Battle Against Bald | A Battle Against Hair Loss Through Hair Restoration

Who is a good candidate for hair transplantation?

Here's a brief and accurate description of a good hair transplantation candidate by Dr. McKenzie from the Seager Hair Transplant Center. Thanks, doc.

The Hair Transplant Challenge

The International Society of Hair Restoration wants to know if you can spot the hair transplant patient. The "Hair Transplant Challenge" is available online at the link provided. It's designed to test the ability to identify hair transplant patients from fake patients to show the natural-looking results of a procedure.

Check it out for yourself!

Hair transplantation video

Here's a great video about how hair transplantation works, compliments of Illumistream.

Question: If you have hair replacement surgery, will it actually grow in the place where it fell out?

We came across this question, which is undoubtedly shared by many people considering a hair restoration, on WPTV.com, a website for a NBC subsidiary in West Palm Beach, Florida. From the same article, here's an excerpt from Dr. Ricardo Mejia, a dermatologist who specializes in hair restoration, who does a great job of answering it:

"Transplanted hair comes from the back of your head and that hair is more genetically insensitive to the hormone that causes hair loss, which is EHT.  So when you take hair from the back of the head and move them to the front they continue to grow as if they were growing to the back of the head."

Dr. Mejia supports hair restoration over oral or topical solutions because it gives you the freedom to treat the new hair as you always did before you went bald. No pampering needed.

"Surgery is the best option because we can give you your own natural, living hair.  You can comb it, you can style it, you can do whatever you would want to normally do with the hair that you did have before."

"Retrosexuals" seeking hair transplants all over the place

An article from Newsweek that was posted on MSNBC.com talks about the growing trend toward the old-school, rugged, masculine appearence—coined retrosexuality—in the place of the the feminine characteristics of metrosexuality.

Along with sharper jaw lines and squarer chins, men are getting hair transplants on other parts of the body besides the scalp; these include the chest, face and belly. According to the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS), facial-hair transplants in the United States have increased from 765 procedures in 2004 to 1,189 in 2006.

The question is, what does this mean for those of us who need hair transplants on our bald heads?  It seems as if some hair transplant surgeons are boosting their rates.  Dr. Jeffrey Epstein, a hair surgeon in Miami, Florida, says that he has done 10 chest and face hair transplants in the past 18 months for double the rate that he charged last year.

Hair restoration comparison at five months

First off, I must apologize, as it has been several weeks since my last hair restoration update. My only excuse is that I have been extraordinarily busy with work and a plethora of visiting friends and family, but I will talk more about that in another entry. In this entry I'd like to detail the results of my hair restoration procedure by comparing a photo taken 149 days after my hair restoration with a picture taken before my hair restoration.  It has been roughly five months since my Bosley hair restoration and the difference is clear.

See for yourself. More to come later this week.

Hair restoration results on the news

Actually, the title of this entry should be called "hair restoration results IN the news." Why? Because a Palm Beach, Florida ABC news anchor, Jim Abath, features his own hair restoration results on his news program. Supported by his female co-anchors, Abath details the results of his, as well as two other mens', hair restoration procedures. After a year of hair restoration efforts, including two surgical hair restorations and a daily dose of Propecia, Abath and his co-hair restoration subjects prove that re-storing lost hair is possible. Additionally, the men show further proof that hair restoration does work. Enjoy!

Celebration!

Today is a special day. Of course, today, the Fourth of July, is the day in which we celebrate our national independence. However, July 4 is an extremely special day for another reason. Why? Because it's the one year anniversary of Battle Against Bald.

Yes friends, it has been one year since Seth first started his journey to restore his natural hair line via a Bosley hair restoration procedure. A few hundred entries and a plethora of new hair later, Battle Against Bald turns one year old. A lot has happened in just one short year. First was Seth's Bosley procedure, which ended quite successfully for Seth. Then came Torrance, who battled hair loss in every way possible and underwent a Bosley procedure as well. While Seth's results have topped off, Torrance is only in the fourth month of his procedure, which is when the most significant hair restoration results become visible. Stay tuned as the hair restoration excitement continues.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, a spectacular 4th of July fireworks show.

 

Eyelash transplantation surgery gains popularity

Eyelash transplant surgery is becoming more popular, says Eye-Zine.com.  We have blogged quite a bit on eyebrow and eyelash transplantation, but have failed to explain exactly how eyelash transplantation works. The micro-surgical procedure is being requested for mostly cosmetic purposes, though it originated as a treatment for people who suffered burns or other malformations around the eye.  Here's how it works: 

Similar to traditional hair restoration, donor hair follicles are taken from the back of the patients head (usually around 100 hair follicles)  and are transplanted around the edge of your eyelids.  Recovery time is about 7-10 days, with the new lashes beginning to grow about 3-6 months later. Once the follicles grow, they continue to grow as hair on your head would, which means your new lashes need regular trimming.

Since discovering that eyelash extensions can traumatize the hair follicle and cause permanent eyelash thinning, many women have turned to eyelash transplants. With only a handful of transplant surgeons in the United States specializing in eyelash transplantation the cost comes at no surprise; eyelash transplants cost approximately $6,000-7,000!

Hair transplantation surgery gaining popularity

According to a news release by the International  Society of Hair Restoration Surgery, hair restoration surgery is  gaining popularity worldwide and across gender lines.  Approximately 225,800 procedures were done last year, a 34 percent increase from 2004.  This statistic includes a 2.4 percent increase in procedures done for women.

The procedure is gaining ground with the younger ranks as well; the survey showed a 2 percent increase in men ages 20-29 between 2004-2006.

The increase is said to be caused by the consistent refinement of the transplantation process and the nearly undetectable results.   Without a raised awareness about new happenings and advancements with the procedure by way of various news media and social outlets, such as ourselves, the effectiveness of such a procedure would never get as much attention as it has.

Here are some other facts outlined in the news release from a survey taken in 2006:

• The total number of hair restoration patients worldwide rose from 361,077 patients in 2004 to 645,281 patients in 2006.

• In 2006, females comprised 13.8 percent of surgical hair restoration patients, up from 11.4 percent in 2004.

• More than half (57.9 percent) of both male and female patients fell between the ages of 30-49.

• Patients in their 30s represented the age group with the largest number of patients undergoing hair restoration surgery (31.4 percent males and 26.4 percent females).

• 92.9 percent of hair transplantation procedures targeted the scalp.  The other 7.1 percent targeted the eyebrows (3.4 percent), the face (1.5 percent) and the eyelashes (1.4 percent).