• Finally Hair Loss Medication that works

    Hair medication that works

    While hair restoration surgery is now a proven treatment for restoring hair where it has been lost, Hair loss medication such as Rogaine (minoxidil) and Propecia (finasteride), have made real contributions toward stopping and even reversing hair loss.

    During the late 70’s and early 80’s it was discovered that minoxidil, used as a heart medication, had hair growing side effects. Minoxidil was tested for use as a topical scalp treatment for hair loss and proved to inhibit hair loss in many test subjects.

    It has proven to be effective to some degree in slowing the hair loss process. For a minority of people it can even grow back lost hairs in the crown area (back of the head). However, Rogaine (minoxidil) does not slow or reverse the balding process in the frontal hairline area.

    Rogaine is typically applied topically on the scalp twice a day, morning and evening. But once usage is discontinued the hair loss which had been inhibited will resume and the hair that was saved will be lost.

    Rogaine originally required a prescription, but in 1995, it became available in 2% strength Rogaine over-the-counter. Today, men and women can buy 5% strength lotion over-the-counter as Rogaine or as generic minoxidil.

    To date Rogaine (minoxidil) and Propecia (finasteride)are the only hair loss medications with FDA approval. Propecia’s active ingredient, finasteride, was originally used to treat enlarged prostate glands. It was discovered that, like minoxidil, it had the “side effect” of stopping male pattern baldness and for some even regrowing hair.

    Propecia is taken as a pill once daily and acts to inhibit the body’s ability to create dyhydrotestosterone or “DHT”. DHT acts as the active ingredient or catalyst in the balding process.

    Rogaine and Propecia

    The 90’s brought great advances in hair restoration, both surgical and non surgical. Now most people can realistically halt and reverse their hair loss with truly natural results.

    In 1988 minoxidil, Rogaine, became the first hair loss medication to be approved by the FDA for the treatment of hair loss.

    Rogaine or Minoxidil

    In 1998 the FDA approved Propecia for the treatment of hair loss. Propecia (finasteride) should NOT be taken by woman or children for any reason.


    Learn about all your hair loss treatment options.
     

  • Parsa Mohebi, M.D

    Dr. Parsa Mohebi
    Dr. Parsa Mohebi
    Dr. Parsa Mohebi provides large sessions of high quality follicular unit transplantation with excellent results
  • From big wigs to surgical hair restoration

    From big wigs to surgical hair restoration

    The Era of the big Wig

    Soon after the Middle Ages wigs became popular for women. Then in the 1600’s the flamboyant and incredibly vain King Louis XIV of France lost his hair from a severe illness and took to wearing gigantic wigs thus setting the fashion for most men of his day.

    These enormous creations featured such items as cages with live birds and could weigh up to 20 lbs.!

    By the 1700’s England made another contribution to bad hair loss concealers. This was the age of the long, curly, and powered wigs. Even today, English judges and lawyers continue this practice. Thus the expression for those in authority – “Big Wigs.”

    The“Snake oil” Years

    The early 1800’s is renowned in hair loss circles as the age of the con men. There were hundreds of so-called “hair loss solutions” and many lasted well into the late 1900’s.

    These treatments were marketed by fast-talking “doctors,” skilled only in bravery and possessing nerves of steel considering they were conning hardened cowboys and outlaws!

    The salesmen hawked their products from the safety of their side shows and “Wild West” spectaculars. They used endless tricks to get people to buy their products, including rubbing grease into their hair to make it look thicker.

    The “Modern” Era of Hair Loss Solutions

    During the past several decades, superstition, old wives tales, and guess work has gradually been replaced by science.

    In 1939, a Japanese dermatologist, Dr. Okuda, published a revolutionary method in a Japanese medical journal that would lay the ground work for modern hair transplantation.

    This method involved using hair transplant grafts to correct lost hair from various areas, including the scalp, eyebrow, and moustache areas. However, this study didn’t make an impact in the Western Hemisphere due to the interruption of World War II.

    Hair transplants are born.

    In the late 50’s one physician in particular, Dr. Norman Orentriech, began to experiment with the idea of relocating or transplanting the hair on the back and sides of the head to the balding areas.

    Dr. Orentriech’s experiments showed that when bald resistant hairs from the back and sides of the head were relocated, they maintained their bald resistant genetic characteristic regardless of where they were transplanted.

    This principle, known as “Donor Dominance”, established that hair could be transplanted from the bald resistant donor areas to the balding areas and continues to grow for a life time. This laid the foundation for modern hair transplantation.

    During the 60’s and 70’s surgical hair restoration grew in popularity. However, the standard procedure used large grafts that were removed by round punches and often contained many hairs.

    Completed Result after Multiple Sessions of Large Grafts

    This now outdated technique could achieve a full look if a patient completed all planned sessions. However, a patient was typically limited in the manner they could style their hair.

    Patients who stopped short of completing all planned sessions were left with hair loss solutions that looked obvious and unnatural.

    Such uncompleted hair restoration results are some times referred to as “barbie doll hair” or “corn rows”.

    Many who have had these older techniques now refine or complete their hair transplants with today’s very refined techniques to achieve a natural look that they can style in any manner.

    From big wigs to surgical hair restoration

    The Era of the big Wig

    Soon after the Middle Ages wigs became popular for women. Then in the 1600’s the flamboyant and incredibly vain King Louis XIV of France lost his hair from a severe illness and took to wearing gigantic wigs thus setting the fashion for most men of his day.

    These enormous creations featured such items as cages with live birds and could weigh up to 20 lbs.!

    By the 1700’s England made another contribution to bad hair loss concealers. This was the age of the long, curly, and powered wigs. Even today, English judges and lawyers continue this practice. Thus the expression for those in authority – “Big Wigs.”

    The“Snake oil” Years

    The early 1800’s is renowned in hair loss circles as the age of the con men. There were hundreds of so-called “hair loss solutions” and many lasted well into the late 1900’s.

    These treatments were marketed by fast-talking “doctors,” skilled only in bravery and possessing nerves of steel considering they were conning hardened cowboys and outlaws!

    The salesmen hawked their products from the safety of their side shows and “Wild West” spectaculars. They used endless tricks to get people to buy their products, including rubbing grease into their hair to make it look thicker.

    The “Modern” Era of Hair Loss Solutions

    During the past several decades, superstition, old wives tales, and guess work has gradually been replaced by science.

    In 1939, a Japanese dermatologist, Dr. Okuda, published a revolutionary method in a Japanese medical journal that would lay the ground work for modern hair transplantation.

    This method involved using hair transplant grafts to correct lost hair from various areas, including the scalp, eyebrow, and moustache areas. However, this study didn’t make an impact in the Western Hemisphere due to the interruption of World War II.

    Hair transplants are born.

    In the late 50’s one physician in particular, Dr. Norman Orentriech, began to experiment with the idea of relocating or transplanting the hair on the back and sides of the head to the balding areas.

    Dr. Orentriech’s experiments showed that when bald resistant hairs from the back and sides of the head were relocated, they maintained their bald resistant genetic characteristic regardless of where they were transplanted.

    This principle, known as “Donor Dominance”, established that hair could be transplanted from the bald resistant donor areas to the balding areas and continues to grow for a life time. This laid the foundation for modern hair transplantation.

    During the 60’s and 70’s surgical hair restoration grew in popularity. However, the standard procedure used large grafts that were removed by round punches and often contained many hairs.

    Completed Result after Multiple Sessions of Large Grafts

    This now outdated technique could achieve a full look if a patient completed all planned sessions. However, a patient was typically limited in the manner they could style their hair.

    Patients who stopped short of completing all planned sessions were left with hair loss solutions that looked obvious and unnatural.

    Such uncompleted hair restoration results are some times referred to as “barbie doll hair” or “corn rows”.

    Many who have had these older techniques now refine or complete their hair transplants with today’s very refined techniques to achieve a natural look that they can style in any manner.

  • FUE – a new way of doing Follicular Unit Hair Transplantation

    FUE – a new way of doing Follicular Unit Hair Transplantation

    Follicular unit extraction is a minimally invasive procedure for performing follicular unit hair transplantation. However, unlike the predominant follicular unit transplant procedure, in which a strip of donor tissue is removed and dissected under magnification, the FUE procedure uses a small punch to extract each follicular unit one by one.

    Both the strip excision and FUE procedures create 1, 2, 3, and 4 hair follicular unit grafts that are then transplanted into the balding area in the same manner. The primary difference between these two procedures is the technique used to harvest the follicular unit grafts.

    Comparing the Strip Excision procedure to the Extraction (FUE) procedure

    The common strip excision method of performing follicular unit hair transplantation involves surgically excising a thin horizontal strip of bald resistant skin from the donor area.

    Strip Excision Procedure 

    Donor strip being excised
    Donor strip being excised

     

    Incision sutured together
    Incision sutured together

     

    Hair combed down after suturing
    Hair combed down after suturing

     

    This donor area is then sutured together. These sutures (either stitches or staples) are then typically removed about ten days after surgery. Some physicians use dissolvable sutures so that no removal is needed.

     

    Patient’s donor area 2 months after surgery
    Patient’s donor area 2 months after surgery

     

    Once this linear incision is fully healed the patient is left with a thin horizontal scar in the back of the head. This scar is typically hard to detect since the surrounding hair conceals it, even when the hair is cut short.

    To view a video of an actual strip excision surgery.

    How the FUE Procedure is performed

    With the Follicular Unit Extraction or FUE procedure 1, 2, 3, and 4 hair follicular unit grafts are carefully extracted one at a time using a tiny punch of one millimeter or less. Often the surgeon requires the patient to buzz cut a portion of their donor area so that they are able to see the patient’s scalp.

    The follicular units are extracted
    The follicular units are extracted

     

    The follicular units are extracted by placing the punch around a single follicular unit and cutting a small circle through the skin around that follicular unit. The follicular unit is then gently pulled up and away from the loose tissue underneath the skin.

    The small hole left behind after the follicle is extracted then heals over the following week. Normally this small round incision contracts as it heals making the resulting round scar smaller than the size of the 1mm punch that made the incision. The FUE patient ultimately ends up with hundreds of small round white scars, which are normally not detectable once the patient’s hair grows out.View a video of an actual FUE surgery.

    To Extract or to Excise, that is the question.

    Advocates for the relatively new FUE procedure claim that this procedure produces less noticeable scarring and no tightness or numbness in the donor area since no donor tissue has been pulled together and sutured. Many patients and physicians find the claim that FUE produces less visible scarring to be debatable.

    Some physicians and patients also have concerns about the relatively new FUE procedure, such as the lack of formal studies regarding the percentage of follicles that may or may not be transected during the sight unseen extraction process.

    In addition, since the physician must personally extract all follicles, one by one, the FUE procedure is very physician dependent and thus very expensive. The FUE procedure also requires considerably more time in surgery to move a given amount of hair to the balding area.

    The standard strip excision procedure has the advantage of utilizing a collaborative team to carefully create the grafts once the donor tissue is removed in a strip. This collaborative approach enables a well trained staff to do sessions of 2,000 to 3,000 all follicular unit grafts in a single day. This team approach enables a patient to get a much larger number of grafts/hairs in one sitting at a much lower cost per hair than with the FUE procedure.

    However, some believe that despite being relatively costly the FUE procedure may be appropriate for patients who have very limited elasticity in their donor area or who only need a small number of grafts.

  • Menopause and Female Hair Loss

    Many cases of female hair lossare caused by hormonal fluctuations or changes in the body including those who have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), birth control pillside effects, a recent pregnancy,postmenopausal trauma, or menopause. Women with hair loss experience varying balding patterns These patterns can help determine the type of alopecia you have along with a thorough examination by a physician.

    Because of an imbalance between estrogen and testosterone due to declining estrogen levels, thinning hair and accelerated hair loss is common in women during menopause. Hair on certain areas of the head that is more sensitive to androgen hormones like DHT(associated with male pattern baldness) may thin or fall out. Similarly, declining estrogen levels may result in unwanted facial hair growth.

    In some cases, polycystic ovarian syndrome(PCOS), may accompany menopause and hair loss.

    Be sure to speak with your doctor on the most effective ways to cope with menopause and minimize hair loss during this transitional time.

  • Follicular Unit Hair Transplantation - Step by Step

    Follicular Unit Hair Transplantation - Step by Step

    We believe that patients have a right to full disclosure and a complete understanding of exactly what hair restoration surgery involves.

    This step by step presentation shows how today’s state of the art follicular unit hair transplant procedure is typically performed.

    Step 1 - hair transplant donor area

    Patient is prepared for surgery

    During surgery hair follicles from the back of the head that are genetically resistant to going bald will be removed and relocated (transplanted) to the balding areas.

    Step 2 - Patient is prepared for surgery

    Donor area is trimmed

    Prior to surgery, the hair in donor area that will be surgically removed is trimmed.

    Donor area is prepared for surgery

    Once the donor area has been prepared it is given local anesthesia.

    Donor tissue is removed

    Donor tissue is removed

    The donor tissue containing the bald resistant hair follicles is then surgically removed.

    Donor area is sutured

    Donor area is sutured

    The donor tissue containing the bald resistant hair follicles is then surgically removed.

    Hair combed over sutures

    Hair combed over sutures

    When patient’s hair is combed over the donor area the sutures are not visible. These sutures are typically removed approximately ten days after surgery.

    Donor tissue is trimmed into follicular unit grafts

    Donor tissue is trimmed into follicular unit grafts

    Surgical technicians then use microscopes to view the donor tissue in order to dissect and prepare follicular units hair grafts.

    Bald recipient area is prepared

    Bald recipient area is prepared

    After being given local anesthesia, the balding recipient area is ready for surgery. No trimming or shaving of hair is needed in the top recipient area.

    Incisions are made in the balding areas

    Incisions are made in the balding areas

    Tiny incisions are made in the recipient areas in irregular patterns that mimic nature. The follicular unit grafts will then be placed carefully into these tiny incisions.

    Grafts are placed into the incisions

    Grafts are placed into the incisions

    Follicular unit grafts are gently placed into the recipient incisions.

    Grafts are placed in varying densities

    Grafts are placed in varying densities

    Typically the smallest one and two hair grafts are placed in the very front of the hairline, with three and four hair grafts placed behind them.

    Patient immediately following surgery

    Patient immediately following surgery

    Following surgery a patient will have hundreds of tiny incisions with short hair stubble showing from the new grafts.

    Close up of recipient area after surgery

    Close up of recipient area after surgery

    The tiny graft incisions heal rapidly. The redness and scabbing in the recipient area normally clears up within about one week.

  • COUVRé Alopecia Masking Lotion: Product Review

    COUVRé Alopecia Masking Lotion

    For many hair loss sufferers, scalp "tinting" solutions are the most effective type of topical concealer. Tinting solutions like COUVRé, also commonly referred to as "masking lotions" or "concealing lotions," eliminate the contrast between thinning hair and the bald scalp by naturally darkening the skin and matching the tone to one's existing hair. By matching bald scalp to an individual's natural hair color, the harsh contrast of thinning hair is eliminated, and a fuller, denser appearance is achieved.

    Although several types of masking lotions currently exist, one of the most popular and trusted is COUVRé. However, what makes COUVRé distinct from other masking lotions, or different types of concealers in general? Is COUVRé a quality concealer for both hair loss suffering men and women? Most importantly, what are other concelears users saying, and where can balding individuals purchase their own supply of COUVRé masking lotion?

    COUVRé: What is it, and how does it work?

    Unlike comparable "shaker" application products (such as Toppik – a popular topical applicator product from the same makers as COUVRé), COUVRé is a tinted lotion, meant to minimize the contrast between dark, thinning hair and the balding scalp. According to the manufacturers, COUVRé is applied to the scalp using a specialized sponge applicator. Once the masking formula is on the scalp and providing sufficient camouflage, users are instructed to simply style hair normally and go about their day.  The manufacturer of COUVRé assert that the application appears subtle, natural, will not appear "greasy or sticky," will not stain clothing or towels, and does not interfere with pores or affect natural hair growth.

    The Benefits of COUVRé

    According to both the manufacturers and satisfied users, COUVRé offers various benefits over comparable concealer products. First, because the makers of COUVRé are confident in the product, they ensure that, unlike some other concealers, COURVe will create a natural appearance without looking greasy or sticky, and does not clog scalp pores or interfere with existing hair shafts. Because of this, not only is COUVRé useful for those with thinning hair, but also for patients awaiting new growth from hair transplant surgery. What's more, COUVRé does not contain any harmful chemicals, can allegedly withstand perspiration, rain, wind, and even physical contact (such as touching the scalp).  COUVRé comes in 8 different colors/tones (to match all hair types) and is equally effective in both male and female hair loss sufferers.  Although COUVRé will withstand a variety of situations without smearing or smudging, it easily washes completely away with water and shampoo.

    COUVRé Color Chart COUVRé Colour Chart

    Why COUVRé has Become Popular and Trusted within the Hair Restoration Community

    While COUVRé does offer many benefits above other concealer products, its popularity and reputation within the hair restoration community is likely due to several important factors. First, unlike some other concealing products, COUVRé application is both simple and fast. For many individuals, the ability to naturally conceal thinning hair without spending an excessive amount of time "getting ready," is a huge benefit. Furthermore, because COUVRé contains natural ingredients and does not interfere with native or implanted hairs, it is safe to use with other proven hair loss medications (like Rogaine/minoxidil and Propecia/finasteride) and during the new growth phase of hair restoration surgery. Because of its ease of use, effective nature, and ability to conceal hair loss in a variety of situations, COUVRé has become a reputable hair loss treatment and remains popular within the hair restoration community.

    What Real Hair Loss Sufferers are Saying About COUVRé

    To read real reviews on COUVRé alopecia masking lotion from other hair loss suffering men and women, visit our hair loss forum and social community.

  • Concealers - Disguising Hair Loss Remedy for Adding Fullness

     concealers

    There are a variety of hair loss remedy "concealer" products that are applied to the scalp and/or hair in the thinning areas to mask a person's baldness and increase the look of fullness of thinning hairs. These products such as Toppik, Couvré, and Prothik can work surprisingly well at creating the illusion of fuller hair.

    Some of our member physicians advise their hair restoration patients to use such hair loss remedy products to enhance the look of fullness in their transplanted areas. These products can also be used post operatively to hide the immediate surgery.

    Toppik - Toppik is an effective, safe, and easy-to-use product that completely covers up the scalp's thinning areas.

    Couvre - COUVRe is safe for men and women, easy to use, and is totally undetectable to the world's toughest critics.

    Caboki - Caboki is comprised of a series of charged microfibers that, when applied to the scalp, tightly bind hair shafts and create a denser, fuller appearance.

    DermMatch - DermMatch is a safe and easy way to cover-up thinning areas and instantly provides the appearance of a natural looking head of hair.

    Nanogen - Nanogen is one of the fastest, easiest ways to conceal thinning hair and hair loss.

    Prothik - Prothik does an exceptional job of adding thickness and fullness to thinning hair while reducing the contrast between thinning hair and the scalp.

  • Crinagen Hair Loss Treatment

    Crinagen Hair Loss treatment

    CrinagenCrinagen is an all natural alcohol-free topical scalp spray clinically backed to reduce the amount of DHT (dehydrotestosterone) in the scalp. It contains no alcohol, and has displayed no side effects. Crinagen is also equally safe for men and women and is most effective in men and women with thinning hair. In addition to blocking scalp DHT, they both are reported nourish the scalp’s hair follicles. Crinagen usually displays its effects on average in five months.

    How It Works:

    The product's main ingredients are Saw Palmetto, Zinc, and Azelaic Acid. All 3 ingredients are reported to reduce the production of scalp DHT and nourish the scalp's hair follicles.

    Developing Realistic Expectations:

    Crinagen has not been clinically proven nor approved by the FDA. Thus, like Revivogen and Tricomin, Crinagen should be used only after seriously considering proven treatments like Propecia (finasteride) and Rogaine (minoxidil).

    Don't expect immediate results. It's recommended to use Crinagen for at least 6 to 12 months before determining its effectiveness. Documenting your progress with bi-monthly photos can help you determine whether or not Crinagen is working for you.

    Hair shedding is a common symptom the first few months and a sign that the medication may be working for you. It's crucial to push past this stage with continued use for the recommended period of time.

    To date, only surgical hair restoration is proven to grow hair in completely bald areas. You are invited to have a free virtual consultation with one of our prescreened hair restoration physicians.

  • How our Physicians are Chosen and How to Research Surgeons

    As patients, we know that the physician you choose is the most critical decision in restoring your hair is the physician you choose. Hair restoration physicians' skills, experience, and talent vary widely, as do the end results, vary widely.

    You must research and choose your physician wisely. After all, who you choose will determine how natural and complete, your new hair will be for the rest of your life. The surgeons selected and approved by our community have been scouted and vetted by the forum's highly esteemed senior valued contributors of the Hair Restoration Network. Our valued contributors have all spent years researching hair transplantation, and they have all had hair transplants. To ensure there is no conflict of interest, none of our valued contributors receive any compensation. They are volunteers who have shared their experiences and contributed for years to our community. Each surgeon has been approved based on their ethics, surgical techniques, results, and reviews. To support the costs of operating and promoting our community, the approved physician contributes a monthly fee to sponsor our community.

    Their recommendation is continued as long as they continue to show evidence of excellent patient results and satisfaction. If a patient expresses concerns, physicians are expected to resolve their concerns. We ask that patients first contact a physician with any concerns so that they can resolve them before publicly posting.

    Note - The hair restoration physicians recommended on this site are not a definitive list of all excellent hair transplant doctors. Nor do we warrant or guarantee the results of any of the physicians presented on this site. As always, we encourage you to do your due diligence in evaluating these and all hair loss physicians.

    We offer the following suggestions for researching a hair restoration physician:

    • Does the physician take a holistic approach to hair restoration? Your physician should help you evaluate all your options, surgical and non-surgical.
    • Have they invested time and resources in large micro follicular unit hair transplantation sessions? Outstanding work requires a staff dedicated to and trained to use high-powered magnification to produce more than 2,000 carefully trimmed grafts per surgical session.
    • Choose a hair restoration clinic that is patient-focused rather than commercially focused. Some clinics emphasize revenue, speed, and volume rather than dedicating the time and individual care needed to produce optimal results. These commercial operations typically rely on heavy advertising rather than satisfied patient or doctor referrals.
    • Is hair restoration the primary focus of their practice? Outstanding results require a physician and staff to perform hair restoration surgery regularly. Doing hair restoration as a sideline and other cosmetic procedures may hinder their ability to do large sessions of highly refined follicular unit transplantation.
    • How many patients has this physician produced excellent results for? Like any skill, experience over time is critical to acquiring the skill and judgment required to produce excellent results.
    • Can the physician provide detailed patient before and after photographs? Do they also have patients who are willing to speak with you and meet with you in person?
    hair restoration clinic

    What do their hair transplant patients think?

    Ultimately, the most critical measure of a hair transplant surgeon's work is their patient's level of satisfaction. Find out what patients think of their physician's work by visiting our discussion forum or viewing hair loss blogs created by patients. View our standards for recommending hair transplant surgeons.

    Find an excellent hair restoration physician in your area.

    Send a Virtual Consult

    This online feature enables you to fill out a hair loss questionnaire and email it to any of the quality hair loss doctors recommended on this site. You can even attach your photos. They will then respond to your questions and concerns.

    Click here, to send a Virtual Consult.

    Suggest a physician for recommendation on this site.

    We are always interested in learning about outstanding hair restoration physicians. Click below to suggest an outstanding physician for recommendation on this site.
    Click here if you are with a hair restoration clinic.
    Click here if you are a hair transplant patient.