Are you thinking about undergoing a hair restoration treatment of some kind? Looking to restore your hair to its former glory? If so, you’ve got a number of options available, all of which provide something a little different in the way of benefits.
Below, we’ll discuss and compare modern hair restoration procedures in Chicago and Glenview, Illinois. Some of these treatments are designed to preserve existing hair while others are designed to grow hair which has already been lost. [Read more…]
Do you suffer from male pattern baldness? Do you miss the way that your hair used to look? Balding can have deep psychological effects on the affected, causing them reduced self-esteem, and an overall sense of uneasiness.
Fortunately, these days, there are remedies available. Some of these remedies are very effective, and some of them are hit-or-miss. Without a doubt, the most effective remedy available is the hair transplant surgery.
Here are 5 benefits of a hair transplant in Chicago, Illinois and the surrounding suburbs. [Read more…]
Everyone loses hair, every day. In fact, people lose on average 50 to 100 hairs a day. This shedding of hair commonly occurs in the shower, playing with it, or when we brush it. This is normal, and just our hair follicles going through regrowth cycles. On average, a person’s scalp has approximately 100,000 hair follicles. The saying “out with the old, in with the new” applies here, as hair falls out, and there will be new hair follicles that grow in place over a 2-5-year period. Once this rate of growth stops, usually after three months, the hair strand falls out of the follicle, and a new hair strand grows back in place.
Whether your hair loss is temporary or permanent, a condition also known as alopecia, can depend on a variety of factors, such as genetics, hormone levels, overall health, nutrition, and even stress and certain medications. Most people have slower hair growth as they age, due to the body’s overall growth and rejuvenation processes slowing down. Your hair loss may be just the normal cycle, or may be permanent due to certain conditions that cause your hair follicles to fall out and new ones to not grow in their place.
However, just because you are experiencing hair loss doesn’t mean you need to jump up and schedule a hair transplant. While it is one of the most common treatments for helping those who suffer from hair loss, it is a big decision to make, and should only be made after a consultation with a hair restoration specialist. While hair transplants do help give people with hair loss a new-found confidence, there are also a handful of effective non-surgical hair growth treatments available that can help stop and even reverse hair loss. One of the most common hair health treatments is through the use of a supplement called Biotin. So what exactly is Biotin, and most importantly, will it help restore hair loss?
Biotin, also known as Vitamin B7, is a water-soluble vitamin (formerly known as vitamin H or coenzyme R). Biotin has multiple benefits, most commonly known for being able to keep our skin, hair, and nails healthy and strong.
The word Biotin traces back to ancient Greek language, and comes from the word “biotos,” meaning life or sustenance. In other words, as a B vitamin, Biotin helps normalize and regulate the body’s blood sugar levels, but is commonly consumed to strengthen a person’s hair and nails, as well as helping the body convert food into energy, as well as keeping your skin, eyes, liver, and nervous system healthy. Biotin is also a crucial nutrient for women during pregnancy, as it’s important for embryonic growth, and the birth of healthy babies.
Some people have a biotin deficiency for a variety of reasons. While the symptoms of biotin deficiency include tiredness, confusion, numbness in fingers and toes, rashes, and depression, the most commonly recognized sign is hair loss. Most people get Biotin from eating a healthy diet, but today, there are vitamin supplements, and even little biotin pills that people can take.
As mentioned before, Biotin is an essential nutrient for healthy hair. If someone has a deficiency of this vitamin, hair can suffer in appearance, texture, and strength, causing it to fall out more than usual. Along with Biotin, our hair is made up of keratin. Biotin and keratin are both a crucial component of healthy skin cells. Along with healthy skin cells, this means hair follicles as well. Weak or unhealthy hair follicles result in the inability to retain hair, which leads to hair loss.
Unfortunately, hair follicles do get weaker and hair loss increases over time. Not only that, but the follicles’ ability to regrow and retain new hair diminishes. Therefore, taking Biotin supplements, along with eating a diet full of vitamin B, can help with the following:
So, to answer the question, a Biotin supplement can give a person combating hair loss the ability to grow stronger hair. The average diet simply does not provide this desired level of nutrients, and that’s where supplements bridge the gap between what we get and what we need. Taking Biotin will not necessarily grow people a full head of hair again, but those who consume Biotin supplements or a diet that contains high levels of vitamin B, can help to renew and grow new, stronger hair follicles at the roots, resulting in their hair becoming thicker and most importantly, healthier.
In addition to professionally designed biotin supplements, there are also specialized shampoos that contain an enriching amount of biotin and keratin, to bathe the scalp in nutrients.
To learn more about Biotin, and how it can help with hair loss, call MAXiM Hair Restoration has locations in New York, Long Island, Connecticut, Chicago, Dallas, and the Washington, DC area. Contact MAXiM today for a consultation.
The world of hair restoration can be a confusing place with all types of different terminology. Therefore, we are here to help tackle some of this confusion. For those suffering from hair loss, it can be a confidence killer, and cause stress amongst other things. Some people say hair just grows back, but for those suffering from patterned baldness or conditions such as alopecia, meaning no hair can grow, there are treatments out there that can restore someone’s hair, allowing them to have confidence, and not hide who they truly are anymore.
There are hair transplants, hair plugs, wigs or hair attachments, among other hair treatments. Each may have some similarities or are completely different and serve different purposes. The word “implant” means to insert or fix in a person’s body, especially by surgery. A hair implant is just that. It is a piece of material that is inserted into the scalp or attached in some way. Like the name sounds, a hair implant is placed or implanted into an individual’s scalp. However, with advanced hair transplant procedures, the idea of artificial hair implants is becoming old hat, so to speak.
Today, a hair implant and transplant mean the same thing. It is also called hair grafting or hair transplant surgery. Hair transplant involves the “implantation” of hair from a donor site, where hair follicles are typically gathered from the back and sides of the head. These healthy growing hairs are resistant to the DHT (Dihydrotestosterone) your body typically produces towards the top of your head. DHT is a powerful androgen hormone that builds up and inhibits new hair growth, causing thinning and baldness for many men.
At MAXIM Hair Restoration, for men or women who desire a fuller head of hair, we mainly perform two types of hair transplant procedures – Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) and Follicular Unit Transfer (FUT).
During FUE, hair follicles are transferred to the site of baldness or hair loss from the back of the head (donor site) one at a time. This is a lengthier procedure, but the results are a remarkably natural and healthy head of hair. Compared to FUT, there is no possibility of visible scarring, and you can return to your usual work the next day.
During Follicular Unit Transfer (FUT), hair is collected and transplanted from the donor site, but instead of the hairs being done one follicle at a time, this procedure uses a strip of hair called a donor strip that contains thousands of hair follicles. Each strip is then transplanted into the area that needs it. While there is some scarring with this procedure, it is often minimal and covered when the donor area grows back in. FUT can also cover a larger area in less time, making it a desirable approach.
To learn more about the hair implant procedure, Contact MAXiM today for a consultation. We also offer less invasive procedures such as PRP treatment and laser therapy, but transplants are the gold standard for regaining a healthy full head of hair.
Suffering from alopecia, known as male or female pattern baldness? Do you want to try a non-surgical method, one that will leave you with more natural looking hair, that will help you regain your confidence, and have you feeling your best self again?
Losing your hair can be devastating and an emotional experience for someone in many ways. Losing your hair, whether it is due to a condition such as cancer, genetics, or aging, causes many people to experience physical and mental (psychological) stress, making them feel less confident, and lowering their self-esteem.
As appearance is a big part of today’s society, it is understandable how something like losing your hair could make you feel so bad, and totally disrupt your daily life. However, it is true, that many people are unaware of the many services, treatment options, and hair systems available to them. Hair system, meaning a certain portion of your hair created to replace your missing hair. This is a procedure called hair replacement, and it can solve your problems with balding or thinning hair.
However, don’t confuse a hair replacement with a hair transplant. A hair transplant is a surgical procedure that involves taking hair from one part of the scalp, called a donor site, and transplanting it to the places where the hair is thinning or bald. A hair replacement uses real human hair. It is a membrane that will be applied to the scalp filled with natural hair. This hair can be blended along with your remaining natural hair. With that, the hair on the membrane will be blended in terms of thickness and color, forming a full head of hair. But, this is not like a wig or toupee, and aims to look like a natural head of hair.
While there are multiple procedures out there that could help, a hair replacement looks and feels natural like your own hair, and is created based on a person’s desires and lifestyle. Baldness, medical issues, and hair loss due to chemotherapy, and other factors can be fixed with the help of hair replacement system technology. You can choose any color, style, texture, and length. Due to its versatility, this hair replacement procedure has become increasingly popular.
To learn more about hair replacement and your other available options, call MAXiM Hair Restoration has locations in New York, Long Island, Connecticut, Chicago, Dallas, and the Washington, DC area. Contact MAXiM today to find out if you are a candidate for this procedure.
For both men and women who are experiencing baldness or hair loss, it’s good to know that you have options available to retain or maintain a certain aesthetic look. From medications and tonics to treatment procedures, there are a lot of options available for hair restoration. Many people get confused about the difference between hair plugs and hair transplants, as learning medical terminology can often be confusing when there are similar sounding treatments.
Hair plugs are a form of hair transplant, which many people may not have known until now. Hair transplant technology has come a long way to help restore people’s confidence and self-esteem. In the 1950s hair plugs were first used instead of follicular unit strip surgery (FUS), which started to gain traction in the 1990s. While hair plugs are a bit outdated, they are still used today.
Hair plugs refer to the grouping of hairs that would be inserted into the scalp. In other words, hair plugs are round grafts of hair inserted into the scalp. The number of hair plugs used depends on the person’s specific case, mostly, how much hair loss is there (baldness), and what color the hair is. For the hair plug procedure, there is a strip, mini, micro, slit, and punch graft. The plugs all differ by the shape and number of hair follicles they consist of. Often times, the hair plugs look and behave like real hair does, but sometimes if not done properly it can look fake, and unnatural, due to the way the hair grows. In other words, the newly transplanted hair does not always mimic the natural growth of our hair and the fact that you have plugs can begin to look quite obvious.
Today, modern hair restoration and transplantation has evolved to Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE), which is a hair transplant technology that aims to give balding people with hair loss the most natural looking hair possible. During the FUE procedure, hair grafts consisting of a small number of hair follicles, are removed from donor sites, from other areas of your body, and transplanted to the balding areas of your head. This is your real hair, not some artificial plug that you have to worry about looking fake.
To learn more about hair plugs and hair transplants, MAXiM Hair Restoration has locations in New York, Long Island, Connecticut, Chicago, Dallas, and the Washington, DC area. Contact MAXiM today for a consultation.
One of the most common questions we get at Maxim Hair Restoration is “Am I a good candidate for hair transplant surgery?” Well, there are definitely a number of factors that help determine a patient’s candidacy, such as overall health, hair and scalp color, number of hair follicles, shape and thickness of your hair, and even the flexibility of your scalp.
Unfortunately, none of us as humans are perfect, and we tend to take our youth and health for granted sometimes. Most of us assume that we are invincible, that we would never get sick, and in this case, that we will never lose our hair; and that those of us with thick full heads of hair think it will stay that way for the rest of our lives.
The truth is, many people will experience hair loss due to a variety of factors, whether from genetics, aging, hormones, or other lifestyle factors, during their lifetime. Research shows that an estimated 30 million women and as many as 50 million men will experience hair loss. For men, it is called male-patterned baldness (MPB). Women can also experience patterned baldness, but it is more common among men.
Fortunately, we are always looking towards new technological and scientific advances in the medical field, including for hair loss. These medical advancements have given people suffering from severe hair loss (alopecia), especially genetic hair loss, new found hope, especially with the advent of hair transplant surgery. Hair transplant surgery restores lost hair, allowing people to regain their youthful appearance, confidence, and not feel embarrassed or ashamed anymore to show who they truly are.
Donor hair density is one of the important factors a doctor will examine and consider when making their decision, if you are a good hair transplant candidate. The density is measured by how many follicular units (FU´s) there are per cm². FU´s are natural groupings of hairs. Doing a physical examination is needed for the physician to determine if you are a candidate for hair transplant surgery. Using magnified images of a patient’s donor hair, a physician can determine the number of fine and miniaturized donor hairs available. Patients with 25 percent or more of their donor hair in miniaturized form are great candidates for hair transplantation.
Therefore, the higher the number of miniaturized hairs present in the donor area, the more a person is a candidate for a hair transplant. As well, the less contrast there is between hair and scalp color, the better a candidate you will be for a hair transplant, as there will be increased potential for better coverage, decreasing your chance that the procedure will fail.
To find out if hair transplant surgery is right for you, there are a number of factors that influence your candidacy. You and your physician will set up a consultation to examine you, and determine your best options. Your physician will explain the pros and cons of the different treatment options available, and you will be able to ask as many questions as you want, in order to gain a clear understanding of the hair transplant procedure. This will help you and your consulting physician make the appropriate determination of what is best for your specific situation, as everyone is different.
During the hair transplant consultation, the doctor will determine if you are a candidate for the hair transplant procedure, by checking the thickness of your hair (density), specifically of the donor hair and the softness (laxity) of the scalp. When an individual has high donor density, the hair follicles, where the hair comes out from, or follicular units, signifies that it usually contains multiple hairs. Low donor density means they your follicular units usually contains only one hair. If it turns out that the individual has a very loose or soft scalp, if they are a candidate for the transplant procedure, a larger donor strip of hair can be removed, whereas, someone with a tighter scalp, means only a thin donor strip will be possible to remove.
If it is determined that you are a good candidate for a hair transplant procedure, a plan is constructed with the goal of achieving the best possible hair restoration for you, taking into account balding pattern, how much donor hair is available, etc. The plan may call for one or several hair transplant surgeries, as everyone is different.
Around for over 60 years, hair transplantation surgery has been helping people suffering from hair loss to regain confidence and self-esteem. Traditional hair transplantation, also known as Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT), involves removing a narrow strip of hair from another area of the head called a donor site, commonly the back of the head; then, transplanting these hair follicles onto the areas where the hair is balding or thinning.
The hormone Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is responsible for why people progressively lose their hair. During a hair transplant, the hair follicles taken from the donor site are resistant to the DHT hormone, and therefore, when transplanted into the desired area, these follicles will continue to grow naturally, and not fall out.
The hair transplant procedure is typically performed under local anesthesia, making it a fairly simple outpatient procedure. Depending on the extent of hair loss, and the amount of grafts that were transplanted, the procedure can take anywhere from four to eight hours. There may be swelling and bleeding after the procedure, and patients may experience inflammation around the new hair follicles growing in, that can be controlled with medication and cold compresses.
To learn if you are a candidate for a hair transplant, Contact MAXiM today for a consultation.
“Ugly is a field without grass, a plant without leaves, or a head without hair.” – Ovid, The Silent Woman
For many people who become bald or experience hair loss, this quote rings true, as this is how they feel about themselves. Self-esteem is defined as a person’s overall subjective emotional evaluation of their own worth. In other words, self-esteem is what we believe about ourselves, accompanied by an emotional state such as pride or shame. Self-esteem can be high or low, depending on various factors physiologically and psychologically.
For those with alopecia, a condition resulting in hair loss/baldness, self-esteem plays a huge role. People who experience hair loss, whether a man or woman, usually have a lower self-esteem, as the emotional aspects of losing hair or living with hair loss can be challenging and hard to cope with.
Nobody wants to lose their hair. The discovery of hair loss is in fact a stressful experience for both men and women, but considerably more distressing for a woman. Throughout the course of history, evidence has shown, that attitudes towards baldness and hair loss have been overwhelmingly negative. Therefore, living with a condition such as alopecia can be difficult in a culture where they view hair as a symbol of youthfulness and good health.
Hair loss affects more than 50 million Americans, with 20 percent of them being women. Everyone loses their hair, it happens while taking a shower, when you brush it, and even when you play with it. You look down at your brush, and see it all right there. On average, a person’s scalp has approximately 100,000 hair follicles. This is where the strand of hair grows out of, and these follicles are located just below the skin’s surface. It is normal that on average, a person will lose fifty to one hundred hairs a day.
Hair loss can be temporary, but in many unfortunate cases it can be permanent. Whether your hair loss is temporary or permanent depends on a variety of factors, such as genetics, hormone levels, overall health, nutrition, and natural aging. Hair loss can also be due to certain medications (like birth control), hormone imbalances, chemotherapy, stress, skin problems, and other reasons. Many aspects of our lifestyle from what we eat to how we treat our hair affect the strength of hair fibers.
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, genetic hair loss (known as androgenetic alopecia) is the most common cause of hair loss. The gene can be inherited from either your mother or father’s side of the family, though you’re more likely to have it if both of your parents had hair loss.
Indeed, genetics plays a very big role in hair loss, and close to that are the basics such as good health, balanced diet, hair maintenance, and hormone levels. It is true that most people have slower hair growth as they age, due to the body’s overall growth and rejuvenation slowing down. In fact, some men with a family history of hair loss, can start losing their hair before they are 21, and start balding by 25 years of age.
Hair is an important element of physical attractiveness, and a means of expressing individuality. Hair loss affects a person’s individual feelings of how attractive they look. For women, it is especially hard to live in a society that places youthful appearance and attractiveness on a high pedestal. Women are known for spending a lot of time and money grooming, dyeing, and styling their hair to make it look its best. So, when they begin to lose their hair, it is extremely traumatic, and all confidence is lost.
Hair loss often results in depression and anxiety. In a world or place where people are obsessed with always looking their best, and caring what other people think is the norm, research shows that people who have alopecia have higher levels of anxiety and depression, and believe that they cannot do anything to help the issue.
People who experience hair loss, both men and women, have a tendency to camouflage or hide their hair loss or bald spots. A natural reaction to avoid feeling ridiculed or being teased by others.
Hair is like a trademark, and one of the first features that people notice about you. Those affected by hair loss become aware of how important hair is in a social setting, and may find a way to avoid social settings and even work. Hair loss may cause someone to limit social activities, even avoid seeing friends and stop going out except to work.
If you are a person who is experiencing some type of hair loss, there are things that can be done to raise self-esteem and confidence. Exercising, eating a healthy diet, or wearing a fun wig are all things that can be done to make yourself or someone you know suffering from alopecia feel better psychologically and aesthetically.
Remember that hair loss treatments are available. It is more than just being about your physical appearance; it’s all about your psychological and emotional well-being.
If hair loss is negatively affecting the way you feel about yourself, and how you live your daily life, you have options, and it is okay to reach out for help! Hair loss treatment can restore your self-confidence, and improve your self-esteem, so you can be the best you.
To learn more about how baldness and hair loss can affect your self-esteem, MAXiM Hair Restoration has locations in New York, Long Island, Connecticut, Chicago, Dallas, and the Washington, DC area. Contact MAXiM today for a consultation.
It should go without saying that patients should do everything within their power to ensure they avoid a bad hair transplant in the first place [Read more…]