Hair Transplant Nightmare
Question: At the age of 19 I began to rapidly lose my hair. I was really beside myself and needed to find a solution. One night while I was up late studying for exams I saw an informercial for Bosley Hair Transplants and decided right then and there that I was going to do something to help myself. I did not want to be bald by the age of 21 and according to the commercial there was now a “permanent solution’ to my hair loss.
Fast foreword to today, I am 25 years old and now have much less hair than when I started. my hair transplants look extremely unnatural and my parents are out more than $11,000.
I believe that my life has been stolen from me and all these Bosley people keep telling me is that “I look great”. They tell me with one more procedure that I’ll be good to go.
This has been a total nightmare! I have not been able to date, I am very uncomfortable at my job and I believe that they have stolen years of my life from me.
I read on your website that the American Hair Loss Association does not recommend the large chain clinics like Bosley. I only wish I found you people before I made the decision to have this done. I was so desperate to improve my situation at the time that put faith in these people. I feel so stupid and ashamed. I retrospect I was so ill-informed.
Is there anything that I can do now to help myself or am I destined to look like a freak for the rest of my life? This has taken a huge toll on my self-esteem. I can not even look at myself in the mirror without being reminded of the biggest mistake of my life. My parents are very supportive and actually feel guilty for financing the hair transplant without doing more research.
Please let me know if there is hope for me. Thank you in advance for your help.
Answer:
It is important to understand that you are not alone. The American Hair Loss Association does not recommend large chain clinics for a reason. For the most part these are bottom line business that spend millions of dollars on advertising in order to SELL SURGERY. Read more
Technorati Tags: Bosley, hair transplant, IAHRS, repair surgeryHair Loss Radio Show Hits Home Run In Cyberspace
The impact of the global consumption of digital entertainment and information has forever changed the human fabric of our world.
Social networking is no longer simply about making friends online. Sites like Myspace, Facebook, and Youtube have become platforms for consumers to find unique entertainment and information resources.
The latest trend in social networking sites is the Live Video Social Network. Part YouTube, part Myspace, the idea behind these sites is to provide their users with social networking on a flash based media site. These sites emphasize live streaming of unique content.
The popularity of programming on these sites is based solely on the discretion of the site users. Social networkers have the choice to tune into thousands of live streams at any given time and to make their choices with a simple click of the mouse.
On Sunday November 25th, The Bald Truth Radio program, the official broadcast of The American Hair Loss Association, broke new ground for hair loss sufferers by becoming one of Stickam.com’s most popular daily broadcasts. Topping out at 22,931 viewers during the show’s two hour live videocast, The Bald Truth resonated with young hair loss sufferers across the globe. Read more
Technorati Tags: hair loss, Hair Loss Radio Show, hair transplant, StickamHair Transplant Bait and Switch
Dear AHLA,
I was researching my hair replacement options and stumbled across a website that promoted scarless hair transplants. When I went in for a consultation the salesperson told me that I was not a candidate for the scarless operation and suggested that I have a traditional hair transplant. Is this a common bait and switch technique or did I go to the wrong company?
This is actually becoming a very common scenario. Many of the unethical clinics will do anything to get vulnerable hair loss sufferers in the door only to tell them that even though they are not candidates for the advertised hair transplant procedure, they can still be “helped” by a more invasion operation and in some cases a more expensive procedure.
Be very wary of these charlatans. Before considering surgical hair restoration make sure you do your home work. Contact The International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons for advice.
The IAHRS is a consumer organization comprised of the most skilled and ethical hair transplant surgeons on the field and the only surgeons recommended by the AHLA.
The Truth About Hair Transplants For Women
For the right candidate who chooses the right hair transplant surgeon, a hair transplant can be a good option. However the vast majority of women with common androgenic alopecia/female pattern hair loss do not make good candidates for hair transplantation.
Contrary to what the large chain hair transplant companies are promoting to the public, hair transplantation in women is a very specialized procedure and should only be performed on very specific candidates.
Jean Enersen of Seattle’s NBC affiliate King 5 News tackled this controversial issue and sheds some light on the reality of hair transplantation for women. To view the hair transplant story click here.
Technorati Tags: hair loss, hair transplant candidate, hair transplants in women, King 5 newsCan The Body Build A Tolerance To Hair Loss Drugs Such As Dutasteride and Propecia?
Question: I’ve been taking Avodart for 4 1/2 yrs and got good results until about a year ago when it seems to be reverting back a little. Can the body build a resistance to dutasteride or other drugs and lose some
effectiveness over time? Thanks.
Answer: As you probably aware, clinical studies have not been performed on Avodart with respect to hair loss. We can only extrapolate from those clinical experience and studies done on men taking Propecia. These medications decrease the production of DHT by reducing the concentration of 5-alpha reductase which catalyses the transformation testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). The body does not build up resistance to DHT blockers. Propecia 5 year study results showed that while Propecia did continue to prevent hair loss, there was a progressive decrease in the amount of hair grown over the 5-year period. See http://www.propecia.com/finasteride/propecia/hcp/prod_data_highlights/
hair_count_increases.jsp.
Avodart could have similar behavior in that less hair is seen over time but as in the case of Propecia, the amount of hair remaining after 5 years is significantly more that one would see if placebo or no medication were taken. So yes, medications can lose a degree of effectiveness over time but in the case of DHT blockers the effect is far superior to not using the medications at all. If you are not using minoxidil, it would be recommended to add this to your regimen. The new foam preparation has been very well received with far fewer side effects than the liquid.
Best regards,
Bradley R. Wolf M.D.
Medical Advisor, International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons
The American Hair Loss Association Supports Pantene Beautiful Lengths
Nearly 700,000 adult American women have been diagnosed with cancer this year alone, and more than one in three women will develop some form of cancer in her lifetime. One study, conducted by The American Cancer Society revealed that 58 percent of women consider hair loss the worst side effect when undergoing chemotherapy; 8 percent are at risk of avoiding potentially life-saving treatment altogether because of their hair loss fear.
This is why Pantene partnered with the Entertainment Industry Foundation to create Pantene Beautiful Lengths. Pantene Beautiful Lengths is a program that helps provide free, real-hair wigs for women who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment. The program collects healthy hair donations (ponytails), which are transformed into beautiful wigs and later distributed through the American Cancer Society wig banks at no cost to the recipient.
“The American Hair loss Association is proud to support this incredibly important and ambitious campaign. We are committed to providing our resources as a platform to help create widespread public awareness and to help women during the greatest fight of their lives.”
Spencer Kobren,
Founder, American Hair Loss Association.
For more information about Pantene Beautiful Lengths and all the ways to participate, visit www.beautifullengths.com or the Pantene Beautiful Lengths Blog http://beautifullengths.wordpress.com.
Technorati Tags: american cancer society, hair loss, pantene beautiful lengths, wigs