Dr. Yazdan spoke with a young man on the phone this week who has concerns about his thinning hair. He is 33 years old and was very troubled about the diffused thinning on the back of his head and the growing thinness in his crown area, and he wanted to know if a hair transplant procedure would be the best solution for him.
Successful hair transplant surgery depends upon a multitude of factors, including how much hair the prospective patient has on their head at the time of surgery, as well as their age, and potential future hair loss. Only a specialist with years of experience can examine and track these various factors with clarity and tact.
In this young man’s case, one of the major determining factors was how much space there was between the existing hairs on the top of his head and the crown area where he is noticing thinning occurring. Why would this be a determining factor, some may ask? If there is significant gaps and spaces between his existing hairs, then hair transplant surgery may be a viable option. However, if the spacing and gaps between his existing hairs is very small, then hair transplantation could cause damage to the existing healthy hairs through a process known as shock loss.
While hair transplant surgery offers amazing hair restoration potential and excellent results, there is always the potential for post-operative ‘shock loss’ to the patients existing hair. Given the normal cycles of hair growth – anagen (hair growth), catagen (resting), and telogen (hair shedding) – any hair follicles that would normally continue to grow for a year or more will more than likely regrow following shock.
Hair follicles that genetically would normally stop growing within the next several months, or are in the telogen phase probably will not regrow. For this reason, an in-person hair and scalp analysis is necessary to determine the best course of action with respect to planning successful hair restoration on an individual patient-by-patient basis.
As such, during our private consultations we can determine how best to minimize and prevent post-operative shock loss. To explore the many advanced hair loss treatment and hair transplant options available to you, and learn more about our custom hair restoration procedures, we invite anyone to give us a call and speak to world-renowned hair restoration specialist, Dr. Amir Yazdan. At Modena Hair Institute in Orange County, Los Angeles and Las Vegas our goal is to help you find the perfect hair restoration solution to meet your own individual needs and make a well-informed decision about your hair restoration options.
Dr. Amir Yazdan, MD, is an internationally renowned hair transplant surgeon, expert guest on Dr. Phil and The Doctors, creator of the GroMD hair restoration product line, ISHRS member, accredited member of the IAHRS and a visceral advocate for patient care. Learn more about Dr. Yazdan or read rave reviews from his patients.