Hair Restoration Blog

Q:

Dear Doctor,

I am 14 years old and I have hair loss in form of CTTA and my parents agreed to let me get the hair transplant, but will it actually take months for my hair to grow and I need to know how much it cost for the operation please.

A:

Congenital Temporal Triangular Alopecia (CTTA) is a congenital condition that is noted by parents at birth or soon after that.  CTTA could easily be treated with hair transplantation at any age. We at US Hair Restoration charge patients with the number of grafts and since patients only need a small number of grafts, the cost falls into our minimum charge category. Having said that you need to have a consultation with me so we can confirm the diagnosis and make sure you are a good candidate for a hair transplant surgery. 

Transplanted hair will grow in 2 to 3 months after hair restoration surgery and will become even better than that for the following months after that.  Since the location of the transplanted hair is only in the temple areas, it may not show as much since most people can easily comb their hair to cover the hair loss area.

Please feel free to call our office at 1 (888) 302-8747 and schedule your complementary consultation at one of our Southern California offices. If you are contacting from other states, you can send us an inquiry through our website and we contact you to complete your online consultation.
We look forward to seeing you soon.

Dr. Parsa Mohebi

Q:

hi

I come from china ，I would like to consult your organization a few questions:

In your experience,usually Asians（chinese people) the normal growth of the number of roots Per cm² of hair? Head at the top and post-occipital whether there are different?
using FUE technology，on one operation ，After the occipital Site  get the maxinum number of FU (Asians including 2-3 days operation) at present,how much FU can be planted per square centimeter on Planting area? Between the scope of? and the percentage with normal?

Looking forward to your reply Details!

Thanks for your questions.

A:

Here are the answers in the order they were received:

The number of hair follicles

The number of hair follicles in non-balding areas of scalp like occipital areas have been studied.  A range of 80 - 120 follicular units (FUs) per centimeter were reported. The density of follicular units vary in different locations of the scalp. Also, the number of hairs per follicular unit vary in different areas and with different races. For example, Asians usually have less number of hair follicles per cm², so even with similar number of FUs per cm², the density of their donor area is still less than Caucasians. To calculate the number of hair per cm², you have to average the number of hairs per FU and multiply it by the number of FUs per cm².

Difference of hair on top and back

The shaft of hair may or may not be different in different areas of the scalp. Obviously, if you are balding, you see more miniaturization and less terminal hair, which makes the appearance of the hair less dense on the area. However, without baldness, hair quality would be the same in back and top of the head.

FUE and number of grafts

FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) is more labor intense and requires more time for harvesting the grafts. For that reason, FUE procedures are generally smaller in terms of the number of grafts per session. What we do at US Hair Restoration is up to 1,500 grafts per day on average, for 8 to 10 hours work in a FUE procedure. The number may occasionally go up to 2,000 grafts, too, but not everyone can expect to get that number with FUE.

Density of transplanted hair

There are many research projects on this topic. The number can be as high as normal density in some circumstances. However, practically we can make up to 35%-40% of the normal density in one session. This is a good number if you consider that the density of hair on frontal areas could be about half of the hair on the donor area in some patients, so 35%-40% is not that far from the normal density in those patients.

The effectiveness of medical hair restoration alone with hair restoration medical options that are currently available such as finasteride or Rogaine has always been questioned.  Medical hair restoration without the surgical option (hair transplant), might work for some people, but should not be recommended to all as a cure-all solution, as you may find in some advertisements.

The available FDA-approved medications for hair loss prevention are finasteride and minoxidil.  Although both are effective, they may have different indications for male and female patterned baldness. They might not be considered a complete treatment for male patterned baldness, as pharmaceuticals may try to show.

Medical hair restoration should be seen as a preventative measure which should be considered, along with the surgical options, as part of a master plan. Most people are prone to shock loss that may happen after a hair transplant surgery and they need to be on preventative measures such as finasteride at least a few months around the time of surgery. Shock loss after a hair transplant used to be one of the biggest problems that hair transplant patients had up until the last few years. Now, most hair transplant patients go on finasteride after a hair transplant surgery.

Donor Scar left behind from a previous Hair Transplant Procedure

Q:

Hi,

I had an FUT procedure done a little more than 5 months ago which left a scar in the donor area at the lower left-rear of my scalp.  The FUT was meant to bring out and define my front hairline.  Can your FUE procedure cover this up as I always prefer to wear my hair short (almost military fade short)?

Also, I was wondering if it\’s possible to increase the density of my new hairline with FUE as the hairs appear to be positioned farther away than my natural hair which makes it look as if I\’m thinning at the front.  I live in San Diego, CA and am interested in your Orange County facility.
Please help.

Thanks,

A:

FUE (follicular unit extraction) can easily be used to bring more hair into the donor scar area to improve the visibility of the donor area.  However, there are other techniques that could be used to help with this condition.  First, you need to be seen by a hair transplant surgeon and be examined for the donor scar type that you have and the quality of your hair in front. In addition, you hair characteristics need to be determined as well.

Many people who need more hair in larger areas can have another strip surgery to respond to that need while removing the old scar and closing it with either one or two sided trichophytic closure. This option can minimize the appearance of the hair transplant donor scar while giving you an adequate number of hair to cover the front or balding areas.  It is also more affordable.  I have seen wonders with this technique.

People who have a stretched scar from their previous hair restoration surgeries can benefit from Botox injection around the scar of surgery after their repeat surgery.  There are reports of improvement in the size of the scar with the Botox in some patients.

If your scar is still visible after doing all those techniques, you can use an FUE transplant to fill the scar in with follicular unit grafts and improve it even further.  You have to understand that none of these techniques eliminate the scar, but they can improve its appearance significantly.

METRO Source LA magazine is one of the largest and fastest growing magazines. They bring the hottest news in fashion, home design, travel, music and more in a great bi-monthly publication. This month’s publication focuses on Pride events in the hottest and most talked about cities in California: Long Beach, Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco. We are fortunate to be a part of this publication especially since we have been featured as this month’s METRO Hot Shops.

California US Hair Restoration offices, located in Encino in San Fernando Valley, Beverly Hills and Orange County and led by medical director Dr. Parsa Mohebi, uses modern techniques and provides top-notch client services to anyone looking to get treatment for hair loss or to correct prior hair procedures. Clients walk away with the most natural look. “The worst scenario is if someone were to compliment you on your hair transplant,” Dr. Mohebi says. “They should absolutely not be able to tell.”

US Hair Restoration takes pride in providing personalized hair loss treatment and educating our patients and answering all their hair loss questions. “Our facilities accommodate almost every personal need of every patient we see and our pricing is as competitive as it gets in today’s market.”

“We meet with each client from beginning to end, and follow up with them regularly,”

For more details or to get a glimpse of our editorial piece in METRO Source LA Magazine, be sure to pick up a copy for yourself. Available in most major book stores. You can also download a copy of the editorial by clicking the image below.

For more details or to schedule a FREE CONSULTATION, contact our Los Angeles Main Office.

888-302-USHR
888-302-8747

Someone just forwarded me an interesting article from the LA Times that was recently published.  The author was visiting one of the open houses of a hair transplant surgical clinic recently and was amazed to see a good crowd despite of the current recession and financial slow down that has caused patient volume in cosmetic-surgery facilities to fall by a third, according to the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery.  The author found a waiting room full of guys who were willing to spend as much as $20,000 a piece to restore what nature was taking away.

He says: “…increasingly these days, another incentive for men to undergo hair-transplant surgery is a desire to be more competitive in a challenging job market.”  The article quotes Dr. Rassman as: “Society discriminates against bald people. If you have two people coming in for a job, and one of them is partly bald, you’ll think that the one with hair has more youth and vitality.”  He continues as “Many full-headed people have a hard time understanding the problems of balding people.”  The author talks to several balding men requiring hair restoration information at his hair transplant clinic.  One of the patients said, a more youthful appearance would definitely improve his chances if one had to start looking for work — which he hopes won’t happen any time soon, but you never know with the way things are.

The article continues as: With hair-transplant surgery, healthy hair is removed from the back of the scalp and replanted up top.  Sometimes it grows in nice and evenly. Other times, you have to grow it long where it takes root and settle for a comb over. And other times, judging from some websites out there, things can go very wrong and you’re worse off than when you began.  Potential patients will want to shop around carefully.  Rahul Gupta, 28, works as a mechanical engineer for a company he’d rather not name.  (”We do a lot of defense work,” he explained.)  Like David, he’s mindful of how a hirsute appearance can influence one’s career prospects.

I found this article interesting and I have to say, I personally had many patients whom have visited me as soon as they heard that they are being laid off from their job.  The job market is tight now, but there are plenty of opportunities in getting what you want at a discounted rate.  For example, we came up with a standby program to help people who can be flexible with their schedules fill our openings and get discounts on their hair transplant cost.  If you are competing with a lot of qualified candidates that just lost their job, you need to use any help you can possibly get to become more competitive.

How to choose a hair restoration surgeon has been addressed in our hair restoration blog before.  However we still get a number of questions on a regular basis from other parts of the world from hair loss patients who are shopping around for a hair restoration procedure.  For most of those patients, the quality of a hair transplant clinic is the best factor to decide which hair transplant clinic to choose.

Being in Southern California, I see hair transplantation results from other hair transplant doctors and I might be able to say who can be in a list of best hair transplant doctors in Los Angeles.  It would be hard for me to really say who is the best hair transplant doctor in America, let alone other countries that I have limited exposure to and have not had a chance to see their best hair transplantation results.

As we said before, searching for a good hair transplant doctor can be a difficult job. In large metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles and Orange County, referrals for cosmetic and hair transplant surgeons come far and wide. Compared to other cosmetic surgical procedures, hair transplant surgery and in particular follicular unit transplantation is one of the newer fields. You can find a variety of hair transplant surgeons with different levels of experience in your country. Overall, hair restoration and other cosmetic procedures should not be taken lightly. Just because you see a billboard stating “the most experienced Hair Transplant surgeon in …” does not make it a true statement.

Most hair transplant surgeons now in days offer a free hair transplant consultation. You should know that the end result of hair transplant surgery is permanent and it should be to your liking. Take advantage of the situation and shop around. It isn’t enough to just visit several hair transplant doctors.  You also need to educate yourself on the hair transplant process, the surgical techniques and the hair transplant surgeon’s background before visiting the doctor.

By doing so, you can appreciate a good technique and a knowledgeable doctor when you see one.  US Hair Restoration offers a free physician consultation for everyone and we specialize in state-of-the-art exclusive follicular unit transplants (FUT), mega sessions for people with extensive hair loss and follicular unit extraction (FUE), or minimally invasive hair transplant that does not leave a scar in the donor area.

In today’s world it is getting easier to look your best. Modern hair transplant surgeries with undetectable results have become a demanding field in many large metropolitan areas.  This is my one single advice on how to find the best hair transplant or the best hair transplant doctor: do as much research as you can and then meet your hair transplant doctor prepared with good questions and see if he is someone you can really trust.

Parsa Mohebi, MD
Hair Transplant Surgeon

Q:

I read on the website that scar revisions are case by case in terms of pricing. On an average how much do you charge? I had a hair transplant done in Newport Beach a couple of years ago, and I’d like to revise the scar to a hopefully smaller one. One side is fairly good, about 2-3 mm, the other side is more like 6mm. Is it better to do only half and not touch the good side so to speak? How long would the wait before such a procedure. I’m looking into doing it in May.
Please get back to me,
I’d appreciate it.
Thank you,

A:

Hair transplant scar revision could be done in part or the entire scar and it might require many different techniques:

1.    Simple excision and closure of the scar may reduce scar width.

2.    People who tend to stretch their scars can be treated by injection of BOTOX around the scar after wound closure to prevent future stretching.  Some people require tricophytic closure which allows hair to grow into the scar.
3.    Ultimate elimination of the scar visibility may require an FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) to fill the scar of a strip hair transplant with hair.

Wound healing and scar maturation is a timely phenomenon.  Most scars continue to evolve for six months from the time of wound closure.  The process of scar maturation may even continue after that but it will be at a much slower pace.  In most cases I generally don’t want to touch scars before 6 months in our California office of US Hair Restoration.

My patients and readers of this blog often ask me about celebrities’ hair loss and hair restoration.  Living in Los Angeles and being engaged with Hollywood people, celebrity hair transplantation is not an unusual question.  Of course, I won’t be able to reveal the name of the people who had a hair transplant with us or anywhere else, unless they allow us to do so in advance.  However gossip never sleeps in the world of Hollywood and whether people have had hair transplantation or not is one of them.

If you search the internet you may find the name of a few celebrities rumored to of had a hair transplant or hair restoration.  You can find several male celebrities whom their hair systems could be recognized.  Although wigs and hair systems have become very realistic these days, high resolution photography can reveal them at times.  Many known celebrities had old technique hair transplants that used to be detectable and easy to distinguish. That is why they are bound to a certain hair style to cover their unnatural hairline.  Many others have the problem fixed by doing a repair hair transplant using the follicular unit transplant.  The good news is that many patients with unnatural hair line from old hair transplants could improve their appearance if their donor hair was not violated with old techniques of hair restoration or plug surgeries.

When it comes to hair transplant, California and, in particular, Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and Hollywood seem to be the most concentrated areas in terms of the number of hair transplant surgeons.  Maintaining a good look in Hollywood is not only important, but it could be life changing for anyone especially if you are one who is constantly followed by reporters and Paparazzi.

Happy New Year! Last year was a year of great accomplishments for our group, and I have a lot to share with you in this blog. We are proud to be able to continue our research in hair loss and hair restoration and be active at the medical meetings at an international level.  I am also proud that our articles were published on Hair Transplant Forum, the most prestigious journal of hair restoration surgery.

Two of our articles, Psychology of Hair Transplants and How to assess scalp laxity, were published on this journal as their cover article within the last year.  I have to appreciate Dr. William Rassman, Medical Director of the New Hair Institute, who coauthored me on those articles and also Dr. Jae Pack who helped us with the technical aspect of our invention: Laxometer.

I presented a lecture on Psycho-social impacts of hair restoration surgery on men at an annual meeting of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS), which is the most important event in the hair restoration society.  One of the medical equipment companies is working on producing the Laxometer, which was invented a year ago and was perfected within the last year.  Laxometer is a device that can help hair transplant surgeons to increase their precision in harvesting hair and making hair transplant a safer procedure for patients.

Beside our achievements in hair restoration, we have expanded our Encino Medical Spa to be able to provide many more cosmetic needs of our patients under one roof.  Our hair restoration offices in Encino, Beverly Hills and Orange County facilitated the access of the patients to our services for residents or Southern California.  We also provided great travel packages for the patients who traveled from other states or other Countries to take advantage of our quality services.  I have to thank Niki and Rey and other medical assistants for coordinating this process and making our procedures as smooth and pleasant as possible.

Last year has been a financially challenging year for America and many other countries.  We at US Hair Restoration succeeded at reducing rates of our procedures while maintaining our high standards.  We also offered a variety of low rates and 0% interest financing for hair transplants for qualified patients to make our hair transplant procedures more affordable.

I am glad that I found many new friends last year, people who I personally admire for their willingness to become a better person inside and out.  I appreciate my colleagues for referring their patients and friends to us and our previous patients who could not stop bragging about their new look after the procedures that they had with us.

Have a great Holiday,
Parsa Mohebi, MD
Medical Director
US Hair Restoration and USHR Medical Spa