The Surgical Artist's Blog

If you’re one of the millions of women (or men) struggling with hair loss, you know how upsetting it can be to experience. Watching your “crowning glory” become thin and sparse takes an emotional toll, and you may end up worrying about your hair’s appearance instead of simply enjoying your life.

You may have heard about the “vampire facelift” on the news or in beauty magazines as one of the hottest new trends in beauty procedures. Despite the somewhat scary-sounding name, the term actually refers to a technology that’s been used for years to speed healing in athletic injuries—no supernatural creatures involved!

1. Hair Loss Is a Man’s Problem. To watch TV, you might get the impression that hair loss was not an issue for women. For each commercial with ten smiling men showing off their before-and-after hair treatment results, you might see one or two women. In actuality, however, up to 40% of women will experience some degree of hair loss over their lifetime.
2. Minoxidil is the solution for hair loss. Unfortunately, while some have a great response to minoxidil (better known as Rogaine), some do not respond at all. Minoxidil tends to be more effective when used for pattern baldness at the crown of the head and is much less effective, for treating thinning at the hairline or along the part. Some may experience hair regrowth, others may stop losing hair but with no regrowth, and still others may receive no benefits at all.
3. Finasteride is the solution for hair loss. While Finasteride, also known as Propecia, may be very effective in some people, it is not a cure-all for hair loss. For starters, women cannot take Finasteride due to the risk of side effects including birth defects. And men may experience unpleasant issues as well, including sexual side effects, and is not appropriate for those with certain types of liver function problems. Add to this the fact that many question just how effective Finasteride is in actually, noticeably regrowing hair, and some may not wish to risk the side effects.
4. You Won’t Lose Your Hair Until You’re Older. Men and women who have begun losing their hair in their early 20s can debunk this myth—the truth is, you are never too young (or too old) to experience thinning hair, especially if thin hair runs in your family. Conversely, some may maintain a thick head of hair until hormonal changes take their toll in their 40s or 50s.
5. Dyeing Your Hair Can Make It Fall Out. Certainly, constantly bleaching, dyeing, perming and straightening hair can take a serious toll on your locks. You may experience dry, frazzled and broken hair that looks thinner. However, you shouldn’t actually lose a significant amount of hair from normal, everyday hair treatments, and if you do lose any, it should grow back over the course of time.
6. If Your Mother Has Thin Hair, You Will Also Lose Your Hair. This is not necessarily the case, nor is the converse—if your mother has a full head of hair at 70, you may still lose yours. Hair loss actually comes from both parents.
7. There is No Good Solution for Hair Loss. Despite the fact that hair loss is such a prevalent problem, and one that can have serious detrimental effects on sufferer’s self-esteem and confidence, the truth remains that there is not yet a pharmaceutical or over-the-counter magic bullet yet. A combination of approaches, and starting as soon as hair loss is noted, will achieve the best results.

If you are feeling discouraged about your options for treating thinning hair, there is hope! There is now a revolutionary new treatment for treating hair thinning called Neograft, available at Southern Surgical Arts.

If you are one of the approximately 50 million men or 30 million women who suffer from pattern baldness or hair thinning, you know how distressing it can be to watch a previously-thick head of hair be diminished over time.