Category Archives: Hair Loss
The Hair Genome Test
How My Dog Kumo Confirmed My Thinking of How Hair Grows without Abrupt Angle Changes

One of my greatest passions in hair restoration is designing recipient sites. These sites dictate the pattern, direction, and density of transplanted and grafted hairs – something I feature throughout this website. At my annual hair transplant course that I direct and have done so now for 9 years, I always incorporate a lecture that […]
Bimatoprost (Latisse) for Hair Loss
I try my best to keep up with the latest and greatest in the world of hair restoration. As many of the ladies know Latisse by Allergan Inc., the makers of Botox, has been a runaway success for extending eyelashes and making them thicker and longer. Bimatoprost, the generic name for Latisse, is a prostaglandin […]
Hair Loss Products: Do They Work?
I just finished a phone consultation with a gentleman from North Carolina that prompted me to write this blog article. He saw a hair clinic chain that sold him a special product that contained minoxidil (Rogaine) along with other vitamins for several hundred dollars. He was also sold a shampoo service for $2000 for which […]
Dutasteride (Avodart) and My Current Position Statement on It
Dutasteride (Avodart) is marketed exclusively for benign prostatic hyperplasia, i.e., to reduce an enlarged prostate to improve urinary flow. However, that does not mean that it is unsafe or not recommended for hair loss since the company (GlaxoSmithKline) that manufacturers it has never sought the indication for hair loss from the Food & Drug Administration […]
Scarring Alopecias: What You Need to Know for Hair Transplantation
There are many types of scarring alopecias (scarring hair loss) like lichen planopilaris, discoid lupus erythematosis, etc. This article will not try to review all the many types of histologic (tissue) diagnoses but to explain what goes through my head as a hair-transplant surgeon when encountering various scarring alopecias for possible hair restoration. When I […]
Trichotillomania and Hair Restoration
Trichotillomania describes a condition in which an individual repeatedly pulls his or her hair out of one’s head or other body parts due to an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Sometimes trichotillomania is accompanied by ingesting the hair causing a condition of indigestible hair products in the stomach known as a trichobezoar that may require surgical excision. […]
Understanding Traction Alopecia and The Role of Hair Restoration
Traction alopecia refers to hair loss that arises from hair being pulled too tightly for too long causing permanent destruction to that hair. Most typically, this condition is caused by tight hair braiding, as seen more commonly in African-American women. Fortunately, this kind of hair loss is known as a non-scarring type of hair loss, […]
Hair Loss After Pregnancy: When and Why
I have encountered many patients who experience hair loss after pregnancy and wonder what is going on. What happens during pregnancy is that the body is sustained at a high level of estrogen. Estrogen causes the hairs to stay in a prolonged state of anagen, or growth phase. When the estrogen is reduced at the […]
Latisse for Hair Loss
A recent article in the New York Times featured the use of Latisse (bimatoprost 0.03%) for the treatment of hair loss. As many of you may know, this Allergan-produced product is indicated for use for thinning eyelashes. With the overwhelming response from my staff and patients, the product does work well. I myself just started […]
Designing a Temporal Point in Hair Restoration: Why, In Whom, and How?
The temporal point has become a much-vaulted point of discussion in many of the recent International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) meetings. When discussing the temporal point, the conversation is reserved here for men, as women typically do not have a pronounced temporal point (but still have one to a lesser effect). A strong […]
Persistent Sexual Dysfunction with Finasteride: A New Study
What has been making rounds on the Internet this past week is a shocking report in the Journal of Sexual Medicine that states that finasteride (marketed as Propecia) for hair loss can cause permanent impotence and related sexual problems. Merck, the manufacturer of the product, has reported between 3 to 8% incidence of sexual side […]
What Hair Loss Products Actually Work?
Fortunately, today there are medical solutions to manage male pattern baldness, which if started earlier can afford better results. The Internet is filled with hawkers of miracle cures, but there are only two FDA-approved products, finasteride (marketed as Propecia) and minoxidil (marketed as Rogaine) that have proven efficacy. First, we must understand how we lose […]
Recognizing Fake Hairlines in Hair Transplants
Scientists Identify A Possible Cure For Baldness
Reportedly, scientists at the University of California Los Angeles and the Veterans Administration accidentally found a possible cure for baldness when they were evaluating the effects of stress on the gastrointestinal tract. They found that a chemical compound could generate hair growth when a stress hormone associated with hair loss was blocked. Million Mugata, adjunct […]