| Your hair could be thinning for any number of reasons | | | | progress over years or decades, to the familiar |
| or combination of reasons, and without a thorough | | | | 'monk's ring' of hair. |
| medical examination by a physician, it is impossible to | | | | Thinning Hair Solution: Hair Transplantation |
| tell which is which with any degree of certainty. Our | | | | The common method of implanting grafts is illustrated |
| goal in this article is to address the most common | | | | in figure 3. There are two type of donor grafts taken |
| questions that we receive from our readers and to | | | | from the hair-bearing posterior scalp: cylindrical, elliptical |
| answer those questions in a very non-scientific | | | | (also macrografts) and micrografts or minigrafts. The |
| manner, and perhaps even answer some questions | | | | most common type of Macrografts is cylindrical plug. |
| that might be on your mind too. To follow, is a brief | | | | Using a device like a hole puncher, the surgeon |
| discussion on the known causes of thinning hair and | | | | removes 1/8-inch-round graft containing about 12 to 20 |
| how it can be treated medically. | | | | hairs and placed into a smaller cylindrical hole in the |
| In general terms, some of the most common reasons | | | | anterior balding region of the scalp. Depending on the |
| for hair loss or thinning are: | | | | degree of baldness, 1 to 4 sessions of transplantation |
| 1. Genetics. | | | | are required, with placement of 50 to 60 plugs at each |
| 2. Illness. | | | | session. Successive transplantation sessions are |
| 3. Poor Diet. | | | | scheduled with at least a 3-month interval between |
| 4. Stress. | | | | procedures. |
| 5. Medications. | | | | Hormones govern the growth of hair. In men, the male |
| 6. Post-partum Alopecia. | | | | hormone, testosterone, governs beard, body hair and |
| Thinning Hair During Puberty! | | | | hair in the armpits. In women, estrogen, the female |
| In men, thinning hair can start any time after puberty, | | | | hormone generally prevents hair growth on the chin |
| usually in the late teens to early 20's. Typical male | | | | and encourages it to grow on the head. Occasionally |
| pattern thinning hair starts as a recession of the hairline | | | | women develop signs of thinning hair or baldness |
| with some thinning in the crown. This can eventually | | | | when estrogen levels drop. |