Hair Restoration Blog

Q:

Hi Dr. Mohebi,

I had asked you some question about Finasteride 1 mg. I am still hesitating to re-take it. I came across a product named Procerin. Do you suggest it? Does it work in a different way compared to Finasteride 1 mg. What are the side effects and efficiency with respect to Finasteride?

Regards,
Patient’s name

A:

Procerin is a mix of several elements such as some herbal, vitamin and minerals. To be more precise the ingredient formula of Procerin tablets includes:

• Saw Palmetto Berries (which is an herbal DHT blocker)
• Gotu Kola
• Nettles
• Magnesium
• Zinc Sulfate
• Eleuthero Root
• Vitamin B-6
• Pumpkin Seed Meal
• Muira Puma Root

Procerin XT Topical Serum ingredients include:

• Gamma Linolenic Acid
• Grape Seed Extract
• Azelaic Acid
• Saw Palmetto Extract
• Avocado Oil
• Nettle Extract

We know that pattern hair loss is not due to lack of vitamins or minerals so you really should not take those components on a regular basis. Out of the herbal components of Procerin the only ingredient that is known to help the stop hair loss is the Saw Palmetto extract that has DHT blocking activities. The effect of Saw Palmetto (topical or systemic) in comparison with finasteride is not studied extensively. I should say the same thing about its side effects that are not evaluated as in depth as finasteride so I do not recommend it regularly for my patients. However if you cannot take finasteride for any reason Saw Palmetto might be an alternative.

Different types of body hair and the indication for the procedure is a question that I have been asked many times in last week. So that is why I thought I should write a post to answer it for everyone. Body hair transplant has been discussed in Hair Restoration Blog in the past in several posts. Patients ask which one is a better source for body hair transplant to the scalp: chest hair, abdominal hair, pubic hair or armpit hair.

Hairs of the body have different characteristics, than hair from the scalp Pubic hair is generally thicker and curlier than other areas of the body. Chest hair may be thick in some patients, but may be finer than scalp hair. Armpit (Axillary) hair is also generally curlier than scalp hair, but may not be as thick as the other types of body hair.

Before deciding to use body hair, a hair transplant surgeon has to examine the scalp donor hair carefully and then only consider body hair if the scalp hair is severely depleted. Depending on the area that you want to use body hair, you may choose different types of body hair. If you want to choose body hair only to fill in the crown area in patients who already have good coverage on top and front, pubic hair could be a good option.

Research has shown that body hair characteristics may change and become longer when transplanted to the scalp. It also shows the anagen phase of body hair may become longer after transplanting it to the scalp. Which is why this is one more advantage for body hair transplant, but still body hair transplantation needs to be done selectively.

The office of US Hair Restoration in Los Angeles was visited by Patrick Hennessey - President of Media Visions, Inc. and publisher of the Hair Transplant Network.com, the popular and highly respected online community that guides hair loss patients to find the best hair transplant center for their hair restoration procedure.

Here is a summary of what he observed during his one day visit of US Hair Restoration:

• I expect Dr. Mohebi will become well known in the coming months and years online for his quality follicular unit grafting.

  

Mr. Hennessey spent one day in the Los Angeles office of US Hair Restoration. He observed a hair transplant surgery too. He commented on the dedication and skill of Dr. Mohebi and his surgical staff:

• Dr. Mohebi impressed me as being passionate about his work and dedicated. He has succeeded in attracting a skilled and experienced staff. On the day I observed surgery in his office two of the medical technicians on duty had 13 years experience and a third had nine years experience in hair transplantation. He and his experienced staff have the capability to do sessions exceeding 3,000 grafts.In addition to performing state of the art follicular unit hair transplantation, he also performs FUE (follicular unit extraction) with sessions up to 1,500 grafts a day. During my visit they performed a 1,948 follicular unit graft session to restore the patient‚Äôs hairline. The 1,948 grafts consisted of 319 ones, 1,541 twos and 85 threes and 3 four hair grafts for a total of 3,678 hairs.‚ÄùIn the past Dr. Mohebi has had a strong interest in researching hair growth, hair multiplication and wound healing. He currently collaborates with academic centers on studies on hair growth, gene therapy techniques and hair multiplications.Dr. Mohebi uses 20 gauge needles to make tiny graft incisions as small as 0.7mm. He told me that he intentionally zig zags his donor excision slightly so that the thin donor scar is harder to detect even under close examination. He uses a double layer closure when he feels it is needed to minimize any potential scaring. He uses staples of the external suture.
  

To see the pictures and read more on Pat Hennessey’s trip to Los Angeles Hair Transplant Center of US Hair Restoration you can see the page on visit Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles in Hair Transplant Network.

Eyebrow hair transplant:

Q:

How many sessions are needed for restoring eyebrows?

How long is the eyebrow transplant surgery?

How is after hair transplant care for eyebrow restoration surgery?

A:

Eyebrow hair transplant is an effective treatment of eyebrow loss with great cosmetic results in men and women who are suffering from eyebrow hair loss due to genetic background, over plucking eyebrows or even medical disorders causing eyebrow hair loss.

Eyebrow hair transplant is done in one session in US Hair Restoration and should not take more than 3 to 4 hours for both eyebrows. Hair is removed from scalp either through FUE (follicular Unit Extraction) or strip technique (using a small strip of skin). After microscopic harvesting of hair follicles, grafts are transplanted to the recipient area in the natural direction and distribution. We use only single hair follicles or single hair follicular units for eyebrow restoration surgeries.

Rarely men who are interested in fuller eyebrows may need more than one surgery. After hair transplant care would be the same as for scalp hair transplant with careful wash for the first few days and avoiding direct sun exposure for at least 6 months.

Q:

In a FUE case that you decide a larger session hair transplant, would you consider a smaller session initially (perhaps 500 - 1000 grafts) to continue with a larger session or you prefer to do it all in one day?

A:

We always evaluate patients for the required number of grafts to fill the balding area. The number of grafts required for a hair transplant has to do with hair characteristics such as hair color, shaft thickness, waviness, and contrast between the hair color and skin tone and eventually with the number of grafts that we can safely and easily remove. For FUE hair transplants, number of grafts that should be transplanted in one day is up to the patients. The best is to get as many graft as possible during the first session to minimize the risk of repeated surgery such as increased local anesthetics and other medications. Of course, I give the patients my recommendations based on the available grafts, quality of hair and hair demand (degree of baldness), but at the end patient is the one who should decide.

Q:

I understand you charge $8 per fue graft, with 30% discount over the next 2 months. Are these for surgeries carried out in May/June or does this rate apply for any surgeries booked in those months but can be carried out in say July or August?

A:

Discounted rates is only valid for the patients who have their surgeries done by the end of stated dates. The only exception is for patients who are ready to do their surgery and we have to postpone their hair transplant for any reason (medical clearance needed or the ones that we recommend a few weeks of scalp exercise for strip technique patients who want to get a mega sessions (2500 to 5000 grafts per session).

For more on hair transplant costs you can visit the website of US Hair Restoration.

Continue from the question “FUE - Body Hair Transplant“

Question 7: What size punch do you use to extract grafts for FUE (follicular unit extraction)?

Answer: 0.8 to 1 mm.

Question 8: How many Assistants make up the team that works on a client?

Answer: That depends on the number of grafts and the method, but it is usually between 2 to 5.

Question 9: Do you use any special equipment to enhance your vision during the procedure?

Answer: Everything is being done with magnifying loops when we remove grafts and when we insert them into recipient incisions.  For more information on hair transplant techniques, you can visit US Hair Restoration web site.

Continue from the question “FUE - Body Hair Transplant“

Question 4: What is your view on “out of body” time for grafts?

Answer: There are articles on out if body time for grafts, what we do is to keep grafts in chilled physiologic solution (0-4 C). If grafts are kept in this condition the survival rate is over 90% in up to 12 hours. That number starts to drop gradually after 12 hours.

Question 5: Do your charges apply for every graft extracted, even if transected, or only charge for each intact graft?

Answer: Only the grafts that are intact and transplanted are counted.

Question 6: How much of the work do you do and how much of the work do your Assistants do? What specific tasks are allocated to Assistants and what do you undertake? To what degree are you present in the room where surgery is being carried out? Do you use needle or blade to make incisions?

Answer: In FUE procedures either body hair transplant, or scalp transplant I am present in the OR the whole time because the majority of the work is done by me. I score the grafts and remove them. Techs generally help me in retracting the grafts from scalp. Trimming under microscope is done by technicians. I constantly observe them for the quality and integrity of the grafts. Every now and then, we may have to change our methods for removing FUE grafts in different areas so the surgical team should be constantly communicating with me in the OR. For incisions I usually use solid core needles to minimize the trauma to tissue and preexisting hair.