Q: Scalp Med is supposed to unclog pores. How does this prevent hair loss? — O.P., Trenton, NJ
A: The active ingredient of Scalp Med is Minoxidil, which will help reverse miniaturization, the process that causes androgenetic hair loss. Hair loss is not caused by clogged pores, so unclogging them will not prevent going bald. Minoxidil, which is also the active ingredient in Rogaine, is over-the-counter so it is a less expensive way to use the active ingredient.
Posted byQ: Can using Kevis prevent hair loss? — H.T., New York, NY
A: Kevis has a line of natural products including shampoos, accelerators, lotions and conditioners claimed to treat hair loss by blocking DHT. The primarily ingredient is HUCP, or hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid has not been shown to prevent hair loss.
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Telemundo47 — a Spanish-language media outlet based in New York City — interviewed Dr. Bernstein for a segment on hair loss and how hair treatments and styles can lead to long-term damage.
Here is the lead in Spanish:
Consejos para los tratamientos del pelo
Los tratamientos para el cabello la pueden dejar muy bella, pero pueden traer consecuencias a largo plazo y podrían ser desastrozas.
Now, in English:
Advice for the treatment of hair
Treatments for hair can leave it very beautiful, but they can bring consequences for a long period of time and can be disastrous.
Dr. Bernstein discusses how strong chemical treatments for hair can lead to hair damage and hair loss (pérdida del cabello). He also speaks to the issue of traction alopecia (alopecia por tracción) and how you can prevent hair loss by choosing to style your hair so that it is not tightly pulled back.
You can watch the complete video segment on the Telemundo website. [Update: the video is no longer available.]
Dr. Bernstein’s expertise in hair restoration (restauración del cabello) is appreciated around the world and by people who speak a wide variety of languages. Indeed, patients have come from all around the world to seek his advice and treatment for their hair loss.
Visit our Spanish language page on hair transplantation, Cirugía de Trasplante Capilar
Posted byQ: How does a hair transplant prevent hair loss? — M.M., White Plains, N.Y.
A: It doesn’t. Surgical hair restoration does just what it says. It restores hair to an area where the hair has been lost (by borrowing it from an area of greater density that is less important cosmetically, such as the back of the scalp).
To prevent, or slow down, further balding one would need to receive treatment with hair loss medication such as finasteride (Propecia).
Posted byPRESS RELEASE
Some of the world’s most renown hair transplant surgeons gathered this month to hear about the latest cutting edge methods in surgical hair restoration. Speakers included Robert M. Bernstein. M.D. founder of Bernstein Medical – Center for Hair Restoration, New York, NY
The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) recently held their 13th annual scientific meeting. A broad range of topics were explored including; the most recent research in cloning, the latest proven medical therapies to prevent hair loss, and the newest concepts in the harvesting of donor hair follicles used for transplanting. The event was capped off with a live hair transplant surgery workshop.
As the largest non-profit voluntary organization comprised of over 650 hair restoration physicians, the ISHRS is the first international society created to promote continuing quality improvement and education for professionals in the field of surgical hair restoration.
The purpose of the annual event is to bring together the world’s best minds in hair restoration surgery for an interchange of ideas, knowledge and experience. The meeting is aimed at enhancing, to the highest possible level, the skills and artistry of the members.
One of this years exciting presentations was given by Robert M. Bernstein M.D., Associate Clinical Professor of Dermatology at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University in New York. Dr. Bernstein is recognized world wide for his pioneering work in Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) and Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT), considered to be the state-of-the-art in surgical hair restoration techniques.
Dr. Bernstein introduced a new instrument for FUE that enables hair to be removed directly from the back of the scalp without the need for a linear incision. The instrument increases ones ability to remove the hair in its naturally occurring groups with minimal damage. According to Dr. Bernstein, “FUE has been most useful for camouflaging the scars produced by hair transplants performed with older techniques.”
The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery brought together a lively collection of panels led by doctors who were well-known and highly-respected professionals from the surgical hair restoration industry. Doctors such as Robert M. Bernstein M.D. shared their expertise in order to cover the issues and advances in medical and surgical hair restoration and the latest research developments in the field. The intention being better treatment and treatment options for patients.
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The Discovery Channel interviews Dr. Bernstein for a piece on hair transplant repair. View the segment, which includes footage of Dr. Bernstein speaking about hair transplant surgery and performing a procedure, below:
Read the full transcript of the segment:
Posted byThese days, more and more men who want to compete in the marketplace are seeking cosmetic surgery because they see it as giving them a competitive advantage.
With over 35 million American men affected by hair loss, it’s not surprising that hair restoration ranks high on the list of most popular procedures, generating two billion dollars in revenue each year.
Forty two year-old New York composer Ken Gold started losing his hair 20 years ago.
Ken Gold: In your 20s, you know, everyone is more image-conscious and you don’t want to lose your hair in your 20s.
Ken is not alone. 20% of men in their 20s experience hair loss. In their 30s, the odds jump to 30%, and by the time a man is in his 50s, there is a 50% chance he will be losing some hair.
Ken Gold: Once you’ve lost your hair, you look older. And you don’t want to be 22 and look 35, you know?
Determined to stay youthful, Ken investigated his options and decided to undergo a series of hair transplant procedures beginning in 1981.
Ken Gold: One of the guys I was doing business with, he had a very thick full head of hair. And he said, “Well, I’ve got a hair transplant,” and I was just astonished.
But after five years and four painful, expensive procedures, Ken still didn’t have the full head of hair he wanted.
Ken Gold: My head was a mess. You only had to lift up the hair in the back and you could see what they call the Swiss cheese scalp, just this huge massive scar tissue with little round holes, you know.
Dr. Bernstein: When hair transplants were first started, they thought in order to get enough fullness, you had to move the hair in large clumps, and that’s traditionally known as plugs. And much of our practice is still devoted to hair transplant repair.
Ken despaired of ever finding the solution to his problem until he found the New Hair Institute in Fort Lee, New Jersey.
Dr. Bernstein: When I first saw Ken in 1995. He still had the traditional plugs, and I would say on a scale of one to ten, he was maybe a seven, with ten being the worst. We performed a procedure called follicular unit transplantation where hair is transplanted in exactly the way it grows in nature, which are little tiny groups of one to four hairs.
Ken Gold: After the first surgery I was just ecstatic because I was actually able to look at myself in the mirror.
Almost 20 years and $40,000 later, Ken has finally achieved the natural-looking hair he wanted. But there are alternatives to hair transplant surgery.
Dr. Bernstein: Probably the best thing to do if you’re noticing hair loss is to have a diagnosis of male pattern hair loss to make sure there is not some other treatable condition, and then to use a medication, such as Propecia, which actually can prevent hair loss if it is taken early enough.
But Ken Gold is convinced he’s found the right solution for him.
Ken Gold: I’m very happy now. I wasn’t happy five years ago. When I look in the mirror now, I see someone with hair and I’m able to comb it back and say, yeah, this looks okay.
