Navigation
Hair Loss News Archives
January 2010
Laser Comb, Cloning to Re-grow Hair
Hair loss can be influenced by medications, illness, nutrition, stress, smoking, etc. but the most common cause of hair loss is Heredity
Jan 2010
Male pattern
baldness affects
nearly 70 percent of
men by age 35, and
85 percent by age
50!
And it's not just
men who have to
worry: Many women
experience thinning
hair, too.
But there are
methods meant to
stop hair loss and
even induce
re-growth - old ones
are evolving and new
ones continue to pop
up.
Hair restoration
specialist Dr. Alan
Bauman of Palm
Beach, Fla.,
discussed the latest
techniques, and some
that've been around
awhile, on "The
Early Show Saturday"
edition's special
broadcast, "New
Year, New You."
Bauman, a
Board-certified hair
restoration surgeon,
told CBS News
Correspondent Jeff
Glor and CBS News
Medical
Correspondent Dr.
Jennifer Ashton
about some solutions
developed to stop
thinning hair and
actually re-grow
some of those lost
follicles:
What are the main
causes of baldness
with men and woman?
Hair loss can be
influenced by
medications,
illness, nutrition,
stress, smoking,
etc. but the most
common cause of hair
loss is HEREDITY.
What about stress? A
bout of severe
stress can shut down
follicles and create
a shedding problem
that lasts for
months. Long-term
stress can
accelerate
hereditary hair
loss.
THE LASER COMB
Does it really work?
Low-level laser
therapy (LLLT) can
be quite effective
when used properly.
LLLT is certainly no
miracle cure for
hair loss. But the
laser comb has been
OK'd by the Food and
Drug Administration
for both safety AND
effectiveness. It is
cleared for hair
growth and the
treatment of hair
loss. Like other
non-invasive
treatments, some
patients get better
results than others,
and compliance (with
directions) is
certainly a big
issue. However,
there are patients
who seem to be
exceptional
responders to this
therapy. LLLT is a
non-chemical,
non-invasive option
to help people grow
fuller, thicker,
healthier hair.
How does it work?
Typically, you will
apply laser therapy
to the scalp two or
three times each
week. The length of
time varies with
each different
device.
Is the laser
dangerous at all?
In nearly 30 years
of use, there has
never been any
concerning side
effects from
properly-applied low
level laser therapy.
How much will these
lasers set you back?
Portable lasers
range from a few
hundred dollars to
$2,500 or more,
depending on the
device and treatment
times. Typically,
the more expensive
devices have more
"bells and whistles"
and shorter
treatment times.
What does future
hold for this
technique?
New technology in
LLLT will improve
the compliance and
portability of
at-Hair Loss units. Also,
non-invasive, simple
hair measuring
devices will be
appearing in
doctors' offices and
even in high end
hair salons.
HAIR CLONING
Will it become a
reality in the near
future?
I'm optimistic, but
I'm disappointed by
the slow progress in
this area of
research. If you are
waiting around for
"hair cloning,"
that's a huge
long-shot bet and
each month that goes
by, more and more
hair loss is
happening.
ROGAINE
How effective is
this, really?
Rogaine is 80
percent effective in
clinical trials, but
it is difficult to
use, and people
rarely use it for
more than several
weeks on their own.
It takes a good six
months to see
significant results
with Minoxidil
(Rogaine is the
brand name).
Tracking and
consistency are
important.
Is it true Rogaine
only works on the
crown of the head,
not the front part?
That's a myth! The
info on the bottle
is based on the FDA-approved
labeling derived
from the clinical
trials. As hair
restoration
physicians, we know
-- if there's a
follicle there,
Minoxidil can
influence it. It can
work on the front,
but it's less
dramatic of an
effect because,
usually, there's
more hair loss
there.
Women can use it,
but they have their
own brand - why?
Two percent
Minoxidil in
solution was FDA-approved.
When they tested the
5 percent, there was
little improvement
in women over the 2
percent, so they
never got the
approval. In
real-life clinical
practice, we
prescribe 5 percent
for women regularly,
and sometimes even
stronger. It may be
that if you are not
100 percent
compliant (missing a
couple of doses here
or there), you are
better off with a
higher percentage.
We don't know for
sure.
This is available
generically and in
name brand form, for
$20-$90 a month
depending.
PROPECIA
What is this and how
effective is it?
Non-invasive
treatments are
geared mainly toward
keeping the hair you
have. Without the
"target organ," such
as the follicle,
these treatments
will have little
effect. All require
long-term
commitment. If you
stop the treatment,
you lose the
beneficial effects.
It's pretty well
known that there are
some sexual side
effects with this
drug. How common are
they?
Rare and reversible.
Clinical trials say
less than 2 percent.
In real practice,
many doctors report
less than 3 in 1,000
patients have that
experience.
Sometimes, changing
the timing of the
dose helps reduce
side effects.
Is it true women
can't take this
pill?
Propecia is NOT FDA-approved
for women. Propecia
is contraindicated
in women of
childbearing age,
because it could
potentially block
DHT formation in a
developing male
fetus, causing a
birth defect. This
has never happened;
it is theoretical.
Small clinical
studies on
post-menopausal
women were
unequivocal but, in
clinical practice,
some post-menopausal
women respond to
Propecia. Soon,
there will be a
genetic test to
determine if a woman
has the potential to
respond to Propecia.
It takes
six-to-twelve months
or longer to see the
results of Propecia.
What happens if you
stop taking it -
will all the hair
that came from it
fall out?
If you stop Propecia,
any improvement you
achieved over the
course of a year
will then reverse in
12 months.
How much does
Propecia cost?
$250 for 90 days.
Hair Transplants
These have been
around for awhile.
Can they look
natural?
These are NOT your
father's painful
"hair plugs"!
How drastic is the
procedure?
New, less invasive
procedures, such as
FUE/NeoGraft, can
transplant
individual follicles
without the use of a
scalpels or stitches
and leave no linear
scar. Healing is
complete within a
matter of days, not
weeks. There are no
stitches to remove
and athletic
activity can resume
in just days.
How long does it
take to see the
effects?
One week of
healing/scabbing,
six weeks until hair
growth starts, half
of the result
visible in 6 months,
full result in 12
months.
Is there scarring?
There is no such
thing as a
completely scar-free
surgery. However,
the key is whether
the scar is visible
to the naked eye.
Traditional
procedures leave a
linear donor scar,
but FUE/NeoGraft
leaves no linear
scar.
What happens to your
natural hair that
keeps falling out
around the
transplanted hair?
This is critical!
Ninety percent of
hair transplant
patients are on a
multi-therapy,
non-invasive
treatment regimen to
stop the progression
of hair loss.
Because hair loss is
progressive and the
transplanted hair is
permanent, if you
don't protect the
hair you have, you
will need more
transplantation to
fill in the thinning
areas than if you
were on a
preventative
treatment regimen.
How much will this
procedure cost?
Hair transplant
procedures range
from $10,000 to
$20,000 depending on
the type and size of
the procedure.