Question for Doctors, follicle death

Hair Transplant
1

In your experience, when slicing open scalps for hair transplants, is it possible to tell if the follicles in the bald areas area still alive? Is it your experience that most of the follicles in these long ago bald areas are dead, well maybe they are not dead in a technical biological sense, but, incapable of producing hair?

do the follicles die after a certain number of years especially in the bald areas

2

» In your experience, when slicing open scalps for hair transplants, is it
» possible to tell if the follicles in the bald areas area still alive? Is
» it your experience that most of the follicles in these long ago bald areas
» are dead, well maybe they are not dead in a technical biological sense,
» but, incapable of producing hair?
»
» do the follicles die after a certain number of years especially in the
» bald areas

Come on Doctor’s give us an answer.I want to know this one to,along with most of us on here.

If the follicles die,does that then mean minox,propecia,topicals,etc,do not work.They can’t bring dead follicles back to life,CAN THEY!

3

» » In your experience, when slicing open scalps for hair transplants, is it
» » possible to tell if the follicles in the bald areas area still alive?
» Is
» » it your experience that most of the follicles in these long ago bald
» areas
» » are dead, well maybe they are not dead in a technical biological sense,
» » but, incapable of producing hair?
» »
» » do the follicles die after a certain number of years especially in the
» » bald areas
»
» Come on Doctor’s give us an answer.I want to know this one to,along with
» most of us on here.
»
» If the follicles die,does that then mean minox,propecia,topicals,etc,do
» not work.They can’t bring dead follicles back to life,CAN THEY!

Scalp biopsies reveal such findings in people with androgentic alopecia. They have “burned out” follicles, basically dead and scarred down. Incapable of producing hairs. If hairs turn around from the vellus-like state and produce terminal hair in the presence of Propecia, etc, then that follicle was not dead, in my understanding.
What’s your point, that the meds are a scam? They are not supposed to bring back hair in slick bald areas.

4

» If the follicles die,does that then mean minox,propecia,topicals,etc,do
» not work.They can’t bring dead follicles back to life,CAN THEY!
Come on you guys…
Think about this Catch 22 question you’re throwing at these doctors that they apparently don’t want to answer.

Don’t you think these same doctors that sell hair transplants also see patients using medications like minox, propecia, etc.???

How can you expect them to answer this question that would require an extremely honest answer but could also be detrimental to their business?

It’s all about you know what…$$$$$

5

Transplant surgeons do not make large incisions into bald areas. Even if they did, they would most likely have to analyze the dormant/dead follicle at the cellular level, not at the normal magnification that is used.

Follicles go through a life cycle and eventually, the follicle dies. When a terminal hair (healthy, young, thick hair) advances in its life cycle, it becomes weaker, finer, shorter, and miniaturized. Each time the hair sheds, it advances into miniaturization. The clear sheath of cells around the hair shrinks up towards the surface of the scalp, and the hair returns less and less. It is not always possible to tell if the follicle is capable of producing another hair.

To help you with your argument (I’m not sure which side you are on, haven’t read much on the other board), if a hair follicle is dead, medication will not help. If the hair follicle is weakened due to DHT, medications can thicken, strengthen, and slow the hair loss process. In rare cases (<5%) the hair can regrow, even in bald areas. I have seen it myself…once.

There is no way to know for sure if a person is going to respond favorably to meds. Obviously, the balder the area, the less chance there is for hair to regrow, but not always impossible.

Widows Peak – Doctors are not at odds with medications. Transplant docs typically put their patients on Propecia, Rogaine, Saw Palmetto, etc. The goal is to use both methods: slow down the hair loss process with medications and to treat the areas of loss with transplant.

6

» Follicles go through a life cycle and eventually, the follicle dies.
»Each time the hair sheds, it advances into miniaturization.

»In rare cases (<5%) the hair can regrow, even in bald areas. I have seen it
» myself…once.
Jessica…I find it very curious that you claim to have seen regrowth in bald areas only once. Honestly…I find that very hard to believe.

Jessica…since you claim follicles eventually die after their “life cycle” I wonder what you consider the life span of a typical follicle to be.

How would you explain people that die of old age (80-100 years old) that still have a lot of hair, if not all of it, if your claim that follicles eventually die is true?

Thanks
WidowsPeak

7

» Jessica…I find it very curious that you claim to have seen regrowth in
» bald areas only once. Honestly…I find that very hard to believe.

Only once in person. There are some good pictures online.

» Jessica…since you claim follicles eventually die after their “life
» cycle” I wonder what you consider the life span of a typical follicle to
» be.

Depends on the person, their physiology, and their genetics.

» How would you explain people that die of old age (80-100 years old) that
» still have a lot of hair, if not all of it, if your claim that follicles
» eventually die is true?

The life span of a person and the life span of hair, or any other organ, are not the same. Just because a person dies (even at 80-100), it doesn’t mean that all of their body structures are non-functioning. People can die with perfectly functioning kidneys, heart, lungs, bones, even hair.

» Thanks
» WidowsPeak

Your welcome,
Jessica

8

» The life span of a person and the life span of hair, or any other organ,
» are not the same. Just because a person dies (even at 80-100), it doesn’t
» mean that all of their body structures are non-functioning. People can die
» with perfectly functioning kidneys, heart, lungs, bones, even hair.
I have been told that hair continues to grow after a person dies too. Don’t know if this is actually true though.

I am assuming you believe that hair on a person’s head has different life spans depending on where it is located?

In other words…A transplant works by replacing dead follicles on top of the scalp with “longer life span” follicles from the back of the head?

In more other words…“Longer life span” follicles from the back of the head will grow where the dead follicles’ were located? And eventually these transplanted “longer life span” follicles will die too?

Then a patient can get another transplant from the same donor area but for some reason these new donor follicles are still alive even though they come from the same donor location as the first transplant.

Just trying to understand your theory Jessica…no fight intended.

9

» I have been told that hair continues to grow after a person dies too.
» Don’t know if this is actually true though.

Tee hee hee, no. Hair needs circulation to grow. I have heard that, too, though.

» I am assuming you believe that hair on a person’s head has different life
» spans depending on where it is located?

yes

» In other words…A transplant works by replacing dead follicles on top of
» the scalp with “longer life span” follicles from the back of the head?

yes

» In more other words…“Longer life span” follicles from the back of the
» head will grow where the dead follicles’ were located? And eventually
» these transplanted “longer life span” follicles will die too?

Yes, the “longer life span” follicles have the ability to die too, but probably not within the patient’s life span.

The hair that seems to never die is the “safe donor” region. It is the horseshoe of hair around a bald person’s head, from ear to ear around the back of the head.

» Then a patient can get another transplant from the same donor area but for
» some reason these new donor follicles are still alive even though they come
» from the same donor location as the first transplant.

wait, what?.. I think what you are saying is that the life span is decided within the hair follicle, not the surrounding scalp. So, (mostly) yes. Transplanted hair will match the length and thickness of its original donor area in most cases of scalp hair transplant.

This can actually be a problem. Imagine a person with minimal recession in the temples, and he gets a transplant to fill in the weak spots. Now fast forward 10-20 years. He has a thick frontal hairline from the transplant, but is bald from there to the crown because as the mpb progressed, the transplanted hairs were not affected. Now he has an island of healthy hair in a sea of thinning baldness.

» Just trying to understand your theory Jessica…no fight intended.

Of course not…well, not a fight with me anyway. I think this might be an area of controversy over at the supplement board… :wink: :stuck_out_tongue: :smiley: