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MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) is a popular supplement that supposedly aids in a variety of health functions. Among these alleged health benefits, MSM is proposed to promote hair growth and thicken native hairs.  Although past reviews state that MSM is effective in speeding hair growth (meaning it’s useful in promoting new growth after hair transplant surgery and possibly in conjunction with proven medications like minoxidil – Rogaine) and not in battling genetic baldness, the treatment remains popular.

However, many patients who use this supplement for hair loss report an unwanted side effect – acne breakouts. So, can MSM cause acne? According to wellness experts, MSM aids in optimal health by causing cells and tissues to detoxify and flush unwanted biochemical agents.

Popular consensus claims the release of these toxins causes a short period of acne, meaning that MSM can cause an initial acne breakout. These breakouts are allegedly short-lived and avoided by starting treatment with a low dose of MSM and moving gradually toward a higher concentration.

Because it’s not a proven treatment for balding, therapies such as minoxidil (Rogaine) and finasteride (Propecia) should probably be utilized before MSM. However, individuals who choose to use MSM (for accelerated growth after a hair transplant or as a stand-alone treatment) can allegedly experience initial periods of increased acne. Have you experienced an acne breakout while taking MSM as a hair growth therapy? If so, feel free to contribute to the thread on our Hair Restoration Discussion Forums – MSM and Breakouts?

Although hundreds of questions are asked and answered on the Hair Restoration Discussion Forums daily, the most common is likely hair loss patients asking how many follicular unit grafts are necessary to fill their balding scalp. Despite the fact that this question is quite common, it’s difficult to answer and unique to nearly every patient.

Various physiological and personalized factors determine the number of grafts required to cover balding scalp. Factors such as the size of the transplanted area, characteristics of the donor hair (circumference of the hair shafts – fine versus coarse and texture of the donor hair -wavy versus straight), desired density in the transplanted region, color difference between the scalp and follicular unit grafts, laxity (“looseness”) in the universal donor region, age, and hairline design all affect the number of grafts required for an aesthetically significant result.

However, despite the numerous variables associated with graft counts, there is a way to estimate the required number of follicular unit grafts in any given hair transplant surgery. The hair loss learning center graft calculator is a tool that allows patients to input their personalized information and calculate the number of grafts required for the desired amount of coverage.

The calculator takes variables such as current level of hair loss, the area of the balding scalp, and desired density in the transplanted area into consideration, and creates a helpful estimate of the required graft count. Although the tool is not a replacement for a consultation with an experienced hair restoration physician it’s a useful tool that can help many patients answer the infamous question: how many follicular unit grafts will it take to fill my balding area?
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Blake Bloxham – aka Future_HT_Doc

Dr. Ron Shapiro and Dr. Paul Shapiro, members of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians, have a stellar reputation online for producing excellent hair transplant results and are recognized by their patients and colleagues as two of the world leaders in today’s state of the art surgical hair restoration.

Recently, Shapiro Medical Group has overhauled their entire website. This new site is sleek, more user friendly and provides much more information on the innovations in hair transplant surgery and their practice. You are encouraged to visit their new and much improved website at Shapiro Medical Group – Hair Transplantation and Hair Restoration to learn more about their experience, technique and high standard of care they provide their patients.

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David – aka TakingThePlunge
Assistant Publisher and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog, and the Hair Restoration Forum
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Technorati Tags: hair transplant, hair restoration, Hair Transplantation

Now, over 800 free hair loss patient websites have been created by patients sharing their hair restoration journey with pictures. Feel free to view their stories or share your own. It’s easy and it’s the best way to share your hair transplant photos.

Click here to learn how to create a free hair loss website and link it to your hair restoration discussion forum profile.

Bill Seemiller – aka Falceros
Managing Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog, and the Hair Restoration Forum
Follow our community on Twitter
Watch hair transplant videos on YouTube

Technorati Tags: hair loss, hair restoration, hair transplant, hair restoration

Whether or not to tell your friends and family about your hair transplant procedure is one of the most important post-operative decisions a patient will make. While many hair loss sufferers keep their hair restoration secret or on a “need to know” basis, they may be forced to create elaborate explanations for their pink scalps and sudden profusion of hair growth or fess up and admit that they’ve spent thousands of dollars to restore their formerly balding hair.

So, who do you confide in? Do you post it on Facebook for the world to see? People often divide the people in their lives into one of several categories; family, close friends, acquaintances or colleagues. In many cases, your hair transplant can remain hidden from at least one of these groups. Just as a great magician guards the secrets of his illusions to preserve their mystery, hair transplant patients often guard the secret of their newly restored head of hair.

Recently, forum member “Can’t decide” started a thread asking members to share their thoughts and experiences. To find out how other hair transplant patients have dealt with this important issue, follow the link, Why Not Be Open With Others about a Hair Transplant?

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David – aka TakingThePlunge
Assistant Publisher and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog, and the Hair Restoration Forum
Follow our community on Twitter
Watch hair transplant videos on YouTube

This question comes from a member of the Hair Restoration Social Community and Discussion Forums:

A past follicular unit transplantation procedure left me with a less than desirable hair transplant scar. I’m now investigating a scar revision procedure and I’m wondering the potential pitfalls and risks of this operation?

Although revising a follicular unit transplantation (FUT) scar is usually considered less invasive than a hair transplant procedure, there are still certain risks and issues involved. In most cases, the undesirable strip scar is removed in the same fashion as the donor portion in a FUT procedure – by removing a portion of scalp (varying in width and length) from the universal donor zone and closing the wound with sutures or staples. Because of this, some issues associated with traditional hair transplant operations – scar stretching, laxity (“looseness”)  in the donor region, and closure tension, are still relevant in a revision procedure.

However, one of the most significant complications from a scar revision procedure comes from many patient’s desire to obtain and implant additional follicular unit grafts from the excised scar region. During many revision operations, excess scalp (containing implantable grafts) is removed from around the scar region and the additional follicular grafts are transplanted into balding areas. However taking excess scalp (around the excised scar tissue) simply for the intent of obtaining extra grafts can often create another sub-optimal scar. In various cases, it may be advantageous to simply remove the scar tissue and close a smaller area instead of trying to revise the scar and obtain additional grafts.

Most hair restoration physicians advocate the use of Propecia (finasteride) and Rogaine (minoxidil) post hair transplant. In fact, some hair transplant doctors insist upon it. Currently, these two drugs are the only clinically proven and FDA approved medical treatments for hair loss. But what about those balding patients who have experienced or fear the negative side effects associated with using these drugs? Should a patient proceed with surgical hair restoration without medically stabilizing their hair loss?

Side effects associated with finasteride are considered rare.  These include erectile dysfunction, loss of libido and gynecomastia (male breast development) among others. Possible side effects of topical minoxidil are much milder with some men reporting scalp irritation, itchiness and dryness. While the prospect of experiencing sexual side effects can be quite frightening, less than 2% of men experience some sexual side effects and only 1.3% experience erectile dysfunction. These side effects are generally considered reversible upon discontinuation of the medication.

Even with statistics on their side, some men refuse to add these drugs to their hair loss regimen but continue to pursue surgical hair restoration. What does the future hold for them?

Forum member “Churchies49” started the thread “Has Anyone on this Forum had a Hair Transplant without Medication?”, asking members to provide input and voice their concerns. Follow the link to contribute your opinions to the discussion.

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This question was posed by a hair loss sufferer seeking hair loss help on our hair restoration forum and answered by Dr. Michael Beehner of Saratoga Springs, NY.  Dr. Beehner is one of our recommended hair restoration physicians. His professional answer is below.

My doctor told me that I will end up with a 1mm wide donor scar. But now, 70 days after my hair transplant surgery, my donor scar is at least 2mm wide. Will it take much longer to shrink or do I have to live with this 2mm scar?

A hair transplant scar doesn’t ordinarily get slimmer over time although, at 70 days post-op, I think it almost certainly is as wide as it’s going to be. What does happen over that first year is that the color of the donor scar goes from a pinkish hue to a white one similar to the surrounding scalp so that it is much less noticeable.

Because of the huge variance from one patient to the next as to the elasticity of the scalp, I would say your doctor went out on a limb promising you a 1mm or less wide donor scar. In my own practice, first time hair transplant patients end up with a 1mm or less scar probably 80% of the time. But, some of the others end up with 1.5, 2.0, or rarely 3mm. This latter happens in those with “hyper-elasticity” of the scalp. When we inject the tumescent fluid into the donor area prior to making the cut, we can often tell who is hyper-elastic and then plan the excision and post-op care to try and help the donor scar end up as narrow as possible. Ways to do this are the following:

Although the topic of green tea as a hair loss remedy is a popular subject, few discussions focus on the tea as a topical therapy. Because of this, many wonder if applying green tea to the scalp can help slow or reverse androgenetic alopecia or male pattern baldness. According to a study conducted at the Seoul University National Hospital, a key ingredient in green tea may have some validity as a topical hair loss treatment.

The study focuses on epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a compound found in green tea, and its effect on dermal papilla cells and hair growth cycles. After removing and treating a section of follicular units from research subjects, the scientific team found that the EGCG stimulates hair growth by forcing hair follicles to remain in the expansion, or Anagen phase, and by increasing the active stage of dermal papilla cells (which are robust and lively during the follicular growth phase). However, despite the fact that these results seem promising, there are several issues to consider before concluding that topical green tea can help battle balding.

While the last ten years have seen great technical advances in surgical hair restoration, some balding patients seeking consultations with hair loss physicians will discover that they are not yet candidates for a hair transplant. Oftentimes this is due to the patient being too young. There is no “ideal age” for a hair transplant but male pattern balding is progressive and it can be difficult if not impossible to predict how far a younger patient’s balding with progress. For this reason, it is generally considered prudent to wait until the hair loss pattern is established or hair loss has been stabilized medically.

Balding can be difficult to accept at any age but, when it occurs in your teens or early twenties, it can be devastating to a persona’s self-confidence. Many younger patients become frustrated when an experienced and ethical hair restoration physician refuses to perform a hair transplant on them and may continue to seek opinions from less reputable doctors until they get the answer they are looking for. Unfortunately, the quality hair restoration physicians recommended on the Hair Transplant Network have seen many of these patients come to them in order to repair damage done by these unskilled and disreputable doctors.

So, what can a young, balding man do to curb that feeling of helplessness? Do you simply throw your hands up and watch your hair continue to thin? The first step that one should take is to consult a dermatologist in order to determine the nature of the balding. While most balding is genetic and caused by the hormone DHT, there may be other factors influencing your hair loss such as stress or illness. If male pattern baldness (MPB) is to blame, then you may benefit from using Rogaine (minoxidil) and Propecia (finasteride).