IS IT MALE PATTERN BALDNESS, OR IS IT STRESS?

When you notice extra hairs on your pillow or hairbrush, you may be wondering if it’s stress-related or if you’re starting to see the effects of male pattern baldness. If you’re used to running your hand through a thick layer of locks, it may surprise you to find thinning hairlines or limp strands with less life and volume. Here are some ideas to help you find out the likely cause of your hair loss or thinning hair on the scalp.

Stages of Hair Growth

To understand more about hair that’s falling out, it’s helpful to learn the process of how hair grows. For both men and women, hair grows in three main stages. The first phase, called anagen, is the process where the hair actually grows from follicles on your head. This is the longest phase, lasting for years at a time. The next phase, catagen, is a brief period when hair transitions from its growth stage to the next part of the process called telogen. In the telogen or resting phase, hair stops growing and just rests on your head.   

Stress-Related Hair Loss

When hair loss happens due to stress, it occurs during the last stage of hair growth, which is why the condition is referred to as telogen effluvium. Extended periods of stressful activity, such as a demanding job or traumatic events, such as an accident, can cause telogen effluvium or the thinning and loss of hair due to increased cortisol levels (stress hormone).

Stress causes a disruption in the hair growth cycle, when a higher percentage of your hairs enter the telogen phase at the same time, making more of your hair susceptible to falling out. Telltale signs of telogen effluvium (stress-related hair loss) include a noticeable difference in the amount of hair coming out when you comb your hair, more hairs in the shower drain or on the bathroom floor, and more hairs littering your pillow in the morning when you get out of bed. 

How To Treat Stress-Related Hair Loss

The best way to treat telogen effluvium is to make lifestyle improvements, develop strong coping mechanisms, and eliminate unnecessary stressors. And here’s the really good news: Your hair can grow back. Stress-related hair loss often resolves on its own after you manage the stress-causing elements in your life. Healing after major surgery or an accident takes time, and you may not even notice hair loss until a few months after the incident. Finding ways to de-stress on the job or, amid a challenging time in your life, are key to restoring your hair to its normal fullness. 

There are plenty of ways to deal with stress, including managing your diet and exercising. Talk to your health care provider about ideas to change your routine or manage how you internalize daily stressors. Find what works best for you, whether it’s a calming sunset walk, breathing exercises designed to refocus your attitude, or enjoying a hobby more often. 

Male Pattern Baldness

Unlike hair loss caused by stress, male pattern baldness, or androgenic alopecia, happens slowly and appears in specific places on the scalp. If you notice your hair thinning at the temples or on the top of your head, it’s likely male pattern baldness affecting your hair growth. 

Androgenic alopecia can begin as early as your teenage years, with your chances of developing this condition increasing as you age. Male pattern baldness is also linked to genetics. When other family members have it, you’re more at risk for the hereditary condition. Androgenic alopecia is also affected by the male sex hormone dihydrotestosterone, a metabolite of testosterone. Men with higher levels of this hormone produce thinner and shorter hairs and the hair loses its signaling function. Once these hairs die off, they do not grow back. 

Ways To Treat Male Pattern Baldness

Hair restoration professionals offer a range of treatment options to deal with male pattern baldness. Both surgical and non-surgical procedures can help you regain lost hair or encourage your own hair production by stimulating key cellular responses. You can also combine methods, thus creating your own hybrid treatment plan for hair transplants and regenerative processes. Here are the main methods hair restoration professionals use:

Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)

The FUE treatment is a hair transplant that grafts a single follicular unit at a time from the donor area to a pre-arranged part of your scalp. The procedure lasts between six to eight hours and you can rest, talk, text, or watch something for entertainment while under local anesthesia for the FUE. 

Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT)

A follicular unit transplant takes more follicles at a time than the FUE from a donor area on the back of the head. After removing the donor hair and tissue, your doctor separates the hairs into individual or small groups of follicles to complete your hair transplant to balding and thinning areas. 

Collagen Induction Therapy

This quick procedure involves using micro-needles to increase collagen production in the scalp. Using a topical anesthetic, your doctor then performs the micro-needling process on your scalp to encourage new hair growth through collagen and platelet response. Collagen induction therapy can result in fuller and more hair growth. 

MAXIM PDO Threading

This non-surgical procedure uses dissolving polydioxanone sutures to oxygenate the scalp, regenerating blood flow to reinvigorate hair production in balding and thinning areas. The PDO method encourages the body to form new blood vessels in the scalp, supports the regeneration of collagen, and helps trigger your body’s continual platelet response, resulting in six or more months of new hair growth.

3D Scalp Micropigmentation (SMP)

An SMP procedure requires two sessions where doctors use micro-needles to implant pigmentation directly into the scalp. The micro-needling used in this process replicates hair follicles through a stroke method to give the appearance of hair through a relatively simple procedure. 

Stress-Related Hair Loss vs. Male Pattern Baldness

Stress-related hair loss and male pattern baldness differ in their effects and treatment. When hair loss is stress-related, you can often see a complete reversal after lowering stress levels or making lifestyle changes. Male pattern baldness typically leads to complete baldness after a slow thinning process. If you’re trying to determine the reason behind your hair loss, pay attention to little signs, such as the amount of hair you lose in a period of time or the area where your hair thins. Concerned about thinning hair and possible male pattern baldness? Talk to our team of experts at one of the many MAXIM Hair Restoration locations close to you. 

WTF IS IN MY HAIR? THE REAL IMPACT OF DHT

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a genetic predisposition to hair loss that occurs after puberty. Essentially, your hair is damaged by your body’s reaction to androgen over-sensitivity.  The body’s reactions are inappropriate and lead to various malfunctions and, ultimately, the death of your beloved hair. While most people with male pattern baldness are familiar with the abbreviation DHT, very few are aware of how it actually impacts your hair and what options can help slow or even reverse hair loss. DHT stands for dihydrotestosterone, which is an androgen and metabolite of the male sex hormone testosterone. This may be confusing if you consider that over 30% of women experience hair loss secondary to androgenetic alopecia, but unfortunately, AGA does not discriminate. Now, let’s take a closer look at WTF DHT is doing to your hair and a common misguided treatment approach for hair loss.

WTF is DHT?

Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is the most potent of the androgens. It’s considered a pure androgen due to its inability to aromatize. That means that, unlike testosterone and other androgens, it does not convert into estrogen. DHT is an important sex hormone that plays an essential role in the sexual development of male genitalia. Even into adulthood, DHT plays a major role in prostate function, body hair, facial hair, and, unfortunately…male and female pattern baldness. If you are a woman reading this, even though DHT can impact your hair too, it doesn’t play a significant role in your overall body function and development. In addition to DHT being unable to aromatize, it also has a long half-life, it is slow to dissolve, and aggressively adheres to androgen receptor sites. Unfortunately for those with the genetic pattern of hair loss, this means it will progressively damage your hair faster than your body can disassociate with the hormone.

So WTF is DHT Doing to Your Follicles?

As unfortunate as pattern loss is, the process by which DHT destroys your crowning glory is fascinating. It’s also extremely intricate and most health care providers do not properly educate patients as to what is occurring inside of their scalp, opting instead to take one-track approaches to treatment. Of course, a complex problem usually requires a complex solution, and one medication or compound is not a one-size-fits-all solution.

DHT is most abundantly found in peripheral locations, such as the scalp, where it adheres to androgen receptor sites on the hair follicle and begins altering the functionality of the organs’ key components. Most importantly, it begins breaking down the dermal papilla, which is essentially the brain of your hair follicle. The dermal papilla induces hair growth and regulates hair cycles. It’s also responsible for the regeneration of the follicle and proper hair pigmentation, and it’s a significant reservoir of multipotent MSCs. Now, it’s important to understand that hair loss is a progressive issue, and the simplest explanation for why it’s progressive is due to the slow disposal of DHT once it adheres to an androgen receptor. When your hair follicle’s receptor sites are saturated, it doesn’t simply “cap” out. Instead, every time it goes through the growth cycle and begins to develop again, it tries to adapt to the androgenic needs of its environment, creating more receptor sites to uptake even more DHT. Most believe that DHT simply adheres to the hair and begins to destroy it, but the truth is that DHT does significant damage both indirectly and directly, affecting the environment and various functional mechanics of the hair organ.

Due to the genetic sensitivity to DHT, your body reads the DHT as something that doesn’t belong in the hair follicle, and it responds by triggering inflammation in an effort to dispose of it. Ultimately, this leads to chronic inflammation. Inflammation serves as a response with one of two primary functions. Function 1 focuses on migrating healing growth factors to the damaged tissue. Function 2 is an immunological response to foreign bodies that don’t belong, in which it will try to devour and remove anything it sees that is out of place. In the case of AGA, the entire environment is attacked by this inflammation, slowly causing hair loss.

Next, the inflammation and DHT both have a negative impact on the dermal papilla’s ability to properly signal growth cycles and regenerative body mechanics. This means that the growth cycle of the hair begins to shorten, and the resting phase begins to elongate. These quicker overall shifts through the cycles expose the follicles to damage because DHT is adhering to receptor sites more frequently over a shorter period of time. Eventually, the hair will stop growing altogether and the organ will begin to atrophy and die. 

Now, you’re probably thinking that it couldn’t possibly get any more intricately destructive than that, right? Well, it does. The broken signaling leads to imbalanced calcification regulators and when you throw in the chronic inflammation, it begins to cause an increase in fibrosis. Fibrosis is the formation of connective tissue in light of an injury that normally aids in healing (think of scarring). In this case, it does quite the opposite. The fibrosis and over calcification begin to harden the tissue of the scalp and crowd the environment, restricting blood flow to the scalp. If you have ever seen an older man’s bald scalp, you might have wondered why it’s leathery and ultra-thick. This is the precise reason why.

Think of it this way, in the iron ages of castle sieges, one of the most widely adopted strategies for success was to cut off the trade routes to prevent the defending soldiers from getting food and water. This is essentially what’s happening in your scalp, except it’s worse because your blood also carries oxygen to your tissue. In other words, decreased blood flow means fewer nutrients and less oxygen, which means more cellular death and a quicker decline in scalp health. To summarize this analogy, you will increasingly mourn the death of your beloved soldiers.

Well, WTF Do You Do To Treat It?

First, we start with the cause: DHT! This is ironically the most simple part of the complex process of treatment, although it’s often ignored by dermatologists, who tend to favor steroidal treatments that focus on inflammation instead. In men, you can use alpha5-reductase-inhibitors such as fin######## to block roughly 70% of DHT metabolization by inhibiting the enzyme that causes testosterone to DHT conversion. This is typically prescribed for hair loss as 1mg orally per day. In some men, if caught early enough, this can be sufficient to stop hair loss. In others, it can even reverse the miniaturization of follicles and cause the hair to grow back healthily. Since you are here reading this article, it’s probably safe to assume that you have read the flaccid and impotent horror stories of fin########. While there is validity to these stories, it is a rare occurrence in men, but we still don’t recommend taking that risk. After all, what’s the point in hair if you lose your sexual function? 

Joking aside, MAXIM formulated a topical solution with 0.01% fin########, 10% minoxidil, caffeine, biotin, and hair & skin growth peptides to combat hair loss. When you take the pill, the dosage is significantly higher than spot treatments because it passes through your liver and bloodstream twice, systemically blocking DHT conversion and a small dose would not effectively reach peripheral organs such as the hair. This is why rare sexual side effects can occur in some men, because it will systemically decrease serum DHT. However, with the topical solution, instead of 1mg pills, the compound contains just 0.01% fin########, which translates to 0.1 milligrams/ml. Yes, it’s only a fractional 10th of the drug that the oral contains per dose. You would use it twice a day, which equates to 0.2mg per day, as opposed to 1mg. Because of this, and the directional focus of the topical using liposomal technology to deliver the medication to the hair follicle, there is a dramatically lower risk of seeing a systemic decrease in serum DHT and subsequently, a significant decrease in side effects. 

Fun side note: this topical also shows to be 2% more effective at blocking the DHT conversion. Hopefully, you aren’t like I once was, too bogged down learning about patient care and medicine to notice that you lost most of your hair (which I have since restored, for the record). If you are, you will have to live with the realization that a transplant may be necessary to restore the lost hair, and fin######## alone cannot regrow what has since died and left the building. If you are somewhat early, but still have some cascading damage caused by putting off your hair loss for too long, you will need to treat the chronic remnants of DHT, such as inflammation, which can also worsen due to the fibrosis and calcification. I know…it comes full circle and keeps getting better, right? The good news is that it’s okay. Many people are still in a good stage to restore their hair without any transplant whatsoever. Others may need a small FUE and non-surgical treatments.

So let’s recap, we have identified 5 core components to DHT induced hair loss:

  1. Chronic inflammation
  2. Decreased blood flow
  3. Over calcification
  4. Over fibrosis
  5. Broken cell signaling

Let’s address the treatments accordingly:

  1. Chronic inflammation: If you have gone to a dermatologist, they are likely to try or mention the possibility of using steroidal creams or injections to treat your hair loss. Unfortunately, this is mostly due to a very basic understanding of what’s occurring beneath the surface. The reality is that many people are likely to see a noticeable result in a relatively short period of time. However, there is a caveat in which this treatment is rife with detrimental consequences. 

This is a classic case of treating a symptom, not the cause. By using steroids, you are only temporarily suspending symptoms and damage that are secondary to the cause (inflammation caused by DHT) and tertiary (damage actively caused by inflammation) instead of the root cause. Now you might wonder if you can just continue using steroids to prevent the inflammatory response, and the answer is both yes and no. You can, but it will slowly degrade your scalp, and eventually, this will induce hair death as well. 

The answer for how to treat the inflammation is simple: stay well hydrated, make sure you eat in a way that aids in the prevention of negative inflammation, and most importantly – TREAT THE CAUSE!

       2-5.) 

Decreased blood flow, over calcification, over fibrosis, and broken cell signaling: Please note that treatments for #2 also treat symptoms #3,  #4, & #5, which are caused by #1 and #5. It’s important to understand that these “symptoms” may also become a permanent issue if not treated as if they were an independent issue. Tissue perfusion is the essence of life within our bodies. Blood carries nutrients, oxygen, water, and just about every important healing factor through your body. There are several ways to improve blood flow to the scalp. The simplest method is to use a topical such as minoxidil, which effectively induces vasodilation. However, this has limitations because you will still have to deal with the inflammation, calcification, and fibrosis constricting blood flow. To really treat the decreased blood flow, I repeat, we have to treat the cause. 

The fibrosis and calcification cannot be treated through medications alone, as they will remain present even if you treat the DHT. However, it can be accomplished through collagen induction therapies where we cause calculated microtrauma to the scalp, extracting natural growth factors and healing molecules from the body for reinjection, placing dissolvable foreign bodies into the scalp, and/or extracting healing mechanics through micrografting of hair follicles. These therapies are akin to biohacking, tricking your body into producing and migrating growth factors and healing molecules to acutely heal the intentionally damaged areas. This also aids in better tissue perfusion because, you guessed it, it uses the blood vessels to transport the healing mechanisms. 

In order for your body to utilize the faltering vessels the body will recognize that it must first repair them. In other words, all of these measures induce angiogenesis and activate fibroblasts, which produce collagen and initiate positive tissue degradation, effectively breaking down fibrotic tissue in addition to the calcifications. 

Angiogenesis is the formation of new blood vessels from old vessels. Now, this doesn’t mean that it simply rebuilds the old road with some patchwork and replacement concrete. It also forms brand new bifurcations, like a multi-directional fork in the road, allowing for various paths of less resistance to allow for improved tissue perfusion.

I know that I said there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and you might have gathered that by reading subsection #2 where several treatments are mentioned. The reason for this is that many of the delivery methods and treatment options require one of the conjunctive treatments to function optimally. Subsequently, all of these areas of contention are treated during these combinative processes. 

Micrografting and mechanical dissection of the dermal papilla is the only treatment mentioned above that directly impacts the cell signaling functions. This procedure works by extracting hair follicles from your donor area, which are not responsive to DHT and typically remain in good health. After extraction, the dermal papillae from the follicles are mechanically dissected, forcing them to release hair follicle-specific growth factors while emptying its healing reservoirs into saline solution, which is reintroduced to the damaged tissue in your area of hair loss. This can aid in the dermal papilla’s ability to restore signaling.

If you’re tired of wondering WTF your hair has gone, or WTF has happened to your hair, MAXIM is here to help. At MAXIM, we offer complimentary consultations with a focus on education first. We will sit with you to discuss your goals, analyze and explain the stage of progression you are at, and provide the most appropriate clinical pathway to reach your desired goals. Please call us or chat with us online to schedule your consultation with our team of hair restoration experts.

Authored by Joseph Hart, BSN, RN

What If A Hair Transplant Fails?

hair transplant failureA hair transplant failure is incredibly rare, especially if the doctor and patient have discussed pre- and post-operative care and have evaluated the risk factors unique to the individual patient. Even so, it is helpful that a patient understands all of the potential reasons a hair transplant might fail and what can be done to correct a failure in hair transplant under the rare circumstance that this occurs.

During the actual procedure, the most common reason for the hair transplant failure of an individual follicular unit graft is desiccation, which is the result of the graft spending too much time outside of the body from the time it is excised from the donor area to the time it is transplanted into the recipient site. This is why a hair transplant surgeon will work with a team of medical professionals that includes nurses and surgical assistants, as this ensures that each and every follicular unit is viable when it is transplanted into the recipient site.

In the pre-operative stage, hair transplant doctors in New York City; Greenwich,Connecticut;Chicago, Illinois; Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia; Houston, Dallas, Texas; Manila, PhilippinesDubai, Abu Dhabi,U.A.E.; and Karachi, Pakistan, will evaluate the health of the patient’s remaining hair and its potential viability for transplantation. The doctor will then discuss the likelihood of the hair transplant procedure is a success based on the volume of healthy donor tissue available. It is unlikely that any reputable hair surgeon would proceed with a hair transplant without the availability of ample donor tissue likely to yield the results the patient is seeking.

Of course, the transplantation of donor tissue from the donor site to the recipient site causes a fair amount of stress to the follicular units being transplanted as well as some of the follicles in the surrounding areas. This is why the follicles in the recipient site are expected to fall out within a few weeks of the actual procedure, with regrowth of new follicles occurring within four months or so. In some cases, natural hair follicles located near the recipient site will also fall out due to the stress of the transplant process, but this is not permanent and regrowth can be expected along the same timeline as the transplanted follicles.

If a hair transplant fails, determining the cause of failure is a critical initial step. Once the cause has been identified, the patient can then begin the relatively straightforward process of correcting a failure in  hair transplant and addressing their thinning hair or hair loss with a permanent and natural-looking solution.

Steps to take in hair transplant failure

Obviously, no one wants to endure a situation in which a hair transplant failure occur and must be corrected. For the patient, undergoing a hair transplant procedure to address hair loss or thinning hair is supposed to be an entirely positive and exciting experience, so a failure in hair transplant can be especially demoralizing. Hair transplant surgeons feel the same way and do not wish for their patients to endure a failure of hair transplant, which is why a great deal of time and energy is devoted to the planning process so that the likelihood of a failed hair transplant is minimized to the greatest degree possible.

hair transplant clinic near you maximIn the rare instance in which a hair transplant fails, the patient should first take steps to identify the cause for the failure. Certain behaviors or health conditions could play a role in causing a hair transplant failure, but the hair transplant doctor should have discussed any potentially adverse issues with the patient during the initial consultation process. This is why it is so critical for the patient to be forthright while discussing a hair transplant procedure with the doctor.

If a hair transplant has failed, the patient should contact a reputable hair transplant surgeon or hair transplant clinic near them with the goal of determining the cause of the failure on procedure and developing a course of action for correcting the issue once and for all. Whether the transplant was performed in the past year or was performed over a decade ago, skilled hair transplant surgeons at a reputable hair transplant center in New York City; Greenwich, Connecticut;Chicago, Illinois; Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia; Houston, Dallas, Texas; Manila, Philippines; Dubai, Abu Dhabi,U.A.E.; and Karachi, Pakistan, understand how to correct a failed hair transplant and can ensure that any future procedures are successful and yield a permanent solution for the patient.

How to find a reputable hair surgeon who can correct a bad hair transplant?

It is easy to understand why a patient might be hesitant to return to the hair transplant clinic responsible for a bad hair transplant, so a patient looking to correct a bad hair transplant will have to find a new surgeon capable of correcting a bad hair transplant once and for all. A patient in need of a corrective procedure should seek out a skilled and experienced surgeon who has access to the most advanced medical technology and performs the most innovative hair transplant procedures, especially FUE and FUT.

Since there are quite a few methods available for correcting a bad hair transplant, the patient should select a hair transplant doctor with a versatile skill set and a track record of success in correcting a bad hair transplant. A good doctor should be able to provide specific examples of successful corrective procedures and should be willing to meet with the patient to discuss the different options that might be available to them.

A patient who underwent a hair transplant procedure many years ago and no longer wishes to have the unnatural look of an outdated hair plug procedure can turn to a hair transplant surgeon capable of removing the original plugs and redistributing in smaller, natural-looking groupings in the recipient site. This strategy ensures the old hair transplant is covered up and camouflaged while making optimal use of available donor tissue during the corrective process. The same is true of a patient who underwent a procedure recently but is unhappy with the outcome, as a good hair transplant surgeon can artfully craft a new hairline that is much more natural-looking and restores confidence in the patient.

hair transplant happy guy maximAny patient who is dissatisfied with the outcome of their hair transplant should feel confident that they can still achieve a permanent solution to their thinning hair or hair loss. Selecting the right doctor is the most critical step in correcting a poor hair transplant. Patients should therefore exercise a great deal of caution and patience when meeting with a potential hair transplant surgeon, and it should be the patient’s goal to select an experienced and skilled doctor capable of addressing the patient’s unique hair transplant needs.

MAXIM Hair Restoration specializes in mega hair transplants of up to 4,500 grafts per session. Our plastic surgeons are experienced with hair transplant procedures and we attract clients from all over the world. We have locations in Dubai and Manila, Philippines, and have affiliate surgeons in Connecticut, New York, Chicago and other cities in the U.S. MAXIM offers free consultations for hair transplants.

Contact Us For More Information on hair transplant costs OR submit the Contact Form on this page to request your complimentary hair restoration consultation by phone, Skype or with a MAXIM hair transplant doctor or surgeon near you.

You can also Email your pics to MAXIM Hair Restoration to find out if you are a good candidate for an ultra-natural MAXIM hair transplant OR to obtain an estimate for your procedure and the approximate number of grafts that would be required to give you a great result.

Best Treatments for Stimulating Hair Growth

Looking for a best hair growth treatment? Or looking to solve a problem with your hair loss?

Hair loss is one of the biggest cosmetic areas men and women seek to treat. Hair loss can make you appear and feel older and can lower your self-esteem.

There are a variety of causes for hair loss – some temporary and some permanent. For individuals with permanent hair loss, stimulating hair growth will require treatment.

How Can I Grow My Hair Back?

Fortunately, there are several tried-and-tested treatments available for stimulating hair growth:

Laser Light Therapy

There are a variety of laser light therapies available for hair regrowth, including at-home tools and laser machines in hair-loss specialists’ clinics. Laser light therapy is available in the form of helmets and combs for home use.

Hair loss specialists have stronger tools that offer light therapy in larger quantities and/or intensities. Laser light therapy stimulates blood flow, which can help restore hair regrowth in the scalp.

Laser light therapy will not regrow a full head of hair, but it can stimulate some growth and help to decrease future hair loss. Laser light strengthens and expands hair follicles – which can not only stimulate hair growth but also allow for stronger, thicker hair.

Using laser light therapy for hair loss is a great treatment option that you can use along with other treatments.

Hair Replacement Procedures

The most effective solution for hair growth is hair replacement surgery. The most common treatments are follicular unit extraction (FUE) and follicular unit transplant (FUT). and non-surgical procedure like Scalp Micropigmentation (SMP)

FUE hair transplant procedures involve removing individual follicular units and placing them in the desired area. A specialist will remove a tiny section of skin with just two or three follicles and move it to the area where more hair is desired.

FUT hair transplant procedures involve removing strips of tissue with multiple follicular units (typically from the lower back of the scalp) and placing them in the area where hair is desired. FUT treatments require stitches and a slightly longer healing time.

Both hair transplant procedures can result in permanent hair growth.

Topical Treatments

There are some medications available that stimulate hair growth and reduce hair loss. Two of the most popular medications are Minoxidil (Rogaine), which is now available over the counter, and Fin######## (Propecia), which is available through prescription.

Both of these medications are topical, but there are also a variety of oral medications and supplements available that can help stimulate hair growth.

Hair Restoration Specialist for Hair Growth Treatment

A hair specialist will be able to examine your medical history and recommend the best hair treatment available for the results you are seeking. Talk to a hair specialist about these hair growth treatments to find out which one may be best for your situation.

If you are interested in hair restoration, MAXiM Hair Restoration would love to help you explore the latest treatment options available. Click here to request a free consultation.

THE STAGES OF HAIR LOSS IN MEN

At what stage your hair loss, there are 7 several stages of hair loss in men. Losing hair can be a traumatic experience but thankfully, for most men, losing their hair is a process that takes time. It doesn’t happen all at once.

Are you familiar with the Norwood scale, also recognized as the Hamilton-Norwood scale? It is a classification system that measures male pattern baldness. The system was developed by Dr. James Hamilton in the 1950s and later revised in the ‘70s by Dr. O’Tar Norwood.

The scale reveals that men lose their hair in stages and patterns. Men whose hair begins to recede at the temples are in good company, as this is the most common stage of hair loss, combined with loss on the crown of the head and overall thinning that don’t change the look of the hairline.

The Several Stages of Hair Loss

There are seven stages of hair loss in men, according to the Norwood scale. The stages of hair loss in men range from mild to severe and are defined as follows.

Hair Loss in Men: Stage 1

A man who is in the first stage of hair loss will notice minor loss and very little if any at the hairline. At this stage, the loss of hair is barely noticeable and causes little reason for concern, that is, unless you have a history of baldness in your family. Most men don’t seek hair treatment at this stage of hair loss, though they should pay close attention to how it plays out in the future. Monitoring the loss over time will assist in deciding if and when they may want to seek treatment.

Hair Loss in Men: Stage 2

Stage 2 in the process of hair loss is a bit more noticeable than Stage 1. It involves areas of loss that tend to be symmetrical. A man with Stage 2 hair loss will notice that his hair is disappearing in a triangular pattern and recedes at the temporal area. The loss will be noticeable in front of the ears and the fullness of hair that was once front and center is depleting. The loss is obvious.

Hair Loss in Men: Stage 3  

Baldness occurs at Stage 3 as the recession of hair is great at the temples and the loss is symmetrical and quite deep over the head, including the crown. There is also loss at the temporal hairline.

Hair Loss in Men: Stage 4

Obviously, with each stage of loss, the loss of hair is greater. Hair on the crown is significantly missing. A man in this stage of hair loss might have a bridge of hair between the temporal area in the front and the crown. This band of hair connects the hair on the sides of the head.

Hair Loss in Men: Stage 5

Men at Stage 5 may consider this the beginning of the end. The next stage marks severe loss. Stage 5 includes extreme recession at the temporal and crown areas of the head. The bridge between the two remains but is much thinner. It is also narrower, and the losses are more apparent as they are larger.

Hair Loss in Men: Stage 6

The bridge of hair between the crown and the front of a man’s head all but disappears in Stage 6. There may be a few strands that remain, but there is a definite “U” shape to the hair pattern. The hair along the side of the head will thin further at this stage.

Hair Loss in Men: Stage 7

Stage 7 is the final stage of hair loss. There may be a small ring of hair at the back of the head and along the sides of the scalp, but that’s about all.

Contact MAXIM Hair Restoration

The saving grace about the stages of hair loss in men pattern baldness is that the gradual loss allows men the opportunity to investigate their options. MAXiM Hair Restoration is here to help you to navigate those options and to apply solutions.

Five Male Hair Loss Myths You Might Believe

There is a lot of “fake news” around men’s hair loss, so here’s five male hair loss myths you must believe. For as long as men have suffered from hair loss, people have spread myths and tall tales about what causes hair loss, what makes it worse, and ways to cure it. It’s possible some of the things you “know” about hair loss is not really true.

Five Male Hair Loss Myths You Might Believe

The best person to talk to about the causes of hair loss and what you can do about it is a hair transplant specialist. Check out the myths about men’s hair loss below and see how many of them you believed to be true!

Baldness Correlates with Testosterone

Hair loss does not have to do with the level of testosterone a man has. A lot of people believe this myth because hair loss is predominantly focused on men. Because women are less likely to lose hair, there is a misconception that the more testosterone a person has, the more likely they are to lose hair.

Hair loss essentially has to do with the sensitivity levels of your hair follicles to some hormones. The more sensitive your hair follicles are, the more likely you are to lose hair. The less sensitive your hair follicles are, the less likely you are to lose hair. This sensitivity has to do with genetics – not testosterone.

Your Hair Loss Comes from Your Mom’s Side of the Family

One of the biggest myths out there is that your mom’s side of the family is to blame for your hair loss. This is not (always) true! While the gene that primarily causes baldness is on the X chromosome (their mothers), hair loss genetics come equally from your maternal and paternal genes. One side of your genetics is not more responsible for hair loss than the other. Your genetics are a mix of both sides so your hair loss genetics can from either side of the family.

Additionally, just because your grandfather or uncles had hair loss on either side of the family, it does not mean you will definitely have hair loss. While genetics does play a big role in hair loss, there is no way to guarantee if a person will or will not have hair loss.

Wearing a Hat Will Increase Hair Loss

Another myth about men’s hair loss is that wearing a hat increases hair loss. Wearing a hat does not “suffocate” hair or make the hair follicles more sensitive. Myth busted! Your hair cannot suffocate or become more sensitive under a hat. Hair sensitivity has to do with genetics – not whether you cover it up or not.

The only way a hat can increase hair loss is if you pull out hair when taking off the hat. This is known as traction alopecia – hair loss due to constant pulling of the hair.

Washing Your Hair with Cold Water Will Cure Baldness

One of the benefits of washing your hair with cold water is that it increases blood circulation. However, blood circulation has nothing to do with hair loss. The temperature of the water you use to wash your hair does not cause or stop hair loss from happening.

Washing Your Hair Too Often Causes Hair Loss

Your hair follicles do not become more sensitive just because you wash your hair often. Nor will they become sensitive if you do not wash your hair often. Hair follicle sensitivity comes from genetics and hair loss comes from under the scalp. Because of this, shampooing your hair has nothing to do with causing or increasing hair loss. The hair you notice falling out when shampooing is hair that has already fallen out.

There are a lot more myths out there about men’s hair loss, now you know the five male hair loss myths to believe. To be certain that you believe only the true facts about hair loss, talk to a hair loss specialist so that you’re getting the facts and just the facts.

If you are looking for a way to restore your hair and get a fuller head of hair, Maxim Hair Restoration can help you find the right hair restoration solution for you. Request an appointment at one of our locations today.

IS A HAIR TRANSPLANT SAFE?

A safe hair transplant simply is removing a graft of scalp from a spot on the head that has sufficient hair and placing it in a spot where more hair is desired. The spot from which the scalp is removed is the donor site. The recipient site, where new hair will grow, is where the scalp is grafted.

Safe Hair transplant surgery can be conducted in the hospital or at a doctor’s office, either under local or general anesthesia. This will depend on the extent of the surgery that is how many grafts will be made and how long the surgery will take.

So is hair transplant safe? The short answer is “Yes”.  Hair transplants are safe. However, as with any surgical procedure, some risks are involved. The risks associated with hair transplant surgery are minimal and are explained in more detail here.

Safe Hair Transplant: Types of Surgery

Those undergoing hair transplant surgery can expect to undergo one of two techniques.

  • Follicular Unit Strip Surgery (FUSS). The surgeon will remove the skin from the patient’s head, usually from the back. The 6-10 inch strip is divided into multiple grafts that are quite small. Each tiny graft contains a few hairs or even just one that will be transplanted into the recipient site.
  • Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). The back of the patient’s head will be shaved and from that spot, the surgeon will remove hair follicles.

It is only the process of hair removal that differs in the two techniques. The grafting is the same. The surgery takes between 4 and 8 hours, though a second surgery might be required if the patient’s hair doesn’t come in as thick as he wished.

Risks

The risks associated with hair transplants are minimal, as previously mentioned. Knowing the risks will allay the patient’s fears and give cause to expect a good and healthy outcome from their hair transplant surgery. Knowing the risks also will promote an honest conversation with your surgeon.

  • Inflammation is normal with hair transplant surgery as it is with all surgeries. Just as the patient’s hair begins to come in, inflammation may occur. However, folliculitis, an infection of the hair follicles is a little more intimidating and cause for concern. If your scalp should become inflamed, your surgeon will prescribe an antibiotic for folliculitis and the inflammation should subside. Cold compresses on the affected area will also have a palliative effect.
  • Slight hair loss. After the surgery, the patient may notice a tiny loss of hair. This is referred to as shock loss. In most cases, the hair loss isn’t permanent.
  • Following the transplant surgery, the patient will find that the head and scalp are tender. This is quite normal. The surgeon may prescribe pain medications and perhaps an antibiotic to ward off possible infection. Also, over the counter anti-inflammatory medications can assist in alleviating the discomfort of a tender scalp, as well as alleviate swelling at the graft site.

Additional Risks

Hair transplant surgery is safe for most people, but there are certain risks that could be unique to some patients. For instance, if the patient is taking prescribed medications like blood thinners or beta-blockers to treat high blood pressure, then this could be cause for concern. This doesn’t mean that hair transplant surgery will be detrimental for that patient, but that the patient’s personal medical history must be taken into account before moving forward.

Contact Us for your Safe Hair Transplant

Are you considering safe hair transplant surgery? An honest conversation with your surgeon will ensure that the best outcome is attained.  Whatever is causing your hair loss, MAXiM Hair Restoration has plastic and hair transplant surgeons who every day artfully create an attractive hairline that is unique to each client.

We have convenient locations throughout the United States in New York, Long Island, Connecticut, Chicago, Dallas, and the Washington, DC area, as well as several international locations.  Contact MAXiM today to find out if you are a candidate for a safe hair transplant.

What Is Scalp Micropigmentation?

Scalp Micropigmentation is the process by which permanent make-up, (iron-oxide pigment) is tattooed onto a desired area of skin. Of course, scalp micro-pigmentation is applied to the scalp. There are several terms that are synonymous with micro pigmentation:  derma pigmentation, (the permanent pigmentation of the dermis) cosmetic tattooing and permanent tattooing. They all mean the same thing.

History of Scalp Micropigmentation

Micro-pigmentation was first performed in the early 1900s when a tattoo artist offered permanent “pink complexion.” The procedure was performed by electrically tattooing permanent complexion, using vegetable dyes onto the face.

Micro-pigmentation has come a long way since the days of tattooing vegetable dye beneath the top layer of skin to enhance a woman’s facial complexion. Today, micro-pigmentation is utilized for cosmetic reasons, but also as a procedure following treatments for chronic illness.

Scalp Micropigmentation Non-Surgical Procedure

scalp micropigmentation

An alternative to hair transplant surgery. The procedure is noninvasive. Pigment particles are actually drawn onto the scalp, either with a pen-like instrument or by a tattoo gun. However, scalp micro-pigmentation isn’t identical to the process of regular tattooing. The equipment is different and the process is much more involved and specialized. Ink is implanted into the area where an illusion of hair is desired.  The procedure is performed in your doctor’s office and, depending on the area that is to be covered. This procedure could last as little as 20 minutes, with the whole procedure lasting less than an hour. The patient leaves the office with the appearance of hair follicles to restore the area where hair is thinning.

Non-Invasive Procedure

Scalp micropigmentation is a non-surgical outpatient procedure that is performed in the doctor’s office.  And since it is non-invasive, there are no scars left behind.

Per Client’s Specifications

Scalp micropigmentation can be applied to the client’s specific requests for density and scalp placement and the sky’s the limit when it comes to hairstyle choices. That’s because scalp micropigmentation isn’t dependent upon hair that is removed from a donor site to be placed in a specific area where the hair is thinning or the scalp is bald. As such, the client can choose the amount of follicular coverage to be placed in the area of the hairline.

Candidates for Scalp Micropigmentation

Men and women with thinning hair or with male pattern baldness are candidates for scalp micropigmentation. There is very little if any long-term maintenance involved for those that choose scalp micro-pigmentation. Patients are able to return to their regular activities immediately following the procedure. If you shave your head, but the coverage of the very short hair is minimal or if you’re completely bald in certain areas, then you are a good candidate for scalp micropigmentation and can cover those obvious thinned out spaces on your scalp.

The good doctors at Maxim Hair Restoration have performed thousands of hair restorative procedures, including scalp micropigmentation both in the United States and abroad. They want you to look and feel your best. If you’re interested in learning more about scalp-micropigmentation and to find out if the procedure is the best choice for you, contact Maxim Hair Restoration today for a free consultation.

THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF HAIR TRANSPLANTS

Hair Transplant, It’s achieved by grafting – or removing – follicles from the back of the head and implanting them in areas that need it, so what are the different types of hair transplant?

There are two types of hair transplant, either by Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) or Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE).  The FUT method involves the removal of a strip of scalp from the back of your head and its dissection into individual grafts, while the FUE method involves taking individual follicles from the back of the head one by one.

Either way, the rest of the process is the same.  Miniscule sites are created in the balding areas of the scalp using fine blades and needles so that the grafts can be inserted in the sites.  The FUE procedure is a bit tedious and may take a few hours, but it’s painless because the area is numbed with a local anesthetic.

Both types of hair transplant have their advantages.  For example, with the FUT method, larger areas of sparse hair or baldness can be covered in fewer sessions.  With the FUE method, you don’t need to have an entire strip of scalp, there are no cuts, stitches or scars, and the recovery time is much faster, allowing you to return to work within a day or two.

Choosing the right types for hair transplant

Know that you understand the different types of hair transplant, which type is best for you?  That depends on your individual needs. Clients with larger areas of baldness and would like it covered in a single session should opt for the FUT method, while the FUE method is more suitable for clients who:

  • Have smaller areas of thinning or baldness – particularly women.
  • Want to wear a shorter hairstyle.
  • Have an active, sporty lifestyle.
  • Prefer a less invasive procedure without cuts and stitches on the scalp.
  • Want a faster recovery.

In addition to providing an effective solution for pattern baldness, implants can be used to restore hair on other parts of the body including eyebrows, eyelashes, facial hair and chest hair. They also help fill in scars that are the result of an accident or surgery such as a facelift or a previous hair transplant.

To learn more about the different types of hair transplant and how the right technique can improve your appearance, contact the experts at MAXiM Hair Restoration for a free initial consultation.  Our skilled plastic and hair transplant surgeons artfully create attractive hairlines for both men and women with hair loss every day. 

We also have conveniently located hair restoration centers throughout the U.S. and around the globe – including New York, Long Island, Connecticut, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Newport Beach, the Washington, DC area, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Manila, Philippines.

TEN SURPRISING FACTORS THAT CAUSE HAIR LOSS!

Many people don’t know what are the causes of their hair loss. Both men and women can lose their hair.  While most blame it on age, there are some surprising reasons why people experience hair loss.

Causes of Hair Loss

Here are ten surprising reasons – other than bad luck – why we might lose our hair.

1. Hormones

Hormones are powerful and can cause changes in the body that result in hair loss. Pregnant women or those on birth control pills are both susceptible to hormone changes that can affect change in hair follicles. Menopause will also bring about hormonal shifts when androgen receptors are activated on the scalp and hair falls out.

2. Diabetes

People with diabetes might notice that their hair is thinning or that it is falling out in patches. This is due to a condition that often accompanies diabetes. Alopecia areata causes the immune system to reject and then to attack hair follicles.

3. Thyroid Disorders

An underactive thyroid, also known as hypothyroidism, can cause hair to fall out. The thyroid fails to produce the right amount of hormones, which are critical for growth.

4. Heredity

Your genes are a factor and – surprise! – it’s your mom who carries the male pattern baldness gene in the family. The female version is called androgenetic alopecia, which is noticeable when hair starts to thin along the part line.

5. Autoimmune disease

An overactive immune system targets hair and triggers the fallout.

6. Stress

Our bodies react to stress in various ways and in some cases, the body’s response, especially physical stress, is to slough of hair. Telogen effluvium is the process by which the body experiences such a shock and is fooled into launching into one of its natural life cycle phases:  growth, rest or shedding. A physical trauma will cause your body to shed hair, but as the body recovers, so will the hair.

7. Vitamins

Taking vitamins has a purpose, but taking too many or too few can be dangerous to your health and also to your hair. Vitamin B deficiency, for instance, can cause hair loss. On the other hand, the opposite is also dangerous in regards to taking in too much Vitamin A, as hair loss will be the result.

8. Diet

A severe dietary change can affect your hair, causing it to fall out. Harshly restricting protein and calories, having an eating disorder, or replacing meals with supplements can over time have a negative effect. Reversing the hair loss is possible, with a return to a well-balanced diet.

9. Anemia

Hair loss is a definite sign of anemia brought on by an iron deficiency. When faced with a lack of iron, your body will enter survival mode, rerouting all of its energy into supporting your body’s vital functions.

10. Medications

Medications, especially beta-blockers that treat blood pressure and also blood thinners can have an adverse effect on your hair, causing it to fall out. The same is true of chemotherapy.

If you notice that your hair is thinning or falling out in patches, talk with your doctor about what might be causing the loss. Thinning hair is often a sign of a bigger problem that needs to be addressed, perhaps a chronic illness that requires a diagnosis. In most cases, hair loss is a symptom.

One solution is to take charge of the situation and contact the skilled hair restoration professionals at MAXiM Hair Restoration.  MAXiM Hair Restoration has plastic and hair transplant surgeons who artfully create an attractive hairline for people with hair loss every day.

We have convenient locations throughout the U.S. including New York, Long Island, Connecticut, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Newport Beach, and the Washington, DC, area, as well as international locations including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Manila. Chances are there is a MAXiM center near you.  Contact MAXiM today for a free consultation to find out if you are a candidate for a hair transplant or other hair restoration solution.