You are here: Home » Cosmetic Issues » Hair Loss Basics

Hair Loss Basics

By Jon Ellowitz | Published on August 25, 2009 | 0 Comments

What is hair loss?

It’s a big issue with men (half of American men experience hair loss), and it can also be a big issue with women – maybe even bigger, you could argue, because women aren’t popularly thought to experience hair loss.

The aging process: it’s one of the key causes of hair loss – at least in men. But with men heredity is a big player, too. It’s not exactly true (scientifically) that a man will inherit his maternal grandfather’s hair condition. But hair loss somewhere in the family can be a good sign of what’s to come.

For women, hormonal changes can cause hair loss.

Other hair loss causes include the following:  Thinning of the hair; alopecia areata (when the immune system attacks hair follicles); and scarring alopecia (when the hair follicles burn out and poof disappear).

What are hair loss treatments?

A number of surgical procedures can restore hair where it no longer exists, or where it is markedly thinner than other parts of the scalp.

What’s called a scalp flap is a popular option to treat male pattern baldness.

But there’s a new alternative to the clumpy transplantation procedures of the (fairly recent) past: it’s called micro hair transplantation, and it basically restores hair to the bald scalp much in the same way as large plugs. What’s different is that instead of those bulky transplants, micro hair transplantation takes individual micro-grafts of hair – literally single hair follicles, one by one – and transplants them in the bald scalp.

You can also get a scalp reduction, which involves the surgical removal of hairless scalp, followed by the pulling together and stretching of scalp that is rich with hair growth.

With scalp expansion, expanders filled with a saline solution are placed under the scalp. The saline expands the tissue. Stretched-out scalp tissue can make it easier for a surgeon to later perform scalp reduction.

If you’re looking for a more minor, or modest, addition of hair to bald places, you can benefit from punch-grafts, mini-grafts, micro-grafts, slit-grafts, and strip-grafts. But if you’re looking for a more significant, fuller treatment to baldness, you may want to consider flaps, tissue-expansion, or scalp reduction.

Micro skin grafts are the most popular treatment because their results look most natural and it’s virtually impossible for others to notice them. This is because, as noted above, they involve grafting single follicles at a time.

And, yes, the cost. It’s quite a range — from $3,000 to $15,000. Depending on the treatment you choose, of course.

Who would want to go through with this?

It’s pretty easy to understand how and why men feel self-conscious when they lose their hair. Hair is a symbol of virility and youth. So imagine how women feel when they experience hair loss!

Plenty of men (and women, too) are unfazed by their hair loss. Believe it or not, but many men actually derive confidence from baldness because they are proud of the aging process. Go figure.

Nonetheless, hair loss treatments are certainly sought after: The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery found that in 2008 surgeons performed 18,062 hair transplants.

The pros and cons:

A few pros and cons:

• Hair loss treatment can result in a boost in self-esteem.
• But no surgery can be expected to be perfect, and hair transplants are no exception. Numbness can persist in the donor and recipient areas of the scalp. It’s usually expected to go away in three months, but it can remain for six months to a year.
• The skin on the scalp could discolor.
• Some patients don’t even have enough hair to donate to their own bald scalps.
• And hair restoration procedures and drugs aren’t covered by insurance.

The bottom line:

There are many different types of hair loss treatments designed for men and women. The cost can be pretty high, and each procedure comes with its own list of risks. But it just might be the way to get back that youthful sense of confidence.

*Disclaimer: The information on this website is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.

What People Are Saying.