Male Pattern Baldness: Surgical Hair Restoration Scams

Hair restoration surgery is one of the few successful treatment options for a man dealing with male pattern baldness. Many men experience excellent, permanent results with modern hair transplant surgery, but it's important to avoid surgical hair restoration scams from doctors using outdated or ineffective techniques.

Unfortunately, many men have fallen prey to hair transplant scams. The best way to avoid hair restoration scams is to be educated about male pattern baldness, and only go to board-certified dermatologists.

Hair Transplant Scams

Modern hair restoration surgery involves precise transplantation of hair using a technique called "follicular unit extraction," during which hair is taken from a donor area without the need for an incision in the skin. But doctors offering cheap surgeries are still offering outdated (and sometimes dangerous) hair transplant scams.

Avoid doctors offering these outdated, dangerous, ineffective procedures:

• Hair flap: During this surgery, a piece of skin covered in hair is cut on three sides and moved from the side of the head to the front. Aside from carrying a serious risk of infection, this kind of hair transplant results in hair that runs in the opposite direction as the natural hairline. It also leaves severe scarring in the flap donor area and causes a general loosening of the scalp.
• Hair lift: This technique involves a deep dissection of the scalp and frequently results in permanent numbness of the head.
• Linear, round or square grafts: In this method of hair transplant, an entire strip or round plug of hair is moved as a single piece and re-grafted to the head. They often result in unattractive, unnatural-looking clumps of hair on the head that do not resemble a natural hairline.
• Scalp expanders: During this procedure silicone balloons are inserted under the scalp to stretch the skin. The stretched, bald scalp skin is removed and scalp skin with hair is pulled forward.

Resources

American Hair Loss Association. (2010). Procedures to avoid. Retrieved March 10, 2011, from http://www.americanhairloss.org/surgical_hair_restoration/procedures_to_avoid.asp

Bernstein Medical Center for Hair Restoration (2010). Follicular unit extraction. Retrieved March 9, 2011, from http://www.bernsteinmedical.com/hair-transplant/follicular-unit-extraction/

Medline Plus. (2011). Male pattern baldness. Retrieved March 9, 2011, from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001177.htm