at maximum capacity. To project strength and masculinity, men often choose to shave their heads.

Although many men are quite dismayed by a receding hairline, research indicates that the phycological pain of hair loss does not affect men as adversely as it impacts women. What makes coping with hair loss so difficult is the frightening lack of control, the feeling of the inability to do anything to make our hair stop falling out.

Causes Of Hair Loss In Women

As we age, women face a multitude of changes and challenges: wrinkles, a widening waist, cellulite deposits and thickening ankles. It does not seem fair that for many of us hair loss is yet another blow to our self esteem.

Female pattern baldness or Androgenetic Alopecia is the most common type of hair loss in women and is genetic in nature. This type of female balding is caused by the chemical Dihydrotestosterone or DHT which builds up around the air follicle and over time destroys both the hair shaft and the hair follicle. Pregnancy or the onset of menopause may cause a fluctuation in the production of estrogen. Lacking sufficient estrogen to produce testosterone-blocking enzymes, testosterone is then converted to DHT on the scalp. The result is a shorter hair growth cycle, finer hair and excessive hair loss from shedding and breakage. Some women experience an increase in hair loss several months after delivering a baby.

Genetics aside, there are many other reasons why women lose hair. Surgery, extreme physical or emotional stress, hormonal imbalances, chemotherapy and scalp infections are but a few. Female hair loss can also be triggered by birth control medications, certain prescription drugs or result from the use of harsh chemicals or aggressive styling that can cause permanent damage to the fragile hair follicle. Excessive hair shedding may also be symptomatic of rapid weight loss from dangerous fad-dieting or an eating disorder such as anorexia. The use of street drugs such as cocaine will also exhibit sudden and severe hair shedding.

When To Contact A Medical Professional

Reacting intensely to the physical state of our thinning hair may seem like excessive vanity, but it is not. Baldness is not usually caused by disease, but is more commonly related to heredity, aging and hormone function. However, changes in hair appearance, texture and growth patterns may indicate serious health concerns. Hair is one of the first areas, along with skin and nails, to reflect nutritional deficiencies, hormonal imbalance and illness. It is wise to pay attention.

Women’s hair seems to be particularly sensitive to underlying medical conditions so it is important that women with undiagnosed hair loss be properly evaluated by a physician. If your thinning hair is a result of a medical condition, your doctor will treat these ailments and as a result you may experience significant growth of new hair.

Once you and your doctor have identified the cause of your hair loss you may be referred to a hair specialist or implant surgeon to learn about the treatment options available such as or hair transplant procedures to promote growth or hide loss. For some types of alopecia, hair may resume normal growth without any treatment.

A healthy balanced diet, regular exercise, hydration and rest can go a long way towards preventing hair loss and maximizing the potential of your hair growth cycle.

Although medical research is on going, the following have proved beneficial in growing and maintaining a healthy head of hair.

Nutrition

Poor nutrition is often an underlying cause of hair loss as the hair is a reliable indicator of nutritional well being. Discuss with your health care provider your diet, all medications and any supplements you may be taking. Dull hair color or dry and brittle hair may be indicators of a deficiency in essential fats in the diet, oily hair may be a sign of a B vitamin deficiency.

Recent medical studies have found that a high percentage of women with thinning hair are deficient in iron and the amino acid lysine. It is difficult to obtain sufficient lysine through diet alone. Lysine is important in the transport of iron and necessary to support hair growth. Lysine is found in eggs and red meat so vegetarians needs to be aware of this potential shortfall in their diets.

The amino acids L-Cysteine and L-Methionine are believed to improve hair texture, quality and growth.

Low-fat foods that rank high in protein, low in carbohydrates, can play a vital role in sustaining healthy hair growth and aid in preventing hair loss. Important essential fatty acids for maintaining hair health are found in walnuts, sunflower seeds, sardines, spinach, soy and canola oil. Omega 3 and Omega 6 Oils protect the heart as well as your hair so include salmon in your diet on a regular basis.

Herbal Remedies Offer Hope For Hair Loss

Discuss with your nutritional advisor or medical professional the benefits of herbs. The following natural plant derivatives have properties to encourage a healthy head of hair.

Aloe
Arnica
Birch
Burdock
Catmint
Chamomile
Horsetail
Licorice
Marigold
Nettles
Parsley
Rosemary
Sage
Hair Care

Always choose organic natural products to avoid the chemicals and toxins found in many hair care products. Harsh chemicals may strip the natural oils from your hair and lead to breakage and poor hair growth. Dye, hair straightening and permanent solutions are highly destructive to the hair shaft and follicle as well as the delicate sebum balance of the scalp.

Be gentle with your hair. Allow hair to dry naturally rather than using a hair dryer. A natural bristle brush is helpful in preventing damage. Do not style until completely dry. Wet hair is weak hair so handle with care.

Avoid or break any bad habits you may have that pull or twist the hair. Try not to constantly run your fingers through your hair, tug at the hair and avoid hair clips or rubber bands that pull at and break off the hair. Minimize the usage of mousse, gels and hair sprays. These products dry and weigh down the hair shaft and dull the natural luster of your hair.

Avoid salt and chlorinated water when swimming. If exposed, always wash the hair with cool water and an organic gentle shampoo and apply a mild conditioner. Sun worshippers should make sure that hair care products have sunscreen properties to protect hair from the damaging affects of UV rays. Remember to wear a hat to prevent sunburn of the scalp.

Healthy Lifestyle

Hair loss is traumatic, however our hair is only part of who we are. I remind myself to keep my obsession with my hair loss in perspective and be happy with all the other areas of my life that are going right and in balance. Focus on the positive, eat well, rest well and be at peace with who you are. Remember, that for some, hair grows back as mysteriously as it disappeared.

Hair Loss Prevention

The problem of hair loss has become a worldwide epidemic. As the body ages, the risk of hair loss becomes greater due to hormonal changes and a substantial decrease in active hair follicles. Although, about 95% of all hair loss can be said to be genetic, other factors like nutrition, overall health, hormone deficiencies, harsh chemical hair treatment and emotional stress also trigger hair loss. But there are effective ways that will help prevent hair loss in both men and women:

Eat a balanced diet containing adequate proteins and iron. Fruits, vegetables and healthy oils also prevent hair loss. Mega-doses of vitamins A and E can cause hair loss.

Keep your body hydrated because dehydration can make the hair look limp.

Exercise regularly as exercise increases blood circulation throughout the body, creates healthy body cells. Hair follicles are made up of cells and exercising keeps hair healthy. Cells reproduce when they are provided with increased energy and this directly affects the hair.

Reduce anxiety and stress through meditation and yoga or through other forms of relaxation techniques. Negative charges in the body have a negative effect on the hair.

Avoid harsh hairstyles like tight pigtails and cornrows. In addition, you must avoid the use of curling iron, hair blowers and hot rollers; these put pressure and stress on the hair as well as the scalp.

Harsh chemicals like permanent hair colour, hair sprays and gels are best kept away from the hair because they have the potential to damage the hair. Colouring and treating the hair also spoils the texture of the hair.

Use gentle shampoos and conditioners and wash the hair regularly with warm water to keep the hair healthy. The lathering ingredient in most commercial shampoos, called surfactant, can irritate the scalp and cause itching which results in damaged hair and thus increased hair loss.

Massage the scalp with essential oils like lavender and rosemary oil in an olive oil base to stimulate blood circulation to the scalp and promote hair growth.

Use herbal extract supplements such as saw palmetto, licorice root or nettle root extracts that block the formation of DHT or the hormone that causes hair loss. These supplements dramatically slow down and also prevent future hair loss naturally.

Keep hair safe from fungal infections by keeping the hair clean at all times. It is also essential that you do not share hats, brushes or hair care products to help prevent fungal infections of the scalp. Preventing hair loss due to fungal infections will require oral medication or special shampoos.

Pattern baldness can be prevented by using certain medications including topical medicines. Replacement surgery is also an option.

Drug or treatment side effect may also enhance hair loss. However, more often than not, once the treatment or medication is stopped, hair loss automatically ceases.

Smoking and alcohol also damage the blood supply to the hair follicles. Studies reveal that alcohol can indirectly influence baldness.

Prevent sun exposure as the UVA and UVB rays from the sun can damage the texture of the hair, making it easier to fall or break. Therefore, it is essential to prevent the hair from direct sunlight and covering the head is a good of achieving this.

Handle your hair with care because it is both delicate and fragile. It is as important to retain the hair strands as it is useful and important to curb its loss when it comes to having healthy hair.

Helping Hand for Hair Loss

Most hair loss is genetic and can therefore not be prevented in any way. However, other factors also influence hair loss and these causes can be prevented from resulting in hair loss. If you take some simple precautions and good care of your hair, you can delay and even prevent hair loss.

Hair can be lost to improper care and damage. If the hair is over-coloured, over-styled, or ill-treated with irons and blow dryers too often, it can result in hair loss. It is advisable to colour your hair once every two months or less. Colouring can damage the hair and you can have healthier hair if you don’t colour it. Furthermore, stretching your hair into styles that require pulling and braiding can also damage your hair. Care must be taken to desist from these hairstyles. Moreover, remember that brushing adds body to your hair and however essential it is, it should never strain your hair.

Proper nutrition and rest are both essential for healthy hair. Eating well, drinking plenty of water and getting enough calcium, will works wonders for our hair, keeping it healthy and enhancing its tensile strength. Getting eight hours of sleep is also important. This regulates all our body functions and facilities, keeping it in optimum working condition. Illness can also result in hair loss but when we keep our body healthy we are less likely to fall ill and thus have a better chance against hair loss.

Using a good shampoo and conditioner and keeping the split ends trimmed will also aid hair health. Instead of using hair dryers, it is better to let your hair dry naturally. Retain hair styles that set on their own and do not require a lot of styling on a daily basis, as this can irrevocably harm the hair. In addition, avoid wearing hats that rub on the scalp causing bald patches.

Taking good care of our hair and providing a helping hand to prevent hair loss will reap its own rewards in the long-term. Hair must be treated gently if we want it to stick around throughout our lifetimes.

If you have suffered hair loss and wish to alter that you can use various methods that help with hair restoration and growth. However this is not an overnight process and takes time regardless of the method chosen. Even the most effective hair loss product must be given a time period of at least 3 months before it can show any signs of improvement.

Hair is very much a part of our bodies and abusing the body can directly hamper hair growth and health, leading to most common hair loss. Being physically and mentally healthy can not only prevent but also restore hair loss.

Alternative Medicines and Treatments for Hair Loss

Complementary therapies if natural rarely have any side effects that are otherwise noted with prescription drugs. Two goals must be achieved when dealing with hair loss. They are:

Stop thinning and balding of existing hair Promote healthy and natural growth of hair

Natural ingredients do work to enhance hair health. What’s more, even if these products are not effective, they will not result in any untoward side effects. These products include:

Jojoba Oil, chemically similar to human sebum, is used as a vital ingredient in cosmetics and personal care products, especially skin care and hair care. When it is massaged into the scalp, it slows down the thinning and balding effect and effectively stimulates new hair growth.

Saw Palmetto, a well-known herbal treatment for hair loss, it has the capacity to slow down hair loss and stimulate new hair growth. In addition, it can block the build-up of DHT, the primary reason behind most hair loss. Working in a similar manner to Finasteride, saw palmetto is a natural yet effective hair loss treatment, without the side effects associated with prescription hair loss treatments.

Stinging Nettle, another well-known natural hair loss remedy, it has been used for ages now as a natural remedy for hair loss. Like Saw Palmetto, this also prevents the testosterone from producing DHT. It works best in combination with saw palmetto and Pygeum, effectively promoting hair growth and stopping further hair loss.

Pygeum, an herbal remedy for hair los, it works to impedes the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase that is responsible for the production of DHT. It prevents the production of DHT from testosterone. When used in combination with saw palmetto and stinging nettle, it stops hair loss in its tracks.

Green Tea has a remarkable ability to inhibit 5-alpha-reductase, which in turn hinders and blocks the production of the hair loss causing hormone, DHT or dihydrotestosterone.

Hair loss can be embarrassing and frustrating and dip one’s self confidence. However, there are no miracle cures for hair loss and every treatment is time consuming. We can also investigate other therapies that are in use to remedy hair loss. However, these therapies may or may not work for every individual. These therapies include:

Exercise is both preventive and therapeutic as it improves blood circulation to all parts of the body, including the scalp. Increased blood supply to the follicular cells will stimulate hair production. Although exercise cannot be counted on as a hair loss treatment, it does have a beneficial affect on the body.

Hormone therapy is prescribed for certain types of hair loss. Nonetheless it does come with its share of risks. Corticosteroids applied topically or injected into the scalp can be painful and may cause permanent scarring in the scalp. Hormone therapy in the form of birth-control pills may however reverse baldness due to hormonal imbalances in young women.

Cortisone when taken orally can stimulate new hair growth but that is likely to be temporary. Though Prednisone, another orally administered steroid, has been proven to be effective in some cases of alopecia areata, it does have its share of side effects which include weight gain, metabolic abnormalities, acne, and menstrual problems.

Hair transplantation is another technique used to combat baldness. This involves the relocation of skin from parts of the scalp that have active hair follicles to the bald areas. Several hundred plugs may be implanted before any hair growth can be noticed. Moreover, the transplanted hair may drop out, but then new hair usually grows from the transplanted follicles within a few months. This process is however both painful and expensive and does not retard genetic or age-related hair loss.

calp reduction is more a form of cosmetic surgery that involves tightening the scalp so that hair-bearing skin from the back and sides of the head is pulled towards the crown. Hair is then transplanted to the remaining bald areas. This process is also painful and expensive and does not halt genetic or age-related hair loss.

Eyebrow reconstruction as a hair transplant technique is based on the technology first reported by Krusis in Germany in 1914 and later by the Japanese in the 1930 and 40s. In 1943, Tamara reported that single-hair grafts should be used for the hair restoration as these would look the most natural. Nearly a half-century later, when the most advanced type of scalp hair transplantation consists of using naturally occurring follicular units containing 1-4 hairs, the most refined type of eyebrow transplant still consists of using individual hair follicles.

The advance in eyebrow hair restoration lies, therefore, not in the use of individual hairs – this has been known for a long time – but in the adoption of techniques used in scalp hair transplantation that enable the physician to carefully isolate these individual hair follicles from the donor scalp.

The specific technique is called stereo-microscopic dissection, and it enables the surgeon to generate a hair follicle that contains all the essential anatomic structures necessary for maximum survival and growth, but that is devoid of the excess tissue that makes traditional grafts too cumbersome for the nuanced restoration of the eyebrows.

A carefully dissected single-hair micro-graft, trimmed of excess epidermis, dermis and fat, has the flexibility to be inserted into the tiny opening made with a fine hypodermic needle and placed at an angle almost flush with the skin – two techniques that are essential for the most natural restoration. The tiny recipient sites allow the grafts to be placed very close together. However, when closely placed grafts are angled so acutely, the base of one follicle literally lies under the shaft of the next, so that any extra volume to the graft can leave an unnatural lumpiness on the brow. The slender, microscopically dissected grafts have no volume other than the functional follicle, so they are perfectly suited for this closely spaced, acutely angled graft placement.

The Hair Cycle

The normal hair cycle varies from months to years; depending upon the part of the body the hair is located. Each hair regenerative cycle has a growth phase called anagen and a resting phase called telogen. The anagen phase for scalp hair ranges from 3-6 years while the anagen phase of the eyebrow hair is significantly shorter. The rate of growth for scalp hairs ranges from .30-.41 mm per day (about a half inch per month), while the growth rate of the eyebrow hair is half of that.

When scalp hair is transplanted to the eyebrow, the longer hair cycle of the scalp hair makes it grow to a cosmetically unacceptable long length. This necessitates frequent trimming of the eyebrows that is not only a nuisance, but that produces a cut end that is less elegant than the finely pointed tip of an uncut hair.

Over time, the transplanted hair will assume some of the characteristics of the site that it was transplanted into and the length of the transplanted hair will begin to gradually decrease. It is not known if the transplanted follicles will eventually assume the full characteristics of the surrounding eyebrow hair, but work by Wang et al. suggests that influences of the recipient are more significant than was previously thought.

Indications for Eyebrow Hair Restoration and Reconstruction

A variety of conditions can result in a loss or alteration of the eyebrows. Probably the most common is self induced – caused by repeated plucking of the eyebrows for aesthetic reasons, or less often from a compulsive disorder called trichotillomania. Those who pluck hair as an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) should not be transplanted without addressing the OCD first, since transplanting the eyebrow will fail as the patient returns to old habits.

Other forms of physical trauma that may result in loss of eyebrows include car accidents, burn injuries, defects from surgical procedures, and radio- and chemotherapy. Burns or trauma may result in the formation of scar tissue that initially precludes hair transplantation. In these cases, reconstructive surgery may be necessary before the eyebrow hair transplant can be accomplished. Thickened scars may respond to injections of corticosteroids and, once thin, may readily support the growth of transplanted hair.

Women with eyebrows that they deem to be too thin occasionally have them tattooed, but this almost invariably looks unnatural. The situation worsens as the pigment is engulfed by macrophages and brought deeper into the dermis causing the black-brown color to take on a bluish hue. The pigment can be successfully removed with lasers, but then the once thin eyebrows become totally devoid of hair.

A common dermatologic condition that may cause the loss of the eyebrows (and eyelashes as well) is alopecia areata. This is a genetic, auto-immune condition that manifests with the sudden onset of discrete, round patches of hair loss with normal underlying skin. It can be treated with injections of cortisone, but tends to re-occur.

Systemic diseases may also cause the loss of one’s eyebrows and there are also congenital abnormalities that are associated with the absence of eyebrows and/or eyelashes.

In some patients, the disappearance of one’s eyebrows is a normal occurrence with age and genetic hair loss results from the progressive thinning (miniaturization) of the hair until it is barely noticeable.

For any eyebrow transplant procedure to be successful, one must be certain that the underlying condition that caused the hair loss in the first place has been corrected. Once the hair loss is stable, hair restoration may be contemplated.

The Design

Persons who seek eyebrow hair restoration (or any hair transplant, for that matter) generally have particular desires, goals and prejudices on what the ideal shape of their hair should be. Creating natural looking eyebrows can be a difficult task because of the differences between a patient’s prejudices and normal eyebrow design. Eyebrows are as different as faces, so “normal” is a relative term. If beauty is the focus for females, there are rules that can be applied to help define a beautiful eyebrow. Men, who are not satisfied with their eyebrow shape, often want their eyebrows to have a special character, such as the look of Albert Einstein. Some men think that bushy eyebrows are the most desirable as they represent male virility or genius. Women, on the other hand, want delicacy and more well defined shapes. These differences in the preferences of each sex must be understood and incorporated in the design of the restoration from the outset.

Beauty is not just determined by a specific angle or a precise number of grafts. The art of the restoration requires that the surgeon gets “inside the head” of the patient and understands what he or she wants to achieve. In contrast to balding men, who often cannot remember where their hair was when they were young and who are thus open to any design that will give them hair, the person seeking eyebrow restoration often has very specific ideas in mind. The doctor’s job is to moderate the patient’s perspective and make sure that it is reasonable. Mistakes are in full view and can leave a patient with a problem that may require years of plucking to correct.

Proper angulation is the most important aspect of any eyebrow transplant. The hair in the upper part of the central edge of the eyebrow usually points upward to the hairline, while the hair on the lateral aspects points horizontally, towards the ears. The hair in the upper part of the eyebrow should be pointed slightly downward and the lower portion slightly upward, so that they will converge in the middle, forming a slight ridge and resembling the pattern of a feather.

The eyebrows must be put in flat, or they will stick out pointing forward. The surgeon controls the direction and the distribution as the hair is transplanted into the eyebrow, and fine skills are required to densely pack single hairs into the small needle tracks that make for an undetectable wound.

The Technique

The outline of the eyebrow transplant should be carefully delineated using a fine surgical marker according to the design that the doctor and patient had agreed upon during the consultation. Markings should also be used to indicate the directional change of the hair as one moves medial to lateral. It is often helpful to make these markings above the brow (outside the area that will be transplanted) so that they are not lost as the sites are being made.

Once the markings are complete, the patient should be given a mirror to make sure that this is what they had discussed and that the design is satisfactory. At this point we find it helpful for the physician to leave the room (another staff member should still be present) to give the patient a few minutes to reflect on the design.

A small amount of anesthetic should first be injected in the supra-trochlear and supra-orbital notches to create a nerve block to numb the medial and lateral aspects of the brow. Local infiltration using a mixture of xylocaine or bupivicaine and epinephrine can further anesthetize the area and provide rigidity to the eyebrows. Tumescence enables the physician to keep the recipient sites more superficial and at a more acute angle and minimizes bleeding. Due to the small volume of fluid needed, a separate tumescent mixture is generally not necessary. The use of corticosteroids and other particulate solutions should be avoided when injecting around the eyes.

Recipient sites should be created using 20-22g needles (or equivalent instruments), depending upon the coarseness of the hair. If the patient’s scalp hair is very light and fine, 2-hair grafts can be used in the central part of the brow to create extra density, but these grafts should not be placed near the edges.

Recipient sites should be created holding the instrument as flat as possible to the skin surface, as there is always some elevation of the graft in the normal process of healing. In making the sites, the instrument should be gripped between the thumb and the first and second fingers and held nearly flush to the skin surface. The instrument should not be held like a pencil, as this will not allow the angle to be significantly acute.

The number of grafts needed for the eyebrow hair transplant can vary greatly from as few as 75 per brow to as many as 350. Men generally require significant more grafts than women. It is helpful to make the recipient sites first so that one can determine exactly how many hairs need to be harvested. It is important to remember that follicular units will yield 2-3 grafts on average, depending upon the patient’s donor density.

If the donor hair is obtained from a strip, then one should excise 1 cm2 of tissue for every 200 grafts required (since there are approximately 100 follicular units averaging 2.3 hairs each per cm2). If hair is obtained via follicular unit extraction, then the staff should dissect the grafts into individual hairs as they are removed from the scalp, so that the doctor can determine exactly how many are needed.

In women, the finer hair in the area over the ears should generally be harvested. In men with fine hair and coarse eyebrows, the area adjacent to the occipital protuberance is usually the coarsest hair on the scalp and may be the best match.

The grafts should be inserted using fine jeweler’s forceps under loop magnification. The hair must be literally stuffed, rather than inserted, into the sites, as the site is too small to accommodate both the graft and the forceps.

No dressing is required post op and the patient is instructed to sleep with his/her head elevated. The following morning, the patient should gently irrigate the transplanted area to remove any dried crusts. This should be done in the shower at least three times the day following surgery and twice daily for a week. After each shower, an antibiotic ointment should be applied to the brow to help soften any crusts and enable to them to be more easily removed with the next washing. There is often bruising after the surgery that may take a week or more to subside to normal. Bruising is usually most apparent in older patients with significant sun damage.

As the transplanted hairs grow they will require occasional trimming. Using a gel or wax will help them keep the hairs flat as the hair has a tendency be unruly, particularly when they first start to grow. As mentioned above, the hair growth will tend to slow down over time and the hair will begin to assume some of the characteristics of the surrounding hair due to influence of the recipient site.

Patients should understand that two or more sessions may be required to achieve a desired look. Sessions are best spaced a minimum of eight months apart so that the doctor may have the benefit of seeing the first session actually grow in before planning the second.

Challenges of Eyebrow Transplants

When eyebrows are transplanted using scalp hair, they invariably retain some of their donor area hair characteristics of shape, shaft thickness and growth rates. If a person has coarse hair and fine eyebrows, a transplant from the scalp may not be a good match, particularly for a woman who requires delicacy of the new transplanted eyebrow. It is possible to decrease the diameter of the hair shaft by trimming off part, or all of the bulb, but this risks producing an irregularly shaped hair.

Curly eyebrows from an African American kinky haired person with coarse hair may not produce the directional control that the patient needs in a transplant (as African hair has a strong character, particularly in the coarse haired person). As such, some people may not be good candidates for an eyebrow transplant. With newer placing techniques, it is now possible to place the hair so that the curve is oriented in the appropriate direction.

As part of the normal healing process, wounds tend to contract. As a consequence, the cylindrical defect created by the transplanted hair will tend to contract and orient itself more vertically. This will tend to lift the hair slightly away from the skin giving the brow a bushier, unruly appearance. Making the recipient sites at a very acute angle can partially compensate for this, but some elevation may still occur.

Conclusion

Eyebrow transplantation is a safe, out-patient procedure that can significantly enhance one’s appearance. It is particularly helpful for those individuals who have defective eyebrows caused by disease, accidents or that have been self-induced. However, eyebrow restoration is a nuanced procedure that demands technical skills and artistic knowledge beyond that required for the treatment of a balding scalp. For those physicians who have the aesthetic inclination and who are interested in taking time to develop the special skills necessary for this procedure, eyebrow restoration can produce a significant improvement in the appearance of select patients.

First, why do we actually lose ourhair?

There are numerous factors that contribute to the cause of hair loss in both males and females but genetic pattern baldness accounts for nearly 95% of all hair loss in men, as well as affecting millions of women. This common form of progressive hair thinning relates to a condition called androgenic alopecia or “male pattern baldness” and it occurs in adult male humans and other species. Androgenetic alopecia in women rarely leads to total baldness and the pattern of hair loss differs from male-pattern baldness. In women, the hair becomes thinner all over the head, and the hairline does not recede.

Tell us more about androgenetic alopecia

There are a variety of genetic and environmental factors that are likely play a role in causing androgenetic alopecia. Although we know risk factors that may contribute to this condition, most of these factors remain unknown. Researchers have determined that this form of hair loss is related to hormones called androgens, particularly an androgen called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Androgens are important for normal male sexual development before birth and during puberty. The resulting effect is seen as baldness. The amount and patterns of baldness can vary greatly as the incidence varies from population to population based on genetic background. Interestingly, environmental factors do not seem to affect this type of baldness greatly.

You mentioned genes. How do they play a role?

It was previously believed that baldness was inherited from the maternal grandfather. While there is some basis for this belief, it is now known that both parents contribute to their offspring’s likelihood of hair loss. Large studies in 2005 and 2007 showed the importance of the maternal line in the inheritance of male pattern baldness. German researchers called the main ‘balding’ gene, ‘ARG’ or the androgen receptor gene. The presence or absence of a specific variant in this gene is related to baldness. This gene is recessive and a female would need two X chromosomes with the defect to show typical male pattern alopecia. Other research in 2007 suggested another gene on the X chromosome, which lies close to the androgen receptor gene, is also important in male pattern baldness. We consider the X linked androgen receptor as the most important gene with a gene on chromosome 20 being the second most important determinant gene.

How common is Male Pattern Baldness?

This is a good question. Studies show nearly all men have some baldness by the time they are in their 60s. However, the age the hair loss starts is variable. One large Australian study showed the prevalence of mid-frontal hair loss increases with age and affects about three in ten 30 year old males and half of 50 year old males. It also showed approximately 25 percent of men begin balding by age 30; while two-thirds begin balding by age 60. Some women also develop a similar pattern of hair loss. Male pattern baldness affects roughly 40 million men in the United States alone.

Can we use this information to our advantage?

Certainly yes, the Ailesbury Hair Implant technique uses a genetic test for male pattern hair loss, which reports the presence or absence of a specific variation in the androgen receptor gene. A positive test result means that a man has the high risk genetic variation. Men who test positive have approximately a 70% chance of going bald. This means the H+ genetic test can predict a patients risk for hair loss or thinning. Because single follicular hair implants can be used multiple times and it is not limited as in methods like strip surgery this means a patient can theoretically never be allowed to go bald again. Patients should remember by the time hair loss or thinning is noticeable ? almost 50% of your hair could be gone and the genetic test will help predict a patients hair loss before you can see any visible hair loss

What are the present medical treatments available?

The most popular medical treatment is Minoxidil (Rogaine), which is available in 2% and 5% topical solutions. Unfortunately, cosmetically useful hair is obtained in only about one third of cases and Minoxidil must be used indefinitely to maintain a response. Another treatment involves taking Finasteride (Propecia) 1 mg tablets and given once daily. Hair loss drugs like Propecia work by inhibiting the creation of DHT in our bodies.

By reducing the amount of DHT that can affect a man’s hair follicles, hair loss can be slowed or even stopped. Propecia lowers the dihydrotestosterone on the scalp and also in the serum of treated patients. Clinical trials have shown it to be effective in preventing further hair loss and increasing hair counts to the point of cosmetically appreciable results. Interestingly, hair loss on the temples is not improved. Side effects are rare, less than 1%, and patients must remain on the drug indefinitely since the benefit may be lost after discontinuation.

Tell me something about hairtransplantation?

Hair transplantation is a surgical technique that involves moving sections of skin containing hair follicles from one part of the body (the donor site) to bald or balding parts (the recipient site). It is primarily used to treat male pattern baldness, whereby grafts containing hair follicles that are genetically resistant to balding are transplanted to a bald scalp. However, it is also used to restore eye lashes, eye brows, beard hair and to fill in scars caused by accidents and surgery such as face lifts and previous hair transplants. Hair transplantation differs from skin grafting in that grafts contain almost all of the epidermis and dermis surrounding the hair follicle, and many tiny grafts are transplanted rather than a single strip of skin. Since hair naturally grows in follicles that contain groupings of 1 to 4 hairs, most hair transplant techniques migrate 1 ? 4 hair “follicular units” in their natural groupings. Thus modern hair transplantation can achieve a natural appearance by mimicking nature hair for hair. This hair transplant procedure is called “Follicular Unit Transplantation”

When didhairtransplantation actually begin?

Modern hair transplantation began in the 1950s based upon the pioneering work of New York dermatologist Dr. Norman Orentreich. According to medical myth, he was doing a study on vitiligo, transferring 4 mm punch skin grafts in an attempt to determine whether vitiligo was “donor” or “recipient” area dominant. The patient noted that a punch graft that had been taken from a hair-bearing area, grew hair, after it was placed into a non-hair-bearing area. Previously it had been thought that transplanted hair would thrive no more than the original hair at the “recipient” site. Dr. Orentreich demonstrated that such grafts were “donor dominant,” ? the idea that grafts continue to show the characteristics of the donor site after they have been transplanted to a new site. This principle provides the basis for all hair transplant surgery. Although “donor dominance” insured that transplanted hair will continue to grow, it did not insure that the results would look natural.

Why did transplants by ‘punching’ stop?

The initial hair transplants used grafts that measured 6?8 mm in diameter, about the size of pencil erasers. These were obtained from the back of the scalp by literally punching out the hair bearing grafts with a sharp, round instrument and then placing them in holes made in the balding front-part of the scalp. The punch technique continued during the 1960′s, although the size of the punch was gradually reduced in order to improve the survival of the hairs in the central part of the graft. For the next twenty years, surgeons worked on transplanting smaller grafts, but results were only minimally successful, with 2-4 mm “plugs” leading to results that were often “pluggy” and unnatural and was referred to as a “doll’s head” or “corn-row” look. It is thought that these hairs were also subject to poor oxygenation by a “donuting” effect as the punch size was too big. We must remember that the follicles also take a curved path through the skin and there was an unacceptable rate of transection (about 30%) during the punching technique. In the 1980s, Uebel in Brazil popularized using large numbers of small grafts, while in the United States Rassman began using thousands of “micrografts” in a single session.

Can you explain the technique of ‘minigrafts’ and micrografts?

In the late 1980s, Limmer introduced the use of the stereo-microscope to dissect a single donor strip into small micrografts. Micrograftsusually consist of one or two hairs per graft and ‘minigrafts’ contain 3-8 hairs per graft. These smaller grafts, when properly placed, provided a more natural, less abrupt appearing hairline in contrast to other methods. However, they could also contain up to 12 hairs producing a bulky tufted appearance leading to a ‘doll’s head’, or ‘toothbrush’ effect. Patients also complained of a dimpling of the underlying scalp. Micrografts were frequently damaged during the removal process or were too fragile to survive. In ‘mini-micrografting’, the graft sizes were arbitrarily determined by the doctor who cut the donor tissue into different size pieces. This technique has now largely been surpassed.

What technique is presently popular?

During the past few years, follicular unit transplant grafts (FUT) have become popular due to a more natural effect. Follicular units were first described in the medical literature by Headington in 1984. Follicular Unit Transplantation has its roots in the single-strip harvesting method and microscopic graft dissection technique developed by Dr. Bobby Limmer in the late 1980s and published in 1994. In 1995, Bernstein and Rassman published the first paper on ”Follicular Unit Transplantation”, where hair is transplanted exclusively in naturally occurring groups of 1-4 hairs. With microscopic dissection of donor pieces from an excised portion of scalp, individual follicular units containing but 1-4 hairs could be prepared and individually relocated into needle punctures in the recipient areas. Since the transplanted hair mimics the way hair grows in nature, close to natural results were attainable. By the year 2000, Follicular Unit Transplant (also referred to as FUT) by the strip technique was more firmly established and respected due to its ability to produce more natural results. However, because the procedure was more labour intensive and time consuming than mini-micrografting, it was adopted slowly by the medical community.

What do you mean by the ‘strip’ technique?

The strip method is really an invasive surgical procedure requiring the attendance of a plastic surgeon and general anaesthesia. During the procedure, a long strip of scalp, approximately 20- 25 cm in length and 1 cm to 2.5 cm in width of hair-bearing skin is removed from the donor area using a scalpel, cutting through nerves and major blood vessels of the scalp. The donor area is then sutured (stitched) closed and approximately 30 days are required for full healing. In order to avoid stretching of the donor scar, two layers of donor stitches must be used and left in the skin for at least two weeks. The doctor can harvest to a maximum of 3,000 hairs during one procedure. Body hair follicles and hairs cannot be extracted using the ‘strip’ method, depriving the patient of a tremendous area of donor hair. Post-operative care requires that the patient not play sports or weight train for at least 30 days. Many patients complain of scalp numbness for many months and sometimes permanently.

Are there any problems with the strip technique?

This is invasive surgery and the patient may sometimes develop scarring or neurological problems of sensation in the back of the head post procedure. Another primary disadvantage of strip extraction is that the patient must wait nine months for the area to heal fully before considering or being able to undergo a second procedure and the patient must have sufficient elasticity in the donor site before the surgeon can safely harvest another strip. Besides the long donor area permanent scar, there is also a possibility to be left with permanent suture scars, stretch back tension scars, keloid scars, or staple scars, even if the procedure goes perfectly. Should a patient shave their hair short in the donor area, a line or scar will always be visible. A patient forever gives up the option to shave their head or have a short haircut after a strip procedure. Although there are many good proceduralists of this technique, I personally would consider ‘strip surgery’ an out-dated procedure.

What is the best hair transplant treatment now?

Over the past few years unit follicular hair transplant has emerged as the most reliable hair transplant procedure of hair transplantation surgery. As the name suggests, the graft in this case consists of a single follicular unit as it exists in nature. The follicular unit contains sebaceous glands as well as nerve and blood tissue. It is for this reason that it needs to be extracted as an intact unit and transplanted as an intact unit, to be able to grow into a hair. There are basically two types of technique.

1 Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) is a hair restoration procedure where hair is transplanted exclusively in its naturally occurring groups of 1-4 hairs. These groups, or follicular units, are obtained through the microscopic dissection of tissue taken from a single donor strip or extracted directly from the donor area.

2. Follicular unit extraction (FUE) does not require a donor strip to be excised from the donor area and therefore does not involve any dissection of follicular units. The follicular units are instead directly extracted one-by-one using custom-made, precise micro-surgical tools less than a millimetre in diameter. Follicular unit extraction is simple and painless, with the donor area healing within 2-4 days as compared to 7-8 days required for follicular hair transplants using the graft extraction technique. There is also no risk of nerve damage being caused by the hair transplant procedure.

Which is the best method?

This is a difficult question to answer as there are proponents of both techniques. Although, FUT is considered an advance over the ‘mini-micrografting’ hair transplant procedure, many transplant doctors do not consider it as advanced as FUE because the technique still requires larger areas of the scalp to be removed than single follicle extraction. Proponents of the FUT technique say that there are also problems inherent in removing individual follicular units with small punches. First, any significant variation between the incident angle of the punch and the exiting hair can result in graft transection. It is known that it is difficult to keep the punch parallel to the follicles throughout the entire length of the graft as the visual cues used to guide one’s hand are lost once the punch passes into the depths of the tissue. Another disadvantage of both follicular techniques is the requirement of long hours of time and skilled teams of assistants for the preparation of 3,000 odd follicular hair transplants through dissection. My feeling is that the final result is very operator related.

What is the Ailesbury Hair Implant method?

The Ailesbury Hair Implant technique has been perfected in Dublin. It essentially is a minimally invasive method of hair restoration which avoids the need for any scalpels or stitching to be required at any point during the procedure. Single hair follicles are extracted one by one from the donor area (back of the head) and re-implanted with the unique patented device; therefore a strip of donor skin is not required to be removed from the back of the head. Many doctors, including myself, consider this to be the most advanced method of transplanting hair. to techniques like the newer single hair follicle extraction technique. In this method follicles are extracted one by one from the donor area (back of the head) and re-implanted with the unique patented devices. The Ailesbury Hair Implant method is based on the use of genetic testing, the use of growth factors, 633nm light for fibroblast stimulation and the use of quality control during the hair transplant procedures. The hair transplant doctor needs only a single surgical assistant to help him during the follicle hair transplants. The procedure also ensures maximum care to the grafts. The hair transplant doctor can decide upon the exact number of grafts to be removed while he is removing them one-by-one.

Any other advantages with the Ailesbury Hair Implant method?

The best thing about the Ailesbury Hair Implant method is that the hair extraction is simple, painless, and the donor area heals within 2-4 days. Individual hair follicles are removed one by one using the H+ Extractor and Implanter by a surgeon who is wearing high magnification loupes. Patients can listen to music, watch tv and enjoy a light lunch during the procedure, which is completed in four to six hours. There is absolutely no risk of nerve damage because scalpels or stitches are not used. Another advantage of the Ailesbury Hair Implant transplant procedure is that it allows the hair transplant surgeon to extract as many grafts as is actually needed and on average, we usually extract and place 3,000-5,000 hairs per day. Bandaging is not necessary following the procedure, allowing the patient to leave the clinic looking just as they did on entering. Unlike the ‘strip’ technique, there is no scarring with the Ailesbury Hair Implant method and a patient can shave his head or wear all the current cuts and styles. In addition, there is also no waiting period between Ailesbury Hair Implant procedures and hair from all over the body can be used. Body hair follicular grafts have shown growth patterns similar to head hair with no difference in texture but are usually used for enhancing the density in the posterior region of the scalp rather than the hair line. Hair regrowth will be seen after 16 weeks, depending in part on how quickly the capillaries form around the newly relocated follicular units. This newly transferred hair grows naturally in its new location for the rest of the patient’s life.

How many sessions will be necessary before hair restoration is complete after the Ailesbury Hair Implant method?

That really depends on the size of the balding area, donor yield and the goal of the patient. In order to achieve a greater density, I would suggest starting early and plan at least two sessions, so that you never really become bald. The numbers of sessions being one or more is aided by the use of genetic programming and special camera densitometry equipment to see under the skin and fully inform the patient of his or her total available donor hair. In each session, the follicles are inserted between existing hairs or previously placed hairs and generally placed up to 1mm apart.