Dermatologists Explain What Hair Loss Clinics Can Offer

Independent dermatologists who specialize in treating hair loss believe patients should first get a medical diagnosis to make sure it’s genetic pattern thinning and not temporary shedding from having surgery, a baby, or extreme stress, or that it’s not a gland, hormonal, or immune problem, or even cancer.

‘The other thing we see is infections in the scalp from hair techniques, from weaves, from perms that are done irregularly. I have a number of patients that I’ve seen that have burned their scalp and that has led to hair loss’, explained New Orleans dermatologist Dr. Mary Lupo.

Chemical burns from salon relaxers need prompt treatment by a doctor with injections or the scalp will permanently scar, blocking hair growth. The only cure is hair transplant surgery. The doctors also use a drug called spironolactone for women with pattern thinning.

And they say the prescription medicines a hair loss clinic uses do work. And while they say the laser shows some promise, the hype may be ahead of the science.

‘We really only have two publications so far investigating its use specifically for hair. One of them I published in my fellowship. It was a small study. We had seven patients and we did find that there was some improvement but the results were not necessarily statistically significant. And it wasn’t for all patients. It was just a little bit of an average in the increase in the thicker hairs’, said Dr. Nicole Rogers, a Metairie dermatologist and hair surgeon.

‘I’m cautiously optimistic that with early hair loss of a purely genetic androgenetic alopecia mechanism, that we might see some improvement with this. I do not think it would do anyone any harm’, said Dr. Lupo.

And the doctors say the science is very weak that saw palmetto or any ingredients in shampoos increasing hair growth.

Still a hair loss clinic usually says its products help the laser penetrate better and stands by its results of using several treatments at once.

‘Excellent results. We have “before and after” comparisons. Our nurse takes pictures though a special camera on a microscope and you can see definitely, quite an improvement. Our clients are very happy’, said Dr. Michael Fuhrman of Delmar, New York. His specialty is in family practice and urgent care. He is a hair loss clinic medical director.

In hair loss clinics, the staff has access to doctors and nurses to answer questions. And if pattern baldness is not obvious, they will not make a medical diagnosis.

When asked if he ever recognized a medical condition and sent a client to a doctor, Zito responded, ‘We have. We have before’.

‘It’s for me and it’s, you know, at the end of the day, I’m the one looking in the mirror at myself. My wife does a good job of taking care of herself so the least I can do is give a little bit back to her’, says Brad Boudreaux, a satisfied client of hair loss clinic services.
Finasteride is prescription pills only for men to regrow hair. But Dr. Lupo says there is also one now for women called spironolactone.

Also a hair loss clinic usually has a laser comb that can be used at home.

Black Women May Be Prone to Baldness

Weaves, braiding and chemicals could cause scarring and baldness.

A number of black women in the UK could end up bald or with severe scalp scarring because they wear weaves and braids that are too tight, hair experts have warned.

The warning comes as a recent US study suggests that nearly 30 percent of middle-aged African-American women polled are already affected by severe hair loss—suffering from bald patches and scarring in the centre of their scalps as a result of their too-tight hairstyles.

Although not directly linking it to hair loss in the study, researchers also highlighted concern over the harsh chemicals some black women are using to relax or perm their hair.

“You have to stop and think about what you’re doing with your hair, and you have to look at your children’s hair,” study lead author Dr. Angela Kyei, a dermatologist at the Cleveland Clinic, warned in a Businessweek report. “You have to start thinking about what might happen later on.”

UK hair and beauty experts have also warned that black women in this country are at risk of losing their hair.

“It’s possibly more of a problem here,” said Keith Hobbs, senior consultant trichologist at the Institute of Trichologists Clinic in Tooting, South London.

“Hair loss affecting black women in Britain is a closely guarded secret which causes much misery to its many sufferers. It is hard to say how many women are involved because they all cover their hair loss, but over 60 percent of my black patients have some degree of loss, ranging from small patches to complete loss.”

Hobbs, a hair and scalp disorders expert, told The Voice: “Black women in Britain are more at risk of hair and scalp problems than people living in hotter countries where the atmosphere is more humid, because the colder, drier air in Britain makes hair more likely to break.

“The various methods of adding hair and straightening hair traumatise it further. The various traumas that cause this problem include traction including weave-ons, plaits and extensions left on too long. Also scratching and over-massaging hair. Added hair is frequently used on bald patches, making the situation worse.”

He said damage could also result from “heat—Afro-nozzles on hot hair driers and heated tongs, (and) chemical relaxers and bleach, which must never be used together. The risk is obviously worse when the methods are used at home.”

Baldness: Concerns and Treatment Options

There are a variety of reasons for hair loss, but a popular notion is that hair loss is passed down through the maternal side of the family. As seen on The Doctors, a teenager whose father still has a full head of hair expresses concern that he will lose his hair because all the males on his mother’s side are bald.

Millions of American men and women suffer from hair loss and hair thinning but there have been great strides made to restore hair, including hair transplants. This is not the hair transplant of the past however. New technology uses FUE (follicular unit extraction) to remove strategic groupings of the follicular unit and the hair is placed where desired. Hair restoration specialist Dr. Alan Bauman, who has pioneered the administration of FUE in America, says, “The major advantage of any FUE procedure is the lack of a linear scar,” which erases the tell-tale line of demarcation that typical patients who have undergone hair transplants may have.

Early detection of whether you may go bald is also another option for the patient from the show. A genetic test is now available to see if a patient is susceptible to hair loss—a simple cheek swab can determine if someone is predetermined to be bald and if treated early, hair loss treatment such as topical and oral medications are most effective.

Also available is the Finasteride Response Test, which is recommended for patients considering the oral medication finasteride. According to the manufacturer, there are a certain percentages of patients that do not respond to finasteride and the test is important for anyone considering going on the medication.

The topical solution minoxidil is the only FDA-approved topical medication for male and female pattern hair loss. Minoxidil comes in 5 percent solution for men and 2 percent for women.