Hair Loss Archives - Dr. Tim R. Love

NeoGraft vs. Strip Method: Which Hair Transplant Method is Better?

NeoGraft vs. Strip Method: What is the best hair transplant procedure?

Thinning hair and hair loss affect millions of people, regardless of age or sex. Thinning hair and premature balding, which is heavily influenced by genetic and hereditary characteristics, can lead to low self-esteem and self-confidence. However, hair loss does not have to be permanent, and, in many cases, can even be reversed.
Technological advancements in the areas of hair transplant and restoration offer an alternative to the embarrassment of early hair loss. Two of the most common methods for hair transplants are the traditional strip harvesting technique and the newer NeoGraft® technique. But which is the best hair transplant procedure?

The Different METHODS of hair replacement

Strip method: The traditional strip harvesting technique, known as Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT), involves removing the follicular units from the donor area as one group. The strip method allows the follicular units to be extracted intact, in their genetic form. Each follicular unit contains 1 to 4 hairs (the average is 2.2 hairs per follicular unit). The strip method requires expert surgical skill so the patient will achieve the best result while causing the least trauma to the donor site. It also allows healthy hair to harvest faster.
NeoGraft® method: The newer NeoGraft® method automates the Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) procedure. The NeoGraft® method takes the hair out from the donor area with a cookie-cutter looking punch knife that has a diameter of approximately 1mm. This tool is inserted around one hair or a group of hairs known as a follicular unit. The tool makes a short, quick, rotational spin on the scalp to extract the hair follicle. This is done blindly, since the surgeon cannot see the root of the hair while inserting the tool into the scalp.

PROVEN Hair transplant procedures VS. NEW AND TRENDY

Strip method of hair transplants:

The strip method has a proven track record of success and provides natural looking permanent results.
NeoGraft® method: The NeoGraft® method is a newer and less proven procedure, often with increased surgical time, lower precision, and a higher cost to the patient.

AFFORDABILITY of the strip method of hair transplants

Strip method hair transplant costs: On average, the strip method cost $4 per graft.
NeoGraft® method hair transplant costs: On average, the cost is $4-6 per graft.
The average patient requires approximately 1,500 grafts.

Hair GRAFT QUALITY

Strip method hair transplant quality: Since the hair strip is taken out in a surgical suite with a well-positioned and visible surgical field and magnification, the strip method creates quality grafts with the best viability. This allows the surgeon to precisely remove the necessary follicles intact, which avoids trauma and the likelihood of cutting across and destroying hair follicles.
NeoGraft® method hair transplant quality: Graft quality is not as good compared to the strip method because the surgeon assumes that the direction of the punch knife and the hair shaft are the same and that the knife will not cut the hair across and damage it. The hair’s roots may change direction slightly as they are buried in the skin so the chance of cutting across the roots while taking them out is increased.

HAIR SELECTION

Strip method hair selection: The strip method makes it possible to choose the best donor hair. By taking out donor hair from the back of the head, which never grows completely bald in most people, the donor hair is resistant to the damaging effects of testosterone. The testosterone hormone is responsible for genetic hair loss. This healthy donor hair doesn’t care about its new location and stays in place since their genetic material makes them more resistant to hair loss.
NeoGraft® method hair selection: Donor hair is often taken from the broader section of the skull, and theoretically, even elsewhere on the body. Variety does not translate into quality since randomly chosen hair is not necessarily more resistant to hair loss.

POST Hair Transplant SURGERY HAIR STYLE

Strip method : While it takes a few days for the incision at the donor site to heal, the surrounding hair is not affected by the strip method. No haircut or change in styling is needed.
NeoGraft® method: In large hair transplant sessions, the entire donor area must be shaved to access the follicles. You may need to sport a new hairstyle for a while.

Visit our post about swimming after hair transplants.

Hair Transplant Procedure SCARRING

Strip method scarring: The small linear incision resulting from the harvesting is usually covered by your hair. During subsequent procedures, the first scar is completely removed. With the strip method, the patient is left with only one incision, regardless of the number of procedures.
NeoGraft® method scarring: If the first NeoGraft® session requires 2,000 grafts, you’ll have 2,000 tiny round scars. If there are follow-up procedures this number will double, triple, and so on. With each subsequent session, the scarring with the NeoGraft® method increases. Moreover, if genetic hair loss continues or you happen to require several procedures, thousands of fine scars may become visible in the thinning donor area.

NEED HELP DECIDING which hair transplant procedure is right for you?

For more than 30 years, Dr. Tim R. Love has been on the cutting edge of hair transplant procedures for men and hair transplant procedures for women, working with some of the field’s most prominent experts and serving as a member of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery. Dr. Love provides a caring and compassionate approach to hair restoration, and is committed to delivering flattering, long-lasting, and natural-looking results. Don’t spend another day hiding your hair loss. Call us today at (405) 751-LOVE (5683) or contact us to schedule an initial consultation and find out if hair transplants are right for you.

Almost as Cool as Time Travel: How Hair Transplant Surgery Works

You’re no Marty McFly, and time travel isn’t possible—for the most part. While we certainly don’t have a special DeLorean DMC-12 hiding out in our garage, we do have a few tips to get you back to the full head of hair you sported in the past. We can’t give away all of our secrets, but here’s the low-down on how hair transplant surgery works:

What is Hair Transplant Surgery?

Hair transplantation is a surgical technique that moves hair follicles from a healthy area on your scalp to a place that is balding or struggling to grow healthy strong hair. There are a variety of techniques that can be used to complete this, although most involve harvesting the natural hair follicle units, which typically grow in clumps of 1 to 4 follicles. This method is called Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT), also known as strip harvesting; another method is called Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE), also known as the neo-graft method, in which the hair follicles are harvested individually before being placed. The FUE method is very time-consuming, however, and limits patient candidacy.

Too many acronyms? We made a video to simplify the explanation:

Let’s break down what Dr. Tim R. Love, MD is saying: essentially, we’re using your own hair to create a healthier hair pattern. We simply move some of the healthy hair you have to an area that is struggling. There’s no hair cloning because we’re not reviving dead hair follicles, and we’re definitely not able to create brand-new ones.

Hair transplant surgery can be used for the hair on your scalp, your eyebrows, your facial hair, or really any other hairy area you would like to see improved. Sometimes, balding is caused by an accident, previous surgery, or even genetic issues; whatever the reason, hair transplant surgery is typically an option. Under local anesthetic, the surgery may take a few hours to complete. Post-surgery, there will be a dressing applied to the transplant area to allow for healing. Most surgeons will recommend that you stay out of the sun and don’t start shampooing until a few days following the surgery.

Don’t panic: you may have hair fall out. The important thing is that your hair follicles do not fall out from scabbing, but instead from “shock loss.” Scabs will form from the surgery, shampooing can help fight against their formation, around the hair follicle, which may result in losing the progress. Shock loss, however, is only the hair—not the follicle—falling out following the trauma of the surgery.

Healthy new hair growth should begin three to nine months following the initial surgery. After a year post-op, you should be able to see a clear difference between your balding scalp and the new growth. You may need to follow up with medication to help prevent further loss or even a second follow-up surgery. Unfortunately, not every hair was created equally: to get a better idea of what you should expect, or to express any concerns you may have, contact us!

Early Hair Transplant Efforts Contributed to Today’s Hair Restoration Procedures

In ancient times, most men and women were probably more worried about basic survival than dealing with the onset of baldness, but still – it sure would’ve been nice if they had had access to modern hair transplants. For all we know, they may well have tried.

According to the Daily Mail, archaeologists in Peru found 1,000-year-old skulls with holes neatly drilled into them and pieces precisely removed.

Whether the surgery was to improve the graying hair on their heads or the gray matter within their craniums is still uncertain, but this primitive method does illustrate how far we’ve come to get to today’s advanced levels of care and treatment available for people seeking hair implants and transplants. There’s minimal scarring, short recovery time, and plenty of confidence to gain from restoring the natural hair.

Across the globe, ancient Egyptians were also interested in maintaining or preserving their hair. How Stuff Works explained that researchers have found papyrus recipes designed for hair care, hair restoration, hair dyes, and a variety of dark-haired wigs.

hieroglyphics — Horemheb flanked by Egyptian goddess Isis

The Roots of Modern-Day Hair Transplants

Most of our modern methods began in Germany in the early 1800s.

According to the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery, the first modern hair transplantation took place in 1822, when dermatologist Johann Dieffenbach poked holes in his arm and inserted scalp hair follicles. His published findings showed that two of the hairs died instantly, two fell out later (which he blamed on an immune system reaction), and two took root and began growing. Dieffenbach worked on similar transplants most of his career and collaborated with another early alopecia researcher, Dom Unger.

Other researchers in the 19th and early 20th centuries continued to look for cures and surgical methods like larger grafts or skin flaps.

Grafts and Transplants in the 20th Century

In the 1920s up to the 1950s, Japanese dermatologists looked into grafts and transplants. Drs. Okuda, Tamura, Sasagawa and Fujita examined ways to remove and inject hair into different parts of the patient’s body. Further experiments included replacing eyebrows, arm hair, and pubic hair.

The rest of the world was unaware of these advances until Fujita shared his findings in the 1970s. But other researchers were continuing to investigate baldness and surgical ways to prevent or reverse it.

Discovery of Donor Dominance Leads to More Refined Methods

In the 1950s, Norman Orentreich found hairs were the most successful at taking root if they were transplanted from a hair-producing area to another hair-producing area. He arrived at his conclusion – which he called donor dominance – after experiments on more than 50 volunteers with alopecia. Donor dominance explains how transplanted hair from certain areas can continue to grow in a new environment or another recipient.

More importantly, his research shattered the common belief that genetics were always the culprit. Though genetics can affect your hair’s characteristics, pattern baldness is more due to your hair follicles reacting negatively to a common male hormone called DHT.

Orentreich went on to create the punch-graft method, where, instead of larger grafted strip of skin like doctors use today, many small holes were created for the different follicles to be planted and grow.

Though this technique offered encouraging results, a scalp with many holes was certainly noticeable. Richard Shiell’s “Review of Modern Surgical Techniques” called it an unnatural “doll look” since it really could resemble a doll with individually inserted strands of hair.

Following these breakthroughs, efforts continued to refine the transplant process, including determining the optimal size, location, and number of the donor grafts. A variety of mechanical tools were even developed to improve the quality and quantity of punch-grafts, but none of these caught on.

Considering a hair transplant? Contact us to discuss your options.

Thin Hair or a Growing Problem: Female Pattern Baldness

As easy as it is to think of men when you hear the term “balding,” the sad truth is that not every hair commercial is to be believed. Although us ladies love our luscious locks, we aren’t exempt from balding patterns—no matter how much time or product we spend on making sure our hair looks perfect.

Alopecia, the clinical term for balding, is a real problem for many women.

Female pattern baldness typically begins with thinning hair, not hairline recession, and rarely leads to total hair loss. However, with one-third of women experiencing some degree of hair loss in their lifetime, it can be distressing. But what separates a few hairs on your pillow from beginning baldness?

What Alopecia Looks Like for Women

Your hair follicles typically grow a half-inch every month for about 2 to 6 years before falling out and getting replaced by new hair. On average, you’re expected to lose 50 to 125 hair follicles per day that will be replaced by new hair growth. Any loss exceeding that amount is considered to be true hair loss and typically manifests itself first in hair thinning around the crown of the scalp. The front hairline usually remains clearly distinguished in women.

Causes of Alopecia in Women

Unfortunately, female pattern baldness can be caused by a wide variety of factors that may not always be able to be diagnosed. A few potential culprits include:

Physical stress, such as a recent surgery or weight change.
Emotional stress, due to a tragedy or mental illness.
Certain medications containing high doses of Vitamin A or ones with hormones, such as birth control.

There are a few things that could potentially contribute to hair loss, including genetics, age, and diet. Based on studies, there are a few things we know that do not cause female pattern baldness.
Despite what you may have heard, these things won’t make you bald:

Frequent shampooing or brushing
Hats or wigs
Dandruff

Treatments for Alopecia in Women

Once you’re diagnosed with female pattern baldness, treatment needs to begin immediately. If left neglected, hair loss can become permanent. There are a few options, depending on what you and your doctor decide is best for your needs:

Medication is an option, although there is only one form of medication approved by the FDA to treat baldness.
Hair transplants are another option. A licensed professional (like us) will remove tiny plugs of hair from areas on your scalp where the hair is thicker and place them in the balding area to encourage regrowth.

If you’re uncertain about your hair loss or where to begin treatment, give us a call! We’re happy to help you explore your options and get back to feeling yourself!

100 Years of Hair: The History of Hair from the 1900s to Now

When you’re looking at old photographs, what’s simultaneously going to make you cringe and be a dead-giveaway to what decade it is? That’s right: it’s all about the hair. From long and luscious locks to layered bobs, the past 100 years have seen it all. Just in time for a little throwback, we’ve compiled a list of the most memorable hairstyles and what it took to achieve the look:

1920s:

The 20s had a lot to roar about: shorter skirts, shorter hair, the right to vote, and a backfire on the alcohol ban. But this iconic decade did a lot more than inspire a legendary book (and now movie) called The Great Gatsby—it started a hairvolution. Starting with Louis Brook and dancer Irene Treman, the locks were cut into clean bobs with straight bangs—vastly different from the long, curled tresses of previous times.

1940s & 50s:

Much in part to a certain film entitled Gone with the Wind, curled and half up was the defining hairstyle of the early 40s. Vivian Leigh’s Scarlett faded easily into the easy waves of Rita Hayworth’s “Old Hollywood” style. The cascading curls, often coiffed up away from the face, were an easy beauty trend that belied the work it took to get there.

1960s:

The 60s held a lot of changes in hairstyle and beauty—from the super-short bangs via Audrey Hepburn to the long locks often associated with the Hippie culture. Especially in the early 60s, when mod-inspired everything was just starting to come into trend, model Twiggy’s pixie was incredibly popular.

1970s:

At the beginning of the decade, the high-styled bouffant of Priscilla Presley was immensely popular—although tedious to recreate. For some, the pin-straight locks of Cher were easier to duplicate, although heartthrob Farah Fawcett stole the show when she arrived with feathered waves. The curled mane seemed effortless and beautiful, urging women everywhere to bug their salon stylist for a similar look.

1980s:

In the 80s, bigger was always better—and that included hair. Laura Hutton’s voluminous, wavy mane certainly rocked the boat in the early half of the decade, although Jennifer Gray wasn’t about to let you put baby in the corner with her beautiful feathered ‘do. Icons like Madonna, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Cyndi Lauper also demonstrate that volume—paired with neon and leather—could really make a statement to last for centuries.

1990s:

the FRIENDS cast — from Flickr user lucianvenutian with CC BY-SA 2.0

Do we even have to mention it? FRIENDS star Jennifer Aniston’s “Rachel” cut—face-framing layers—swept the nation off its feet and right into the hair salon. Meg Ryan’s shag was also highly imitated, although women began to grow out their fabulously short ‘dos towards the mid-to-end of the 90s—the better to use those colorful scrunchies, of course!

2000s:

So far, in this century, we’ve experienced everything from bohemian-styled waves to half-shaved rocker hairstyles in every color. A few styles were so nice we saw them twice—blunt bangs, voluminous waves, poufs reminiscent of their bouffant parent. So what does the future look like? While The Hunger Games may have you considering bright colors and glitter, we think we’ll wait until then to see.

If you’d like to get ahead of the game and get your hair back, contact us–we’d love to help!