The Patient's Guide to Hair Restoration - New Hair Institute

Chapter 23
A Final Note
In this book, we have presented a detailed overview of hair loss and its
treatment. We have tried to offer a clear explanation of the various options
available to men and women who are experiencing hair loss. The most common
and rational options concerning medications, surgery, and hair systems have
been discussed. Only by becoming an informed consumer can you make the
right decision for yourself. The following points are important to remember:
• Hair loss starts at varying ages. Some individuals become bald by their
20’s, or balding can slowly progress throughout adult life. Although you may
sense that you are losing hair by simple observation, your physician can make a
specific diagnosis of hair loss.
• There are many options for hair replacement today, from medications to
hairpieces to surgical procedures. Be sure that you understand both the
advantages and the risks before you begin any course of treatment.
• The FDA approved medications, finasteride and minoxidil, can significantly
delay the progression of hairloss and reverse early thinning. There are many
more unproven remedies on the market. A knowledgeable doctor is the best
source of information about these options.
• Make sure that when you go to see a physician for your hair loss problems
you see the actual doctor. Do not settle for a salesman in a white coat.
• Be certain your doctor understands your goals, needs, and expectations.
Be certain that he or she performs only state-of-the-art surgical techniques or can
refer you to a physician who does.
• Once popular procedures, such as scalp reduction and flaps, have an
unacceptable rate of problems and are no longer used by most hair restoration
surgeons. Some newly “hyped” procedures such as laser hair transplantation,
may also cause more harm than good, and are not recommended by most
physicians.
• Commonly practiced techniques, such as mini-micrografting, although
relatively quick and easy to perform, rely on a multi-bladed knife to remove the
donor tissue and can cause excessive hair wastage and less than natural results.
• Only techniques using single strip harvesting and stereo-microscopic
dissection can insure that the donor supply is used efficiently and without waste,
and only Follicular Unit Transplantation can insure natural results.
• The physicians of the New Hair Institute first published an article
discussing Follicular Unit Transplantation in 1995. This procedure has now
become the “gold standard” of surgical hair restoration. To be performed
properly, Follicular Unit
requires a surgeon who understands both the artistic and technical complexities
of transplanting large numbers of very small grafts, a surgical team specifically
trained in the stereo-microscopic dissection of follicular units, and facilities that
are specifically equipped to perform this labor intensive, exacting procedure.