Shaving
April 27th, 2012 at 07:45pm
Under Hair Loss+ Shaving
I came across your writing on SMP. I am a Norwood 5 – 6. Caucasian, fair skin blue eyes 63 years old. I decided against a hair transplant but would consider SMP. Can you tell me what the costs would be? Are you planning of shaving your entire head? If so, the Scalp Micropigmentation (SMP) procedure will cost $6,000 and will include up to 4 touch-ups in the first year. The process often takes one or two touch-ups, as early as 5 days after the first, and then a month or two for a second. The pigment can fade and become patchy, so touch-ups are important. For less than the entire head, costs can be about half that. For very small areas, even less. The first procedure often takes 6 hours and the second procedure can take 3-4 hours, depending upon the fading. Anesthesia to minimize or obliterate the pain is recommended and included in the professional fee. Tags: hairloss , hair loss , smp , pigment
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Continue Reading What Does Scalp Micropigmentation (SMP) Cost?
April 24th, 2012 at 09:58pm
Under Hair Loss+ Shaving
I understand that younger patients may be denied hair transplants due to the fact they may lose more hair. If this patient gets scalp micro pigmentation as well and is happy with a shaved head if he loses too much hair, is there really a problem with running out of donor hair? I’ve actually seen results of men who get the procedure who still have somewhat of a hairline, and it looks much more realistic overall. The desire to have Scalp MicroPigmentation (SMP) seems to be more common in younger men. The choice to do SMP reflects what may be a lifetime decision. Let’s say, for example, that you have SMP done with your existing juvenile hairline at the age of 20 and then you progress to some hair loss pattern. You would then be stuck with your juvenile hairline even if you were to evolve into a Norwood class 6 or 7 pattern. You would not look normal, as you would have what appears to be a shaved frontal scalp and hair behind it… unless you shaved your entire head. Rarely can a class 7 patient be transplanted to cover the entire balding area (not enough donor hair), and in this scenario, if a 20 year old should let his hair grow out, the frontal leading edge (the SMP treated hairline) would not match the rest of the scalp unless he continued with a shaved look for his entire life. So let’s say a young man decides to have SMP to address his frontal hair loss and is now stuck to shaving his entire head for the rest of his life. He then decides to do a hair transplant in the same area where the SMP was done, allowing him to then his hair grow out or shave it, and either way, he is covered (unless of course he loses more hair — let’s say in the class 4A pattern). Now the frontal area is covered with hair and pigment, and the back area may or may not be covered with pigment, but the problem now is that between the transplanted frontal area with SMP and the top/back of the head (in front of the leading edge of his natural hair in class 4A pattern), he would have developed a space which now almost certainly will be addressed with more hair transplants, or just SMP. With more hair transplants, he can let his hair grow out, but if he elects to fill the space with SMP alone, he is stuck once more needing to shave his entire scalp to remain looking normal. There are clearly circumstances where one can receive SMP when hair is being lost in the front, but that does not reflect a stable situation because if this is a 20 year old, his balding will progress. It takes some degree of maturity and an objective mind to filter what I have just described here. To be more specific, just as doctors would not recommend surgery to a 20 year old, the same reasoning would generally apply for SMP for a 20 year old withclass 3 pattern balding. But the rules here are not hard rules, as we try to educate our patients and understand where their thinking is going. Tags: smp , scalp micro-pigmentation , pigment , hairloss , hair loss , hair transplant
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Continue Reading SMP for Younger Patients?
April 8th, 2012 at 01:27pm
Under Personal Care+ Products+ Shaving+ Skin Care
After a short hiatus, Freeze 24-7 Age-Less Skincare is back on shelves, and the brand is touting its Daily Essential Skincare System ‘s ($150) ability to hydrate, improve texture, and reduce inflammation. But does this stuff live up to the hype? We tried the re-released products for ourselves, and are pleased to announce that in this case, they actually do. The whole set (cleanser, moisturizer, and exfoliator) is softly cucumber-scented, and you get a minty cool tingle when you put it on. The standout product, though, is the Skin Glacé gel cleanser. It’s especially great if you’re on the road or don’t have a lot of time, because it triples as a cleanser, mask, and, interestingly enough, shaving cream. Plus, after using it, our skin really did look less red and more hydrated. Now if they could only work a little sunscreen in there, we’d have an all-in-one regimen. There’s a lot of skin care on the market already, but in this case, we’re glad Freeze 24-7 decided to throw their proverbial hats in the ring.
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Continue Reading What We’re Sweet On: Freeze 24-7 Skincare
April 6th, 2012 at 09:54pm
Under Hair Loss+ Shaving
I am a female (57) with receding and thinning hairline and temples (not as shown in the female balding diagrams), and just now reading about the FU HT alternative and would like to know: 1. Do both FU & Strip procedures require general anesthetic? 2. What would be the approx size of the donor area, needing to be shaved for the FU HT? 3. What is the difference in per graft costs, as I’m seeing wide variations ranging from $2.25 to $8 4. Do the FU grafts also fall out following the surgery and regrow as with the Strip method? 5. Transplants are advertised by several companies on TV as being permanent, but I’m reading in blogs etc that many patients appear to be requiring 3 or more procedures (along with lots of horrendous “gone wrong” outcomes from well known companies leading the field in HT which is very unsettling. Once started, is this an ongoing procedure and if so, how often might it be required to maintain the same thickness? Thank-you To clarify, I assume when you refer to “FU”, you’re actually asking about “FUE”. Follicular unit extraction (FUE) and the strip method are the 2 techniques used to harvest donor hair for transplantation. 1. All hair transplant surgeries are done with local anesthesia (much like when you see a dentist). You are not put to sleep. 2. Shaving the donor area is not necessary for regular hair transplant surgery. If individual hairs are extracted one by one, the back of the head would have to be shaved. This method is known as follicular unit extraction (FUE). FUE donor hair harvesting is usually performed with a 1mm cylindrical punch. The other method is often referred to as “strip” surgery, where a strip of scalp is removed from the back of the scalp. Both FUE and strip surgery fall under follicular unit transplantation (FUT), a generalized term of doing hair transplant surgery one follicular unit at a time. Strip surgery does not require shaving the head, but it will leave a linear scar that will be covered and unseen if you keep your hair long. FUE surgery will leave thousands of white 1mm dots that would be visible if you shave your head completely. Some men who cut their hair really short (less than 1 inch) sometimes prefer to have the FUE since the dots will not be seen. Most women choose the strip surgery over the FUE surgery. 3. The difference in graft cost you see on the Internet is similar to the difference in any cosmetic surgery cost. Not all surgery results and reputations of clinics and doctors are the same. 4. All the hairs or follicular units transplanted will fall out within the first month or so. The follicles will go through a dormant phase and start to produce a new hair shaft after several months. So the results of the surgery will not be evident for several months. 6 to 12 months is a general time frame we tell our patients. 5. The transplanted hairs are permanent, but it may not be enough if you are continuing to lose your existing hair. Some also have higher expectation and desire more fullness after their initial surgery. So there are patients who have more than one surgery to achieve their specific/individual goals. With respect to horror stories you read about and surgeries that go wrong, it is directly tied to your question number 3. It is up to you to do the research, as this is a cosmetic procedure and not like buying a commodity or buying a car. Not all hair transplants are equal. Tags: hair transplant , surgery , hairloss , hair loss
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Continue Reading If Hair Transplants Are Permanent, Why Would Someone Need Multiple Surgeries?
March 19th, 2012 at 07:10pm
Under Hair Loss+ Shaving
Hi Doctors, I stumbled upon your blog as I was searching online for some relevant information to my question, and let me start by saying that this is a fantastic blog and I am really impressed with the efforts that you have put into it. I’m a 23 year old male and there is an issue that really annoys me, which is the lack of body hair in general. I am of caucasian background, and all of the males in my immediate and extended families seem to have a health hair growth (body and face). I have always thought it was because I was a late-bloomer, but now I am starting to have doubts that it might actually be because of a hormone imbalance. What do you think I should do? Thanks in advance. It is not unusual for men of your age to either have no or little body hair. It may be genetics or it might be hormonal (although this diagnosis rarely is made). I do not have a suggestion for you other than wait and see what the future brings you as you age further. Believe me, in many ways, I wish I had this problem. I’m not a big fan of shaving my beard every day. Tags: body hair , hormones
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Continue Reading Why Do I Have a Lack of Body Hair at 23 Years Old?
March 16th, 2012 at 09:50pm
Under Hair Loss+ Shaving
A week ago today, I (Dr. Rassman) had a hair transplant done in my crown by Dr. Pak in our Los Angeles office . The experience was very positive and I wanted to share how things went. For those curious about pain, well, let me tell you… I was given a sedative at the time of surgery (Versed / midazolam) that produces a twilight sleep, which my surgical patients have told me was the best feeling in the world. I now know first hand just how absolutely wonderful the drug is. Whoo! If I was addictively inclined, I could live on that drug. I felt no pain whatsoever and slept for about 2 heavenly hours of the 3 1/2 hour procedure. I received 640 grafts. My crown was actually thinning in only one area slightly smaller than a silver dollar. My wife pushed me to deal with it because she said, “ What type of hair surgeon lives with a bald spot on the back of their head? ” I had dealt with this spot like many men by styling it with a comb-back. No one who came to the office ever noticed it until I mentioned it. I elected to have a strip procedure because: I had opera tickets for the next night and I did not want any part of my head shaved. I do not foresee ever shaving my head or buzzing my hair in the future where the scar might be an issue. I generally do not scar and heal well, as I realized with my 2 previous hair transplants in 1994 (total 1600 grafts back then). I wanted the most bulk for each graft without any issue of transection from FUE. Of note, Dr. Pak did transplant about 10 to 20 grafts using FUE (FOX test) prior to taking the strip out, but I decided I wanted the strip anyway. He told me that I was strongly FOX positive (which means I would make an excellent FUE case). It was faster and I walked out without any sign of surgery in less time than I thought FUE might have taken. My before and after pictures from the day of surgery and four days from the surgery are included below. I will go on record to show everyone the full results in 6-8 months when all of the hair should have grown in. Before surgery (left) // Immediately after surgery (center) // 4 days after surgery (right). Click to enlarge: As for activities following the surgery, I went on a 15 mile bike ride at the beach the next day (Saturday) and had brunch with my daughter. Then I went back to work on Monday (3rd day). Of course, talk to your doctor about their recommended aftercare and activities following surgery. Tags: rassman , hair transplant , hairloss , hair loss , crown balding , photos
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Continue Reading Dr. Rassman Had a Hair Transplant Last Week
March 8th, 2012 at 10:57pm
Under Hair Loss+ Shaving
Can you please tell me about the post-operative course I can expect after a strip and FUE surgery? If you wash your hair twice a day starting the next day after surgery, most of the scabs and redness should be gone and you should be left with a 1/4 inch stubble of hair on the front after 2 weeks. I suppose if you are really looking at it you may be able to tell something was done. Cosmetically it should not be an issue. For those with transplants to the hairline or frontal area, if your exiting hair is long and you comb it forward to cover it, then it should not be noticeable. Some patients with fair skin may get persistent redness for weeks after surgery. The redness will look like you have a slight sun burn. Most patients do not. Risk is higher is fair skinned individuals. You can find out if you are going to get redness by scratching your forehead with your fingernail, which sill turn red/pink in a couple of minutes if your body releases histamine at the scratch site. If that happens, then your risk of redness after the transplant is higher than most people. Some patients get forehead swelling on the 3rd day after surgery and it may last a couple of days, rarely a week. For your social needs, 14 days should be no issue. Risk of swelling is about 1 in 30 and it is completely random. Once in a while some people get swelling so bad it may shut your eyes and cause bags under your eyes. We give corticosteroid to minimize the risk, but the risk is still there (although very small). In general, most people return to their day-to-day activity in as early as 3 days. If your hair is long enough to cover the transplant, you can practically walk out of the clinic the same day and go to work the next day. You can always use Toppik or a similar agent to cover any areas after the surgery. If you are having a follicular unit extraction (FUE) procedure, the back of your scalp will be shaved. So in 2 weeks, the back of your scalp will have 2 weeks of hair growth over the FUE scars (about 1/4 inch length can be expected). At 2 weeks the FUE scabs may be detectable on close inspection, but should be cosmetically unnoticeable. Some people have the option to have FUE done without shaving the back of the head completely, but this will limit the number of grafts we can extract in a single session. Tags: hair transplant , guide , hairloss , hair loss , surgery
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Continue Reading Hair Transplant Post-Operative Risks and Complications
March 2nd, 2012 at 06:45pm
Under Hair Loss+ Shaving
I don’t mind shaving my head in future when hair loss develops, but not now. What I want to have is a hairline to frame my face even if I shave my head. Is there any technique performed by any surgeon which does not leaves VISIBLE scarring on the back of your head? If I want my head shaved in future, what do you advice me? I’ve thought of FUE + (ScalpMicroPigmentation on the tiny dots) when I finally shave my head. What do you think about it? Not everyone will have very visible scarring, but any wound to the scalp will leave a scar to some degree. Just to what degree you will scar, I have no way to know. The combination of follicular unit extraction (FUE) and Scalp Micropigmentation (SMP) does work… but with that said, you need to be evaluated by a real expert to know where you stand. Tags: smp , fue , follicular unit extraction , pigment , hairloss , hair loss , hair transplant
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Continue Reading Hair Transplant Now, Shaved Head in the Future
February 7th, 2012 at 08:44pm
Under Hair Loss+ Shaving
Dear Sir, Could one perform a complete FUE of all the donor hair from the back of the head to the top, i.e. create the exact opposite of MPB look? I think it’s just a matter of this encoded aging pattern in peoples heads that makes them think one is older than in reality. Just moving the hair around would confuse people enough to like that as a nice hairstyle. It’s basically the same thing as shaving the head completely bald – no hair, no pattern, monkey-brain has no recognition of aging. Different pattern is also just a big unknown to our monkey brains, so people would just get confused and interested rather than think ohhh this one looks old. It’s that obvious idiotic pattern that makes men look old. Am I not correct? Just some illustrations to my message. Now, Without hair: here What it would look if I were healthy (i.e. not balding): here My idea of solution (complete FUE MPB pattern inversion): here Sorry for the quality, I’m not familiar with graphics software, but the idea is there, right? Please, take it into consideration, Doctor(s)! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What you may perceive as a good look may be different for others. With respect to what you are suggesting, we do something similar for hair transplant surgery, just not to the extreme you’d like. We move the donor hair to create a non-balding look. But follicular unit extraction (FUE) will still create small dot scars, and if you had all the money in the world and had every hair extracted from the donor area and placed into the top of your scalp, you’d still be left with thousands of these tiny dots all over the donor area. Tags: hair transplant , fue , donor area Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):
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Continue Reading Moving All Donor Hair to the Top of the Scalp with FUE?
January 27th, 2012 at 11:05am
Under Personal Care+ Shaving
Some women love the ritual of shaving. I’m more of the git-r-done viewpoint, preferring to shave as quickly and rarely as possible. The problem is, I usually wind up with nicks or next-day stubble. This is why Schick’s new Hydro Silk razor is blowing my mind, at least as much as a razor possibly can. I’ve been using it for about two months, and no joke, I’m down to shaving once every five days or so. Lest you think I look like an extra in Harry and the Hendersons , my legs remain smooth for days on end. Better still: my usual dry, itchy, post-shave skin is now happily hydrated. Hydro Silk is Schick’s first five-bladed razor for women, and each blade is mounted individually for better movement around curvy parts - which means it’s harder to nick your knees and ankles. It tackles irritation and dry skin with a water-activated serum that sits in tiny reservoirs. As you shave, you moisturize. Easy as that. It took seven years to create this razor, and it took only one use for me to start recommending it. Psst: Keep an eye on Hydro Silk’s Facebook , where fans can score free samples from time to time. (Full disclosure: I was flown to the razor’s launch event by Schick.)
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Continue Reading This Razor Lets You Shave Less. What’s Not to Love?
January 25th, 2012 at 06:00pm
Under Personal Care+ Shaving
Lea Michele “hangs at home” in her first Candie’s ad Elizabeth Olsen says her sisters don’t dress her Michelle Obama wears Barbara Tfank to the State of the Union Exclusive sneak peek: Gossip Girl’s royal wedding Elizabeth Banks is one haute mama Cynthia Nixon’s bald head requires daily shaving Kristen Bell’s fashion icon? Her mom Which beauty product would Nicki Minaj feel “useless” without?
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Continue Reading Lea Michele Hangs at Home in Her First Candie’s Ad
January 6th, 2012 at 10:04pm
Under Hair Loss+ Shaving
My question is in regards to the SMP (scalp micropigmentation) procedure. I’ve been taking propecia about four years now–started when I was 18. My hair has halted the balding process, but I cant tell it’s slowly creeping back up, which is what I expected anyways. I’m very interested in the SMP procedure, since scarring (even minimal) and a life-time commitment to propecia just isn’t for me. My questions are: 1) As opposed to hair transplant, how old does one have to be to become a good candidate for SMP? 2) If the procedure was done, would constantly shaving the head destroy the tattooed “hair”? 3) If after SMP, one would to stop propecia and lose their hair that was retained from the drug, would the loss of natural hair be noticeable even with SMP? 4) Lastly, are there any more recent photos you could share with us other than the ones already listed? Thanks Any age above 18 years old will work for me if the patient understands the positive and negatives associated with the process. There’s a list of frequently asked questions at the SMP site . Many people will shave the head every day or every other day. This is a personal preference. Shaving your head shouldn’t destroy the SMP. If you stopped the Propecia, you would lose all benefits of the drug and the hair loss will play ‘catch up’ to what it would have been. We only post the photos of patients that grant us permission, but we keep updating the SMP site with new photos all the time. Keep watch on it. Tags: smp , scalp micro-pigmentation , pigment , hairloss , hair loss Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):
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Continue Reading Would Constantly Shaving My Head Destroy the SMP?
January 4th, 2012 at 10:11pm
Under Hair Loss+ Shaving
Does having an FUE procedure to hairline and mid scalp make it artistically unpleasant to shave your entire head? I like to wear my head closely cropped, but I’m unsure if the punctate scars from FUE are extremely visible when you closely shave your head There are many variables that produce different scars with follicular unit extraction (FUE). These variables include: The size of the punch used (ranges of punch sizes are from 0.8-1.5mm). The larger the punch used, the bigger the scar. The density of your donor hair dictate the visibility of these scars. Low density donor sites tend to show the punctate scars more than individuals who have high density. What I am referring to here is shaving your head bald, not clipping it to a #1 length. Shaving the head will almost always show the punctate scars. There’s an extreme photo example shown at this page to give you an idea of scarring from a large FUE session. Tags: fue , follicular unit extraction Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):
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Continue Reading How Visible Are FUE Scars if I Shave My Head?
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