Hair Loss Heaven

Tell Your Story: My new mantra: Baldness means the chemo's working

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 09:52:47 GMT

Quote:: When my mammogram turned up a highly suspicious mass this past May, one of my first (irrational) thoughts was, "But you don't understand! I don't have the cheekbones to pull off the Jaunty Headscarf stage!" Cheekbones or not, here I go... More (NJ.com blogs)

Hair Loss News: Thyroid Related Hair Loss: 4 Things You Should Check

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 07:50:24 GMT

Quote:: Thyroid disease related hair loss is a fairly common response in the body when hormone levels are not in balance. Frequently, it is the first symptom people notice and commonly leads them to see a doctor for an evaluation. Luckily blood tests can determine if thyroid disease might be the cause of the hair loss, however controlling and regrowing your hair might not be so straightforward... More (EmpowHer)

General Chat: International Society of Hair Restoration vs Vanity Tax

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 07:45:19 GMT

Recent press release: Quote:: The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) -- the world's leading medical authority on hair loss and hair restoration -- today issued a statement in response to the federal government's proposed tax on cosmetic surgical procedures in order to help offset the massive cost of health care reform. The ISHRS believes the 10 percent tax on cosmetic surgery, including elective cosmetic procedures such as hair transplants, would unfairly hurt a disproportionate number of working and middle-class men and women who seek help for hair loss to improve their self-esteem and their competitive edge in today's tough job market... "We know from previous research that the median income level of people undergoing hair restoration surgery is $69,700.00," said Edwin Epstein, MD, president of the ISHRS. "Clearly, it's not just the wealthiest men and women getting hair transplants, but average, hard-working people who are tired of suffering from hair loss. This type of tax is simply bad medicine and would hurt millions of people who undergo cosmetic procedures for personal and professional reasons." The ISHRS has found that the desire for more hair is still strong, even in tough economic times. In a recent online consumer survey conducted by the ISHRS, 59.8 percent of people who were asked whether they would rather have more hair, more money or more friends chose more hair. Specifically, slightly more women (64.2 percent) than men (59.1 percent) indicated they wanted more hair than more money or friends. An estimated 80 million American men and women suffer from male or female pattern hair loss. Since hair is universally viewed as a sign of youth and vitality, hair loss can cause a diminished sense of self-esteem and poor self-image that can significantly impact one's overall quality of life. Founded in 1993, the ISHRS is a non-profit medical association dedicated to the advancement of the art and science of hair restoration. With a membership of over 750 physicians worldwide, the ISHRS provides continuing medical education to physicians specializing in hair loss and restoration surgery and serves as a resource for the public on the latest medical and surgical hair restoration treatments for hair loss. For more information and to locate a physician, visit www.ishrs.org.

General Chat: NeoGraft Automated FUE HT Patient Educational Video

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 17:45:35 GMT

For those patients who are weighing the options between the benefits and limitations between the standard “Strip Method” and a “Manual FUE” procedure: The below patient educational video shows the entire procedure (in under 3 minutes) using the NeoGraft Automated FUE Hair Transplant System. http://app.talkfusion.com/fusion2/view.asp?NDMxNjY1_2835785 Fast Facts - Regarding the benefits of a NeoGraft FUE Procedure: • Capable of performing 2,000+ Graft Sessions using the same time as Strip Method • No linear scar - Hair can be worn short • No invasive cutting to the scalp or suturing • Less risk for complications • Minimal pain • A NEOGRAFT procedure is the least invasive hair transplant procedure • Less trauma to the grafts than with current "Manual FUE" - There is no squeezing or pulling with tweezers to removed the grafts - gentle suction with the NeoGraft System easily removes the grafts. • NEOGRAFT is a FDA approved hair transplant machine • NEOGRAFT is the only device that automates the procedure of hair transplantation. • NEOGRAFT is the product of ten years research and development, 1000’s of procedures have been performed in Europe with excellent results • Now available in North America • The same results can be expected when using the NeoGraft System for Body Hair Transplants. With the bulk of the Body Hair all being Single Follicular Unit Grafts, the NeoGraft System greatly improves the speed of the Harvesting while maintaining Consistent High Quality Grafts. Whether you want the “Strip Method”, “Manual FUE”, “Automated FUE with the NeoGraft System” or some combination of the group, information is your best tool to getting the best possible outcome for your hair transplant procedure. Good Luck with your information search Doug Monty NeoGraft

General Chat: Come on everybody!

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 15:46:12 GMT

Not sure I can remember the last time a woman called me 'sexy'. In fact, now I think about it, I'm not sure one ever has. I'd like to say there's always hope but at my age and with thinning hair and an expanding waistline, I suspect I'll have to wait until another life to stand any chance of hearing myself described by a woman as sexy. I reckon we're drifting off the topic here though I can't actually remember what it was (maybe hairloss affects memory?). I think we were saying how quiet this forum looks at the moment. Looks like we're the only two on it........... Cheers.

Tell Your Story: Hi All

Sat, 14 Feb 2009 08:58:45 GMT

Hello. Where abouts in France are you? I have just joined and I am in France as well. I'm younger than you and my hair is also very thin. I don't know what's causing it. I also have some problems with itchy and flaking scalp. I've tried all the products for that over the years both over-the-counter and prescribed by the doctor and none of them have been a bit of good. If anyone knows any good products then I'll be happy to listed!

General Chat: Be bald AND famous!

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:59:11 GMT

I can give you my experience, it can be not anonymous as I don't have nothing to hide. But actually my case was not unique. I started to loose hair during pregnancy and after it continued. I noticed it, but I didn't have time to care about me, I was concentrated on my child. And after some time, when I decided to find cure for me, it was too late. With help of doctors I could stop hair loss, but couldn't return my lost hair. That's why I had to agree on hair replacement and honestly it was not so easy as in advertisement, but it helped, you just need to struggle and go to your goal.

General Chat: Laser treatment for hair loss

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 21:32:54 GMT

While researching various treatments for hair loss one of the suggestions which comes up now and again is laser treatment. Having little experience of lasers - beyond what I've seen in science fiction films - I decided to look into things further. Can you really use a laser to stop hair loss or encourage new hair to grow? The first thing I discovered is that the laser technology used here isn't the kind of thing you see in Star Wars, instead it's called "Low-Level Laser Therapy" (LLLT) and is even designed for use by the general public - in other words, it's fairly harmless. Anyone wanting to try this technology at home can buy a "laser comb", with the recommend schedule being around 5-15 minutes per session for 2 or 3 days every week. Alternatively, laser therapy is offered at various clinics where the client needs to make repeat appointments (how many? I saw figures of between 25 and 50 being quoted). The basic idea behind laser therapy seems to be that the light can stimulate cellular growth, although there also other factors allegedly at play such as an increase in blood supply. As a result it is claimed that the hair you have (assuming you still have any!) will become thicker and stronger and hair you're in danger of losing may in fact decide to stick around. So, how successful is laser therapy for baldness? It's difficult to say, most sites I visited seemed intentionally vague. However, I think it's safe to say that laser therapy certainly isn't a cure for baldness and any effect it does have is small at best, and even then not something everyone is going to experience. In addition, the costs over time seemed huge for anyone booking multiple sessions at a clinic. Laser hair treatment might be worthwhile for some, but for most I think it's probably a waste of time and money. Cheers, Mac

General Chat: Dealing with a receding hairline

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:08:06 GMT

The receding hairline. The first step on the slippery slope to ridicule, social isolation and absence of self-esteem. Don't panic...I'M JOKING! Sure, the receding hairline can be the first sign that the battle to keep your curly locks is being lost on the frontline but the war is far from over. Think of the slow retreat of the forward follicles as a call to arms, an opportunity to marshal your forces and send reinforcements. OK, enough of the military analogies. Firstly, what exactly is a receding hairline? Usually seen in men from their mid-twenties onwards a receding hairline is that most often seen when hair starts to be lost from the sides of the forehead. However, hair is not always lost from the sides first, it can also recede primarily from the centre and more slowly from the sides or indeed the rate of hair loss can be fairly uniform at both the centre and the sides. What to do when you first notice that your hairline is receding? Well, don't panic. You're not going to go bald overnight. Once you've recovered from the initial shock of discovering that your hair is happier without you, you might want to consider the following options: 1. It's often overlooked, but ask yourself if your hair loss might be a sign of poor health. It's far more likely to be the onset of male pattern baldness (assuming you're a bloke) but if you have any concerns about your health seek professional advice. 2. Assuming that there's nothing wrong health-wise and your receding hairline is the first sign of a natural balding process, speak to a good barber/hairdresser about covering it up. In skilled hands a receding hairline can at the very least be made less conspicuous. 3. If the thought of mentioning your little problem is something you'd rather not do (even though it's probably fairly obvious to your barber) consider some of the following options the next time you go to get your hair cut: grow your hair a little longer on top and have it cut to fall forward, have your hair cut fairly short and sweep it back from the forehead (this won't hide the hairline but will make it look as though you've fully embraced nature's little gift), dye your hair darker to give the impression of more thickness, and finally, the shaven head - it takes some courage to begin with but makes a powerful statement if you have the confidence to carry it off. 4. Start looking into the various treatments available to halt or at least slow down the rate of hair loss, e.g. Minoxidil or one of the Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) inhibitors. Find out as much information as you can about these kind of solutions, especially with regard to their rates of effectiveness and the longer term costs involved. Finally, try to keep your spirits up. Losing your hair isn't the end of the world and above all remember this - the way you react to your hair loss is very often a huge factor in the way others respond to it too. Cheers, Mac

General Chat: How does hair grow?

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 20:00:25 GMT

To the question "How does hair grow?" you're probably thinking, "It doesn't!" and believe me, I share your point of view. However, an understanding of how hair is formed and how it grows is crucial to understanding why we lose our hair and how - potentially - we might one day be able to start growing it again. The first thing to know is that hair, which we've already seen is made from a protein called keratin, grows from a "follicle". A follicle is sometimes described as a pouch or sac and is comprised of various parts - the pear shaped "papilla" at the base, the "hair matrix" which surrounds the papilla and is where cell division takes place (a process which is mainly responsible for creating the hair itself), the "root sheath" and the "hair fiber". A sebaceous gland which produces sebum and tiny muscle fibers called "arrector pili" are attached to the follicle. So, those are the basic building blocks, how do they work together to produce a growing hair? The crucial thing to realise here is that hair doesn't just grow, it grows in phases, the main phases being anagen, catagen and telogen. Here's a quick rundown of what happens in each of these phases: Anagen - In this stage the cell division in the follicle mentioned above is taking place rapidly and this causes the hair to grow (about 10cm per year). Hair on the head (and let's face it, that's the area most of us are interested in) remains in this phase for around 2-3 years, occasionally longer - even as much as 6 years. Around 85% of hair is in this phase at any one time. Catagen - This phase is known as a transitional phase and lasts for around 2 to 3 weeks directly after the anagen phase. The hair follicle shrinks and the lower part is destroyed. Telogen - The resting phase. The hair does not grow during this period and for head hair this phase lasts about 100 days. 10-15% of hair is in this phase at any one time. When this phase is complete the anagen phase is entered once more and a new hair begins to grow, pushing out the old hair if it has not already been shed. It is normal to lose around 50-100 hairs for this reason each day. That's it, basically. Simple, isn't it?! Cheers, Mac