The Natural Cures

This important discussion was written by Dr. Ricardo Mejia of Jupiter, FL who is one of our recommended hair restoration physicians.

Before any woman with female hair loss proceeds with hair surgery, she should properly be evaluated for medical and other conditions that can mimic female pattern baldness. Be sure not to ignore this as I have seen many women have surgery only to find out later there was a medical reason for their hair loss.

I generally do not initially recommend a hair transplant for women unless they have had a proper medical workup. I found too many cases of underactive thyroid, low ferritin / iron and causes of telogen effluvium or shock loss due to other factors mimicking androgenic alopecia. I have also found two cases of diffuse alopecia areata, an immunological condition where the hair transplants would not work.

We deal with a lot of women and it is our standard practice to assure this is done. These are some of the basics. For a woman’s perspective on hair restoration results see below:

Video: Womans Perspective on Hair Transplants

Dr. Ricardo Mejia

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Bill - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

This question was posed by a female hair loss sufferer seeking hair loss help on our hair restoration forum and answered by  Dr. Humayun Mohmand of Pakistan who is one of our recommended hair restoration physicians. His professional answer is below.

Can you tell me what the difference between these two hair transplant methods are: Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT - Strip Surgery) and Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)

FUE stands for follicular unit extraction.  In this hair restoration method, the surgeon extracts one follicular unit at a time with a punch ranging from 0.7mm to 1 mm leaving a small little mark.  The advantage of FUE is no linear scar, but scarring in the shape of small round pits.  Know that there is always a scar, but the visibility is different.  There is also minimal pain during the FUE healing process, though it’s significantly more expensive in some cases.

Follicular unit transplantation (FUT) or the “strip” method is where a hair restoration physician will harvest a strip of tissue creating a liner scar from one ear to other.  These days, most surgeons are using the tricophytic closure technique to minimize the visibility of the scar in most cases and if done correctly.  Many surgeons do the tricophytic closure, but their method could vary and hence so does their result.  It’s a bit more uncomfortable than FUE, but you can get it for a very competitive price.  There are either stitches or staples to be removed in 10 days time.

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Bill - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

Knowing what’s causing your hair loss is the first step to developing a long term hair restoration treatment program. Some of you may already be aware that male pattern baldness is genetic and caused by dihydrotestosterone (DHT). However, what other contributors exist that facilitates or expedites hair loss?

Hair styling products which have been traditionally identified with women are now very popular with men. But do these styling agents contribute in any way to male or female hair loss? Join this hair loss forum discussion between patient and physician members who offer their input on this highly important topic.

Bill Seemiller - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

I have been experiencing dizziness after a month of using Rogaine (minoxidil) 5%.  I woke up a few times from it and felt my heartbeat racing for a few seconds. Anyone know about this type of side effect?  Should i discontinue use?

This hair loss question was answered on our hair restoration forum by Dr. Paul Shapiro of Bloomington, MN who is a member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians.  His professional answer is below.

If you are having dizziness and heart palpitations on Rogaine, I would advise you to stop it right away.

Minoxidil is a vasodilator which means it relaxes the veins and arteries in the body. It was first used as an oral medication to lower blood pressure. The fact that minoxidil stimulates hair growth was an accidental finding. In fact, it is no longer used to lower blood pressure, partly due to this side effect.

When used topically (applied directly to the balding scalp) usually the amount absorbed into the blood stream is minimal. In most hair loss sufferers, it does not cause systemic (affecting the body ) side effects.

Dizzy spells and heart palpitations are known side affect of minoxidil and you may just be extra sensitive to the medication. But there also may be a medical reason why the minute amount of Rogaine absorbed into your blood system cased palpitations. I would see your primary care physician and/or a cardiologist to do some simple testing to evaluate your heart. Another possibility is that you have a skin condition on your scalp which allows more of the hair loss treatment to be absorbed into your body, (i.e. bad psoriasis) but I think you would know of such a condition.

I hope this is helpful.

Paul Shapiro, MD

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Bill - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

APGaylard has won a complaint against the online BBC news service. Go and have a read, but this is the story that started his complaint:

In August, the BBC ran a story claiming that research had determined that some places in Britain were ‘happier’ than others. You can see the nature of the claims in the TV news report, “Britain’s happiest places mapped“. There was a big problem with this though: the research found no significant differences between places. The only differences were accounted for by the socio-economic status of the people.

Churnalism, which consists of rewriting press releases rather than news reporting, is common at the BBC online news pages. In fact, it is weakness that is being exploited to good effect. Mary Hicks, MD of healthcare comms shop Clew, outlines how her agency sold a story to the BBC.

She cites an example of a story that her agency successfully pitched to the site. One of the team working on GlaxoSmithKline’s Cervarix drug (a cervical cancer vaccine) spotted figures from the NHS Cancer Screening Programme showing that the numbers of women coming forward for cervical cancer screening had been falling.

This fact had been overlooked by the media so the agency used it as a news hook. The agency gathered quotes for the BBC from key spokespeople including the screening programme, gynaecologists and cervical cancer charity Jo’s Trust.

Providing spokespeople is key, says CCD Healthcare MD Justin Clark. Working in the client as part of the story using a heavyweight topic in the press, such as obesity, can create an opportunity for coverage: ‘Thesite doesn’t necessarily create an impact on sales but it does have an impact on reputation management. Clients rate the site highly because of the perceived independence of the BBC. It’s a fabulous endorsement for a client because it is seen as the truth if it appears in an article.’

It is disgraceful that the BBC are allowing themselves, and their readers, to be exploited in this way.

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