Q: Dr. Bernstein, I am experiencing side effects on Propecia, are there alternative treatments? — J.D. ~ Roslyn, N.Y.
A: Yes, minoxidil (Rogaine), low level laser therapy (LLLT). Unfortunately, none of these will be as effective as finasteride.
Q: What do I do if I start experiencing side effects on finasteride? — L.L. ~ Riverdale, N.Y.
A: Don’t panic, just stop the medication and let your doctor know. He or she will give you guidance based on your symptoms.
Q: My hair is starting to thin in the front, but it is not yet bald. I have been going back and forth about whether to get a hair transplant or use Propecia. I’m not sure what my first step should be. What do you think? — N.K. ~ Pleasantville, N.Y.
A: In general, patients who are thinning, but not actually bald, should begin with combined medical therapy (finasteride and minoxidil) for at least a year prior to considering surgery. In many cases, with this regiment, surgery can postponed or even avoided completely. Unfortunately, some patients cannot tolerate finasteride or choose not to take it due to concern about potential side effects. Minoxidil, although useful, does not significantly alter the long-term course of hair loss when used alone.
Q: I was wondering if it was possible to use Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) on the old plugs instead of graft excision. — N.B. ~ Westport, C.T.
A: Graft excision generally works better than FUE in removing old plugs and mini-grafts. The reason is that, in these grafts, the hair is not aligned due to the scar tissue that tugs on, and bends the hair. Because the hair direction is altered from the scar tissue, there is much more damage when the grafts are removed with the tiny FUE punches. In addition, FUE only removes a very small part of the plug. If the hair in the plug is pointing in the wrong direction or the plug is in the wrong location, the entire graft needs to be removed.
Another benefit of graft excision is that we can remove the underlying scar tissue and improve the appearance of the underlying skin. In FUE, only a tiny bit of the scar tissue is removed and, since FUE holes are left open, FUE actually causes its own scarring. With graft excision, the sites are sutured closed so some scar tissue is removed and the quality of the underlying skin looks more natural.
Read about Hair Plug Removal
Before/After Photos of a Plug Repair Patient
Q: When you remove hair plugs and re-use the hair from the grafts, what is the survival rate for those follicular units? — W.B. ~ Upper West Side, N.Y.
A: The survival rate is close to that when grafts harvested via FUT or FUE. However, if the grafts are placed into a significantly scarred scalp, this can have a negative impact on growth.
Q: I’ve read some information on your website about donor area scarring from FUT and FUE. Since I wear my hair longer in the back, I am not really concerned about that. But what about the recipient area where my hair is thin? Are any scars visible in the recipient area after a hair transplant? How long after a hair transplant will you be able to see redness, marks, or scars on the top of my scalp? — A.N., Chicago, IL
A: The marks and redness from a hair transplant should fade in about 10 days, although there is significant patient to patient variability. The tiny recipient sites that we use prevent visible scarring, pitting, or other surface irregularities as a result of the procedure.
Onalytica, a company that provides Influencer Relationship Management software and services, has named Dr. Bernstein one of the top influencers (#39 out of 100) on the topic of robotics due to his pioneering work in robotic hair transplant surgery with the ARTAS Robotic System.
Q: I had a good friend get a transplant at your practice and it seems that your practice is the industry leader in hair transplantation. I may one day be looking for one. That being said, my friend said I shouldn’t trust anyone else. I wanted to know if you may be able to tell me what tests/specific labs you have your patients do prior to starting Propecia. I am having my doctor put me on it but he does not recommend any labs but I don’t trust this. So I’m not looking for medical advice, just what your practice may advise a patient to get (in terms of labs/blood tests) prior to starting Propecia. I’m really hoping you can help as I have already contacted a number of other sources and can’t seem to get an answer. — M.B. ~ Upper East Side, N.Y.
A: Blood tests are not required before starting finasteride and we do not routinely perform them. If a patient requests test then Total and Free Testosterone, DHT, and Prolactin are reasonable to obtain, but there is no consensus on what the appropriate tests might be. If a patient requests tests because he has symptoms (i.e. such as lack of energy associated with low T), he should see his internist, urologist, or GP. That said, patients 50 and over (40 and over in patients with a high risk of developing prostate cancer) should have a PSA before starting finasteride.
Q: I had an FUE hair transplant three weeks ago and some of my existing non-transplanted hair has fallen out. I was a Norwood 3V, but now I look more like a 4 or 5 without the hair that used to help cover up my thinning area. Am I destined to look balder for the next few months? When can I expect to look like before? — T.M., New Haven, CT
A: You are describing shedding that is pretty typical following a hair transplant. The hair which is shed generally grows back together with the transplanted hair beginning at about three months. You should expect hair that is shaved for the FUE procedure to grow back right away at the normal rate of 1/2mm per day.
The shedding (also called shock hair loss) doesn’t mean permanent damage to the hair follicles. What it refers to is a physiological, or normal, response to trauma to the scalp which is caused by the hair restoration procedure. In general, only miniaturized hair (the hair that is affected by androgens and that has begun to decrease in diameter) is shed after a transplant. This hair would be lost in the near term anyway. Existing healthy hair is unlikely to shed, but if it were to shed, you could expect it to grow back as the transplanted hair grows in.
