Why am I losing hair?

Hair loss in men and women is caused by different things.  Male pattern hair loss is usually due to dihydrotestosterone (DHT.)  Men have circulating testosterone in their bodies, and when the testosterone is used up, it is broken down into DHT. 

This DHT then goes into the cells and causes a protein to be produced that bombards the hair follicles of the scalp making them smaller and smaller until they fall out. 

Without a hair transplant, Propecia, and or Rogaine, hair loss will continue until baldness sets in.  Propecia is great in that it stops the production of most DHT by blocking the enzyme (5-alpha reductase) that converts testosterone into DHT.  Rogaine is a nice adjunct to a hair transplant in that it causes fine hairs to grow giving the appearance of density and added volume to the transplanted hair follicles.  The hair replacement procedure in and of itself can recreate the frontal hairline that has been lost and replace the hair lost on the top of the scalp.

Female pattern hair loss is different.  In fact, we don't know the mechanism behind female hair loss.  Many studies have been done trying to find out what the causes are so that we can find a way to treat it, but researchers have been unsuccessful.  Propecia has even been tried in post-menopausal women, but it has not shown to help with hair loss in women.  However, hair transplants do work in women and they work very well.  In fact, women who undergo hair, eyebrow, and eyelash transplants make up about 30% of Dr. Schreiber's practice.  Also, Rogaine is effective in women when used as directed.

For more detailed information about hair loss and what you can do to treat it, give Dr. Schreiber's office a call and come in for a complimentary consultation.  With his office conveniently located in Baltimore at the 695-83 interchange, Dr. Schreiber's office is easily accessible from anywhere in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania.  Questions?  Email Dr. Schreiber directly at doctor@ChesapeakeHair.com.