Bernstein Medical Blog

This page contains all posts in our News, Answers, Video, and Research sections.

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Dr. Bernstein Proposes Improvements to FUE Hair Transplant Procedures

August 21st, 2012

In the latest in a long line of improvements made to hair restoration procedures, Dr. Bernstein has published an article in Hair Transplant Forum International which improves the FUE procedure even further, whether performing follicular unit extraction with the FUE robot or by hand.

In his article, Dr. Bernstein suggests two techniques to enhance the FUE procedure. First, he recommends that surgeons create recipient sites prior to extraction, in order to decrease the time grafts are in their holding solution outside the body. Second, he suggests adding time between site creation and graft harvesting and placement, to allow recipient site healing to progress.

10-Year Finasteride Study: First to Investigate Long-Term Effects and Safety

August 20th, 2012

The 2011 study published by a research team led by Dr. Alfredo Rossi, is the first comprehensive investigation on long-term safety and efficacy of finasteride 1mg (Propecia).

Are Patients in Photos of Medical Treatment Using Concealers, or are Results Genuine?

August 16th, 2012

Q: Doctor Bernstein, I was looking at your website and saw the photos of medical hair loss treatments only, with Rogaine and Propecia. Doctor, are all those pictures just with medical treatments or is there concealers as well? I don’t mean to sound rude or disrespectful, but are the pics all real and genuine? Those are some impressive responses to medical treatment. — A.D., Scarsdale, NY

A: The photos are un-retouched and without concealers. These are responses to medical treatment alone. Yes, medications (finasteride and minoxidil) can work really well in select patients. Patients with early stages of thinning usually respond the best. Contrary to popular belief, the medications can work in the front part of the scalp, as long as the area is not shiny bald.

Perhaps about 1/3 of patients respond well enough to be put on the site. Most others have a good response, but not necessarily improvement significant enough to be easily noticeable in photos.

Sato Finasteride Study Points to Long-term Safety, Efficacy in Use of Propecia

August 14th, 2012

Led by Dr. A. Sato, a Japanese team of medical researchers published the largest finasteride study ever performed, “Evaluation of efficacy and safety of finasteride 1mg in 3,177 Japanese men with androgenetic alopecia.” It investigated the effects of finasteride over a 3 1/2 year period in men with androgenetic alopecia, or common baldness.

The study found that patients who had experienced hair loss for an extended period of time and were treated with finasteride exhibited notable hair growth. While a fairly small proportion of patients with a hair loss duration over 10 years exhibited “greatly increased” growth, 85% of patients with hair loss duration of more than 15 years experienced “moderate” or “slightly increased” growth. Physicians have thought that people with advanced hair loss do not respond as well as patients in the early stages of hair loss. However, in light of the results of this study, that determination should be reconsidered. Continue reading this article.

Hair Cloning Study Shows RepliCel’s Efficacy In Increasing Hair Density

August 7th, 2012

RepliCel Life Sciences; a company out of Vancouver, Canada; is studying the use of hair cloning techniques to treat male pattern baldness and hair loss in women.

The study is in progress, but analysis of the 6-month interim results of the first phases have been published. As indicated in the graphic above, the preliminary results at 6 months show that vellus hair density has increased 24.9%, terminal hair density has increased 14.5%, overall hair density increased by 19.2%, and cumulative thickness per area increased by 15.4%.

Also, almost two-thirds of subjects (10 subjects out of 16, or 63%) received a greater than 5% increase in hair density at the injection site. Of that group of 10 subjects, 7 of them saw hair density improve by more than 10%, with the biggest improvement in hair density being an increase of 19.6% in one subject.

Lortkipanidze N, et al. 2012

Before and After Photos of Medical Therapy Look Too Good To Be True!

August 1st, 2012

Q: Are the “result” photos from taking Propecia and using Rogaine legitimate? Some of the after photos look too good to be real and a few patients looked like they combed their hair to look like they had more coverage. — T.Y., Darien, Connecticut

A: The before and after photos of patients using Propecia and Rogaine are my patients. All photos on our website are un-retouched. Often, when patients have a good response to medical therapy, they have more flexibility in how they can groom and style their hair. This is reflected in the photos.

What Is The Latest On ACell Extracellular Matrix For Hair Cloning?

July 30th, 2012

Q: I haven’t seen much new with ACell. Have you been making progress with your research?

A: Thus far, we have not been able to multiply transplanted hairs with ACell, nor have been able minimize the width of the donor scars following FUT. At present, we are not recommending ACell to our patients, but are continuing to explore different ways of using it.

Will Multiple Hair Transplant Procedures Improve Hair Density?

July 28th, 2012

Q: I was told that I have low hair density in the donor area. Would multiple hair transplant procedures improve the results of my hair restoration? — J.G., Hoboken, NJ

A: Yes, but subsequent procedures would be smaller and there is a point of diminishing returns where additional procedures would yield so little hair that they would not be practical. There is a finite donor supply and once this is tapped, no more hair transplants are possible, regardless when one uses FUT or FUE.

Persistent Side Effects From Propecia

July 27th, 2012

Q: You prescribed Propecia for my hair loss. I was wondering if the new news report on Propecia side effects has altered your opinion regarding the safety of this drug? — N.D., Belle Meade, Tennessee

A: It has not changed. I believe you are referring to Dr. Michael Irwig’s study at George Washington University published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. I was already aware of the study when I prescribed the medication for you and we discussed the risk of persistent side effects at your consult.

Although all types of data should be considered, it is important to realize that this was not a scientific study, but a survey. It had very significant selection bias. From this type of study, one can’t prove cause and effect relationships or even get a sense of actual incidences. These were patients who were recruited because they already had persistent sexual dysfunction. Since it is not clear if their persistent problems were directly due to the medication or from other factors, and since these patients were selected, rather than randomly assigned, the additional information can be gained from the report is very limited.

That said, the reporting of persistent side effects should not be taken lightly, but should be viewed in the context of all available data. It is extremely important for us to continue to be vigilant, as this is a very significant issue, but it is equally important not to make decisions on data sensationalized in the media. As a result of the finasteride data, some are presenting surgery as a more reasonable alternative than medication. For a young person, that is usually not the case.

How Does Hair Transplantation In Women Compare To Procedures For Men?

July 16th, 2012

Dr. Bernstein is frequently asked about hair transplant procedures for women, and in this video he discusses the differences between treating men and women.

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