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Treatments & FAQ
These pages have been prepared
to provide information and answer your questions about our various treatments
for problems ranging from cosmetic blemishes to more serious underlying
circulatory problems. This guide is not intended to replace a formal
consultation with one of our specialists, diagnose or treat any medical
conditions. Click
here for a list of hair transplantation references.
*Click here for a free online consultation*
Causes of Hair Loss
Understanding
the Cause
It is important to understand the cause of your hair loss, so that you
can make an intelligent and informed decision about how to treat it.
Certain hair loss treatments are more appropriate for certain hair loss
causes, while others have no effect at all.
Cause
of 95% of all Hair Loss
Hair loss may occur from genetic factors, scalp disease, hormone disorders,
or trauma such as burns or injury to the scalp. In men, genetic hair
loss, also called male pattern baldness (MPB), is responsible for more
than 95% of all hair loss. Hair loss caused by scalp diseases and hormone
disorders are rare, in comparison to genetic causes. The more common
genetic hair loss can be treated in a variety of ways, including topical
treatments, medicinal treatments and hair restoration surgery.
Women
Also Suffer Genetic Hair Loss
About 15% of all women suffer from some degree of genetic pattern hair
loss, with overall thinning being the most common effect. Some women
with female pattern hair loss eventually develop bald patches.
The
Genetic Pattern
Genetic hair loss, or pattern baldness, means that we inherit a tendency
to lose our hair from our parents or grandparents. The genetic program
is part of certain hair follicles, specifically those on the top of
our heads. It is these hair follicles that cause the common hair loss
pattern: first receding temples, then thinning on the top, followed
by a bald spot on the crown, and eventually no hair at all on the top
of the head. Usually, hair on the sides and on the back of our head
remains, even with advanced inherited pattern hair loss.
Hair
Follicles
Hair follicles grow hairs. When the ones with a genetic program to stop
growing reach a certain age, they begin to produce hairs that are thinner,
shorter, and lighter. Eventually they just stop producing new hairs
altogether. When enough hair follicles on one part of our heads do this,
a thin spot appears. When they all stop producing, baldness results.
Cosmetically
Significant Hair Loss
Significant hair loss from genetics can begin as early as 17 years of
age. By age 50, nearly 60% of all men will experience cosmetically significant
hair loss. The most common age range for pattern baldness to begin is
24-38 years.